Cieza, Murcia

Main sights

Populated since the Paleolithic Age, the area of Cieza is home to archaeological excavations in the such as and La Serreta; and Barranco de los Grajos.

There are also Iberian remains (found at Bolvax), as well as Roman, Visigothic, and Arabic deposits. The Arabs, who inhabited the area from the eleventh to thirteenth centuries, and who knew the area as Medina Siyâsa, left behind a mountain fortress. At the dig site of Medina Siyâsa, many decorative architectural elements have been found, such as engraved arches and porticos, and polychromed ceramics, glass, metals, etc. All these discoveries are kept in the museum of Siyâsa.

The Ermita ("hermitage") de la Virgen del Buen Suceso is located in the area known as Collado de la Atalaya. The Plaza de España is located in the heart of the city. The modern market was built in 1929 by .

El Paseo ("The Walkway") contains pictorial work in glazed tile by , who dedicated the different tiles to several men of letters.

The main church is the eighteenth-century Basílica de la Asunción. Inside, there are sculptures and retablos by Rafael Ximeno y Planes, , , , etc.

The Iglesia de San Joaquín, dating from the seventeenth century, used to be a Franciscan monastery in the past. The church-monastery of the Order of Poor Ladies (Clarisas), from the eighteenth century is also an important monument.

Other important sites include the main market, which was built in 1929, and "El Muro" (The Wall), built in the nineteenth century in the place where the medieval wall was located.

Facilities

• Sport facilities – In Cieza there are several swimming pools -including a covered and heated one-, several basketball and tennis courts, two football fields, an athletics track, several gyms.
• Theaters – There are several theatres in the town (some of them are theatres and cinemas at the same time). They are called Auditorio Aurelio Guirao, Auditorio Gabriel Celaya and Teatro Capitol.
• Education – In Cieza there are two secondary schools, seven primary schools, a music college, a special education school, several nursery schools, two catholic schools and two schools which are run by private companies but financed by the regional government.
• Health – There is a public hospital which provides health care not only for Cieza but also for people who live in other towns and villages. There are also two public clinics as well as some private ones.
• Judiciary – The town is head of a judicial district (in Spanish, partido judicial). As a result of that, there are first instance courts in the town.
• Museums – There are some museums and art galleries. The best-known art gallery is Casa Efe Serrano. The most popular museum is Medina Siyasa Museum, which shows objects related to local history.

Climate

Cieza has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification: BSk) bordering on a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen: BSh) with mild winters and hot summers. Rainfall is scarce throughout the year, with September being the wettest month of the year, with 44 mm. Frosty days occasionally occur in winter, while temperatures above 35 C are common, and can exceed 40 C on days of intense heat. |Jan record high C = 28.0 |Feb record high C = 27.4 |Mar record high C = 32.9 |Apr record high C = 35.9 |May record high C = 40.6 |Jun record high C = 41.5 |Jul record high C = 44.2 |Aug record high C = 45.3 |Sep record high C = 42.9 |Oct record high C = 35.0 |Nov record high C = 29.3 |Dec record high C = 29.2 |year record high C = |Jan record low C = -6.5 |Feb record low C = -4.2 |Mar record low C = -2.5 |Apr record low C = 1.7 |May record low C = 4.1 |Jun record low C = 10.2 |Jul record low C = 13.8 |Aug record low C = 13.4 |Sep record low C = 9.9 |Oct record low C = 3.1 |Nov record low C = -2.4 |Dec record low C = -4.5 |year record low C =

Economy

A third of the territory is utilised for crop purposes and the most widely grown product is the apricot.

Celebrations

The Holy Week celebrations (processions) are the main fiestas. They are Fiestas of National Tourist Interest. Saint Bartholomew fiestas are also important fiestas, as well as the Moros y cristianos.

Twin towns

• Philippines Baler, Philippines
• ESP Cieza, Spain

References

References

1. "INEbase / Demography and population /Municipal Register. Population by municipality /Nomenclature: Continuous Register by Population Unit / Results".
2. Mateo Saura, Miguel Ángel. (1993). "El arte rupestre de la Cueva de la Serreta (Cieza, Murcia)".
3. "Listado inmuebles (22/01/2016)".
4. "Bolvax- Yacimiento Ibero Romano - Región de Murcia Digital".
5. Murcia, Instituto de Turismo de la Región de. "Basílica de Ntra. Sra. de la Asunción : Official Murcia Region tourist site".
6. "Valores Climatologicos normales". AEMET.
7. "AEMET OpenData". Aemet.es.
8. "CREM - Datos Municipales Cieza".