Ría de A Coruña Estuary

Photographs

Description

The Ría de A Coruña opens between the Punta do Seixo Branco in the east and Punta Herminia in the west and spreads southwards to the mouth of the river Mero. In the west it is flanked by the peninsula on which the city of A Coruña is settled, whereas on the east, the estuary runs around an undulating coast that stretches to the Seixo Branco. The intense humanisation of the territory is shown by the deep transformation of the shores and the continuous populating activity with its centre of attraction in the Herculean city that spreads its economic tentacles far beyond the estuary itself, undoubtedly becoming the governing city of the north-west of Galicia. Embracing the tower of Hercules, one of the most beautiful lighthouses in Spain and the oldest working lighthouse in the world, A Coruña opens on to the sea with a symphony of wood and glass that makes it the Ciudad de Cristal. Inside, beautiful prints worked in stone, churches, palaces, charming rúas that are the delight of any visitor. The whole of the city evokes the sea. Seen from the sky, it looks as if it is going to break off to become the island it was thousands of years ago. Since roman times it has lived off sea trade and just two hundred years ago, the sea still splashed the old houses of A Mariña and Los Cantones. Its commercial, fishing and sports port consolidate it in its marine vocation. Its seafront has but brought the city to this ocean balcony that is its sea. Its tower of Hercules is the stone logo etched forever in the mind of all those who visit the city. The estuary was formerly defended by the castles of Santa Cruz, raised in the 17th century and placed on the isle of its name, and by that of San Antón, built in the 16th century, and currently turned into the Archaeological Museum of A Coruña. The port of A Coruña, which maintains its leadership in the fishing sector, especially on the high seas, which historically was its main source of income, is also important for its commercial activity.