CHIPIONA

HISTORY
Chipiona is situated in the North West of the province of Cadiz. To the East and North West is the town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and the estuary of Guadalquivir River, to the West is the Atlantic Ocean and South is the town of Rota.  Its grounds consist of reddish sands, low in clay content and high in sand, make it possible for intensive farming and greenhouses, also the existing water of few meters in depth is utilized in the cultivations of produce and irrigation of high-quality vineyards…

CRUCIBLE OF CULTURES
Many civilizations have influenced the history of Chipiona and great variety of cultures left their marks.  The archaeological excavations carried out to date indicate a settlement of a population since the Palaeolithic Era, favoured by its establishment in a zone of maritime coastal traffic that started great commercial activity, facilitating the arrival of the Phoenicians, Greek, Carthaginians and Romans. Around year 140 A.D. the first tower was built in Chipiona, called Turris Caepionis, so that the Navigators that entering the Guadalquivir, could avoid the dangerous reefs of the Stones of Salmedina.  It was built by the Procónsul Roman of Hispania, Fifth Servilius Caepio.  This tower was described by Strabo in his Geography, giving it the name of Kaipionos Pyrgos; likewise Pomponio Mela, in his Geography, called it  Monumentum Caepionis.  Since then, Turris Caepionis, became the name of Chipiona.   HISTORYIts origin is mentioned in the time of Tartessos and its population was situated in lands next to the Stones of Salmedina.  It is thought that this civilization lived between IX and VI BC. and was extinguished from the VI century BC.

THE LIGHTHOUSE
Is the highest one of Spain, the third of Europe and the fifth of the world, with 72 meters above the sea level and 69 meters from the land to the structure of the flashlight, with a total of 344 steps.  It was built on the Punta Del Perro to indicate the entrance of the Guadalquivir River.   The first stone was set on April 30th 1863, and built by Catalonian engineer Jaime Font, finishing four years later in 1867 and lighting for the first time on November 28th 1867, with optic equipment and sparkling every sixty seconds.   At the beginning it was working with oil, later with paraffin and petroleum, material that raised in the interior of the tower, that is hollow, and with a pulley.  The roll of the flashlight was carried out through machine of watchmaker's shop and counterweight that fell for the hole of the tower.  Nowadays this mechanism continues functioning in diurnal hours.   In 1916 it began to utilize vapour of petroleum pressure with burner, and this produced sparkles every fifteen seconds.   In 1942 it was substituted by electric lighting, with a lamp of 3000 watts and a reach of twenty miles of fixed light, three flashes of light and sparkles every fifteen seconds. In August of 1936, due to social and political circumstances that led to the Civil War, the lighthouse keepers are expelled, being ordered to leave the lighthouse, a fact that lasted almost three years.  Meanwhile in 1937, the soldiers do the works of the defence wall.  In 1.956, because of Marshall Plan and for American demand the plates at the top of the lighthouse were changed by crystals, being paid this job for the Americans, work that was carried out in 1963.   Of the 170 existing lighthouses in Spain only 20 they are aerial maritimes, forming part of the same the one in Chipiona since 1.956.    These lighthouses are characterized for emitting its light the same distance horizontal and vertical, also serving airplanes.   In December 1999 the existing lamp was changed to a new Halogenous one, reaching eighty miles and sparkling every ten seconds.  The materials used for the construction of this lighthouse were, above all, oyster stone extracted from the fishing ponds of Las Canteras in Chipiona, also used were materials from Sierra Carboneras, situated six kilometers between the Bay of Algeciras and San Roque, slabs of Tarifa and Oyster stone from Rota.   The Lighthouse of Chipiona is the lightning rod of our town. 

THE CASTLE
The Castle of Chipiona is situated over a rock of the old ravine where the waves of the sea beat. With a square plant and two floors covered with vaults of edges, a square tower next to the wall that goes from Cruz del Mar to Playa de las Canteras; the windows are pointed, being found all the building completely almenado.  Its origin, according to the Provincial Delegation of Cadiz, is situated in during the Muslim period, but little data exist of Chipiona during that time.  According to the history, and the existing documents, Chipiona was conquered in 1251 by King Fernando III "The Saint", regained again finally in 1261 by his son King Alfonso X "The Wise".  Subsequently he passed these lands to the Pérez of Guzmán family since the King Sancho IV, like reward to Alonso Pérez of Guzmán "The Good" for the defence of the city of Rota, donates him all the lands situated between Guadalete and Guadalquivir Rivers with the condition of building four castles in Trebujena, Rota, Sanlúcar of Barrameda and Chipiona.  Afterwards Chipiona passed to the Master Ponce of Leon when in 1303 Alonso Pérez of Guzmán "The Good” married his daughter Isabel with Hernán Pérez Ponce de Leon.  RestorationThe Castle was restored in 1527, along with the one in Rota and Sanlúcar de Barrameda with almenaras because of the continuous attack by the Turkish, Berber, and Moorish pirates, being even here the famous pirate Barbarroja, existing to the year 1.651 great endowment of soldiers for the defence of the castle.  In the 17th century, they are mentioned in minutes capitulares, that "served as dwelling of the parish priest"; in the first years of the 18th century became prison local (or public jail of the village); in the 19th century (1.893) was used like headquarters of the Civil Guard since the position of Trebujena had been transferred to Chipiona.  Royal hotelThe first information that we have that was used like hotel was in a surrender act of 1.887.  In 1.922 the Castle was restored because of the stay of His Majesty Carlos de Borbón and Luisa de Orleans. Maria de las Mercedes, mother of the present King, also lived in the Castle.  In general, we will say that for many years it was a fortress and lookout for the defence of the towns population, creating the first population centre next to it until becoming hotel in 1890 until 1989, when it closed due to problems between the associates being abandoned and remaining in state of ruin and abandonment until December 26th, 2.000 that the City Hall of Chipiona acquires it to proceed to its Restoration.
Situated in the heart of Chipiona, in the Castle of Chipiona, a few metres away from the downtown and the commercial centre. At the Tourism Office they speak: Spanish, English, French, German The office is opened all days of the week