Elche

Elche, also known as Elx, is a city in Spain. It is part of the province of Alicante in the Valencian Community. As of 2024, Elche is the third-most populated city in the region, with about 242,317 people living there.

Although part of Elche is near the coast, the city itself is about 15 kilometers away from the Mediterranean Sea. Elche is well-known for being a major center of the footwear industry in Spain. The main airport for the province, called Alicante–Elche Miguel Hernández Airport, is located in Elche and serves both the city and Alicante. This airport is one of the busiest in Spain, ranking fifth.

Elche, together with nearby Alicante and other towns, forms a large urban area home to around 800,000 people. One of the city's most famous features is its beautiful urban Palm Grove, which has been recognized as a World Heritage Site.

History

Elche has a long and interesting history. In very old times, a place called La Alcudia was an important settlement. Later, under Roman rule, it became a busy town linked to sea trade.

During the Middle Ages, a new town called Madinat Ilš grew up where Elche is today. It had strong walls and became part of many different rulers over time. Even though it was smaller than nearby towns, Elche had its own special community and some trade activity.

In more recent times, Elche saw changes like many other places — new rulers, wars, and growth. The town became more important when railways arrived and new industries, especially making shoes, began. By the late 1800s, Elche was officially named a city and its shoe-making became famous.

Geography

Elche is famous for the Palmeral de Elche, a special place that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is the only palm grove in Europe that comes from North Africa and is also the largest in Europe. It is one of the northernmost and largest palm groves in the whole world. Today, Elche has 97 orchards with 70,000 date palms, mostly on the east side of the Vinalopó River. If you count the palms outside the city, there are about 130,000 more, making a total of 200,000 palms in Elche and nearby areas. The Palm Grove covers an area of 3.5 km² (1.4 sq mi), with 1.5 km² (0.58 sq mi) inside the city. It includes a beautiful garden, a museum, a special path, and a city park.

Elche touches the edges of several places, such as Santa Pola, Guardamar del Segura, and Alicante. The most important natural feature is the Vinalopó River.

Elche has a warm climate with mild, dry winters and hot, dry summers. The city gets a lot of sunshine, between 2,900 and 3,000 hours each year, and there isn’t much rain. The average temperature is above 18 °C (64 °F). The hottest it has ever gotten was 43.2 °C (109.8 °F) on July 12, 2021, and the coldest was −5.0 °C (23.0 °F) on February 12, 1956.

Demographics

As of 2024, about 41,700 people living in Elche were born in other countries, making up 17.2% of the total population. The five largest groups of foreign residents come from Colombians (7,323 people), Moroccans (5,975 people), Romanians (2,727 people), Argentinians (2,377 people), and Ecuadorians (2,014 people).

Economy

Elche's economy is mostly based on making shoes, with over 1,000 shoe factories. It is one of the most important places for shoes in Spain and all of Europe, with brands like Pura Lopez, Kelme, and Panama Jack.

Other jobs in Elche include farming crops like dates, olives, cereals, and pomegranates, though farming is not as important now. There are also jobs in making rubber products, trading goods, working in aerospace with PLD Space, and welcoming visitors as part of tourism.

Elche has a place for big meetings called Ciutat d'Elx, an international airport named _Aeropuerto de Alicante, a public university called Universidad Miguel Hernández, and a private university called Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera.

Culture

Cultural theatrical spaces

The Grand Theater

The Elche Grand Theater is a beautiful place for shows that was built in the early 1900s by architect Alfonso Garín. It first opened in 1920 and was called the Kursaal Theater. Inside, the theater has a special horseshoe shape with an orchestra area in front and two sections with box seats on the sides. In the 1990s, the local government bought the building and fixed it up. It reopened in 1996 with a visit from Queen Sofía. The theater is located in the historic part of Elche, near Glorieta, and hosts many kinds of performances like plays, dances, and music.

L’Escorxador Centre for Contemporary Culture

L’Escorxador opened in 2008 in an old building that used to be a slaughterhouse, built in the 1940s. It covers 5,000 square meters and is made for younger people. The center has four sections: one with seats for shows, another called The Nave for art displays and special events, a third with rooms to practice music, and a large fourth section with studios and a small exhibition room called Sala Lanart. Since 2009, there is also a terrace where outdoor performances and movie showings can happen.

La Llotja Cultural Room

La Llotja is in a remodeled old market building from the 1940s and opened in 2008. It is used for dance, theater, and music shows for young people, as well as school graduations and other events. During elections, it is used as a voting place.

Museums

Alejandro Ramos Folqués Archaeological and History Museum of Elche

This important museum is inside the Altamira Palace, close to Saint María basilica in the historic center of Elche. It opened in 2006 and shows many old objects and history from different times, including the Neolithic, Copper Age, Bronze Age, Iberian culture, Roman times, and more. It has items from places like the Alcudia site and Elche Park.

Festa Museum

The Festa Museum is about the Mystery of Elche and shows visitors what this special event is like. It has two rooms: one with old posters, costumes, and other items, and another with modern technology to feel like you are part of the celebration.

Palm Grove Museum (Palmeral Museum)

This museum is in an old house near the Garden of Healing and tells the story of Elche’s palm groves. It uses videos, panels, and other displays to show the history and uses of the palm groves.

The Traditional Culture Centre Pusol School Museum

Created in 1969, this museum studies the traditions and history of the Elche area. It has many objects showing farming, business, culture, and more. In 2009, UNESCO recognized it for protecting important traditions.

In addition to these, Elche has many other interesting places such as:

• Paleontological Museum in the plaza of Saint Juan Church.
• Alcudia Museum at the archaeological site where the Lady of Elche was found.
• Museum of Contemporary Art in the Raval neighborhood.
• Museum of the Assumption of the Virgin, dedicated to Elche’s patron saint.
• Visitors center in the Municipal Park with videos about the city.
• Municipal Centre of Exhibitions with nature displays.
• The Centre of Exhibitions of the Lonja in the Town Hall.
• Espai d’Art with modern art sculptures near the Municipal Park.
• Arabian baths inside the Clarisas Convent.

Festivities

• Holy Week: Like much of Spain, Elche has special religious parades during Holy Week. The Elche Palm Sunday Procession is especially famous.
• Moros i Cristians: This celebration happens in early August and tells the story of the Muslim rule and the battles between Christians and Muslims many years ago.
• Nit de la Roà: This event happens in mid-August.
• Christmas: During Christmas, Elche puts up a nativity scene and has a living nativity. There is also a parade on January 5th with the Three Wise Men.

Main sights

Elche has many interesting places to visit. The Palmeral of Elche is a beautiful area with over 200,000 palm trees. It was named a special place by UNESCO in 2000.

You can also visit Altamira Castle, which was built a long time ago and has served many purposes over the years. There are also old Arabic Baths that were built using parts of even older Roman baths. The Basilica of Santa Maria is a large church built in 1672.

Other sights include Calahorra Tower, which is all that remains of the old city walls, and the Town Hall, which has a very old tower. The Huerto del Cura garden is part of the Palm Grove and has nearly 500 palm trees, including some very special ones.

The city also has museums, such as the Elche Palaeontological Museum with many interesting fossils, and the Elche Municipal Festa Museum, which shows items related to a special performance called the Mystery Play of Elche. This play, known locally as Misteri d'Elx, is very old and was named a special cultural treasure by UNESCO in 2002. It is performed every year in August during local holidays. On August 13, there is a big celebration called Nit de l'Albà with fireworks throughout the city.

Transport

The Alicante–Elche Airport, which is the fifth-busiest in Spain, is located in the municipality of Elche, about 10 kilometres east from the city centre.

There is a railway connecting Alicante and Murcia del Carmen that passes through Elche with two underground stations: Elche-Parque (Valencian: Elx-Parc) and Elche-Carrús (Valencian: Elx-Carrús). These stations are served by the Cercanías Murcia/Alicante commuter rail service and Media Distancia trains between Valencia Nord station and Murcia.

In 2021, the Madrid–Levante high-speed rail network was extended to include a station called Elx/Elche AV in the Matola area, branching off from the line to Alicante near Monforte del Cid. The AVE station has parking for 500 cars and 50 motorcycles.

Urban buses operate several circular routes in the city and, since 2025, also serve areas around the city, including the high-speed AVE station Elche-Matola, Alicante–Elche Airport, and coastal areas like El Altet, Arenales del Sol, and La Marina.

The city's bus station is served by companies providing travel to regional and distant places. The Elx Rodalia service connects the city with nearby towns such as Alicante, Crevillente, and Santa Pola. The transport company Alsa offers bus services to places like Valencia, Barcelona, and Madrid.

The Autopista AP-7 (Autopista del Mediterráneo) runs near the city, serving the east and southern coastlines of the country.

Notable people

Elche has been home to many interesting people. Marceliano Coquillat was an architect who lived from 1865 to 1924. Saúl Ñíguez, born in 1994, is a footballer who currently plays for Atlético de Madrid in the Liga BBVA. His brother Aarón Ñíguez, born in 1989, is also a footballer. Sílvia Soler Espinosa, born in 1987, was a tennis player who competed in WTA tournaments and reached the semifinals in Strasbourg. Francisco Mojica, born in 1963, is a microbiologist known for his work on the CRISPR gene editing technique.

Twin towns and sister cities

Elche has friendly connections with three other places. These include:

• Toulouse in France
• San Bartolomé de Tirajana in Spain
• Jaca in Spain