Puerto Real

Puerto Real

Puerto Real has an area of 197 Km2 and it is at a height of 8 metres above sea level. The town could be divided into two areas. The coastal area where it is located the town or city centre and is faced to the inland of La Bahía de Cádiz. The interior area or open country that covers the greatest area.

At Southwest it borders on San Fernando, at north on Jerez de la Frontera, at South on Chiclana, at southeast on Medina Sidonia and at northwest on Puerto de Santa María. A great area of this municipal district is Nature Reserve (the Parque Natural Bahía de Cádiz) that is characterised by its marshes and abundance of migratory birds.

With respect to the history of Puerto Real, this town was founded in 1483 by the King and Queen of Spain (Reyes Católicos).

Although the history of Puerto Real would start with the foundation by the Reyes Católicos, there are several archaeological Prehistoric and Roman traces (Retamar, Gallinero, Puente Melchor…) that proves an intense human activity in the territory.

Later the foundation by the Reyes Católicos motivated the growth of a town. The reason to the foundation is given by the expansion plans that the flourishing Spanish Imperium had over the Northern Africa, however the possession that had the nobility over the main ports of the western Andalucía forced to the location of a new port, a royal port. The town will grow with this intention and it will be influenced by the avatars of its adjacent municipalities, particularly the one of Cádiz that it will become in the most important port of Spain thanks to the trade with America.

Between the decline and magnificence times we have to emphasize the destruction of a large part of the town by the French during the Independence War, the consecutive epidemics and the invasion of the Cien Mil Hijos de San Luis. On these last ones it is worth telling two curious events:

The first event is found in a deserted isle of Puerto Real, a shelter of tides called Trocadero, that gives name to a square from Paris, precisely because it was the place where took place the victory of the Cien Mil Hijos de San Luis in its combat against the Liberals. Nowadays we can find remains of the castle San Luis, located just to the South of El Puente Carranza.

The second curious event is the creation of the canal called Cortadura. That is not a natural canal, it was built by the Spanish in order to prevent the French invading artillery would bombard Cádiz.

At the end of the XIX Century Puerto Real had an industrial flowering thanks to the creation of the Shipyards by Antonio López. The new technological advances and the new industries changed the appearance of Puerto Real. For example we have to remember the disappearance of a working-class village close to the shipyards, Matagorda, however there were set up new urban areas like the Río San Pedro and the Marquesado.

Monuments

Caja del Agua and Jardines del Porvenir
Callejón del Arco
Wholesale food market
Main Theatre
San Jose Church
Victoria Church
San Sebastian Church

Open Spaces

Isle of El Trocadero
Nature Reserve of La Bahía de Cádiz
Complejo Endorreico of Puerto Real (Protected Area)

Puerto Real Gastronomy

The Gastronomy in Puerto Real is famous because of its Pescados de Esteros, emphasizing the Gilthead Beams, Soles, Breams, Zapatillas (little giltheads), Sea Basses and Grey Mullets.
Among the shellfish, the clams –unique of Puerto Real-, coquinas (type of clams), muergos (molluscs), prawns, bocas, canailles (marine gastropod molluscs) and crabs.
Among its typical dishes we can emphasize: Perdiz a la Piñorera, Chickpeas with King Prawns, Hot Gazpacho, Grilled Fishes, Marinade Dogfish, Omelettes of Shrimps, Almejas a la Marinera and Baked Gilthead Bream.

How to get there

You have to go out Cádiz and continue in: N-443. Take the exit towards: Salida 105, CA-32, Puerto Real, A-48, Algeciras – Puerto de Santa María. And follow towards: Salida 105B – CA-32 Puerto Real – A-48 – Algeciras. Then you get Puerto Real.

Distances from Puerto Real

Sevilla 117 km
Cádiz 14 km
Arcos de la Frontera 52 km
Jerez de la Frontera 22 km
Conil de la Frontera 36 km
Chiclana de la Frontera 18 km
El Puerto de Santa María 11 km