Tortosa

Sister cities

• Avignon
• Vercelli
• Alcañiz
• Le Puy-en-Velay
• Tartus

History

Tortosa (from or , via Ṭurṭūshah) is probably identical to the ancient Hibera, capital of Ilercavonia. This may be the ancient settlement the remains of which have been found on the hill named Castillo de la Zuda. In Roman times, the town took the name Dertosa (). Tortosa was occupied in about 714, during the Arab conquest of the Visigothic Kingdom. It remained under Muslim rule for more than 400 years. King Louis the Pious laid siege to Tortosa in 808–809, but although the city submitted he did not manage to occupy it. The city was conquered by the Count Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona in 1148, as part of the Second Crusade. Because of the crusading appeal made by Pope Eugene III and his representative Nicholas Brakespear (the future Pope Hadrian IV), the siege received the aid of crusaders from multiple nationalities (Genovese, Anglo-Normans, Normans, Occitans, Germans, Flemish and Dutch), who were on their way to the Holy Land. The siege of Tortosa was narrated by the Genovese chronicler and diplomat Caffaro. After its conquest, the city and its territory were divided among the victors, with multiple lands being granted to foreign crusaders and to the military and religious orders. Tortosa also had a sizable Jewish community in the 14th and 15th centuries; vestiges of that community can be seen throughout the City. In the years 1413 and 1414, as an attempt to force conversion upon the Jews, Jews were forced to defend their religion in a two-week Disputation of Tortosa which took place in the Cathedral of Tortosa, which is still standing today. Construction work on a railway line between Tortosa and Alcañiz began in 1891, to open a communication gate between this region and Aragon. The work, however, was haphazard and the first trains between Alcañiz and…

Most-observed species

• Little Egret/Western Reef-Heron

  Egretta garzetta (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  4,393
• Yellow-legged Gull

  Larus michahellis J.F.Naumann, 1840 · Aves
  4,264
• Black-headed Gull

  Chroicocephalus ridibundus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  4,067
• Glossy Ibis

  Plegadis falcinellus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  4,037
• European Goldfinch

  Carduelis carduelis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,677
• Gray/Purple Heron

  Ardea cinerea Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  3,645
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,498
• White Wagtail

  Motacilla alba Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  3,391

Most recent

• M 3.7 — 2013-10-04
  28 km ESE of Vinaròs, Spain
• M 4 — 2013-10-02
  29 km ESE of Vinaròs, Spain
• M 4.3 — 2013-10-02
  30 km ESE of Vinaròs, Spain
• M 4.1 — 2013-10-01
  30 km ESE of Vinaròs, Spain
• M 2.5 — 2008-12-31
  1 km NE of Castellfort, Spain
• M 2.8 — 2008-06-17
  12 km SSE of Tarragona, Spain