Village
City on the border with Gibraltar, separated from the municipality of San Roque on 17 January 1870 and established as a town council on 20 July that year; Alfonso XIII granted it city status in 1913.
Historical milestone
On 8 June 1969 the Franco regime ordered the closure of the border gate with Gibraltar, which remained shut for thirteen years until it reopened on 14 December 1982, with an enormous impact on the economy of La Línea.
Monument
Defensive system of forts (San Felipe, Santa Bárbara, San Carlos) built between 1731 and 1735 facing the Rock of Gibraltar, destroyed in 1810 during the Peninsular War to prevent its use by the French.
Monument
Fortifications built between 1731 and 1735 as part of the defensive system of the Línea de Contravalación, intended to blockade Gibraltar and curb British expansion; the Santa Bárbara fort has undergone restoration.
Monument
A watchtower built in the time of Philip III, one of the 44 coastal towers that stretched from the Guadiaro river to Portugal to warn, by means of smoke and fire signals, of the presence of Barbary pirates.
Monument
A 19th-century Neo-colonial church, raised to sanctuary status in 2005, which houses sculptures by Luis Ortega Bru; in its square stands 'Las Tres Gracias,' a sculpture by Nacho Falgueras inspired by the work of the local painter José Cruz Herrera.
Monument
A public market designed in 1878 by the architect Adolfo del Castillo and completed in 1882, with a wrought-iron roof over its central nave.
Curiosity
José Cruz Herrera, a painter born in La Línea de la Concepción, inspired with his work the sculpture 'Las Tres Gracias' that today stands in the square of the Santuario de la Inmaculada Concepción.
Curiosity
The flamenco singer José Monje Cruz, 'Camarón de la Isla,' lived in La Línea de la Concepción, a city that has dedicated a public monument to his memory.
Activity
The Holy Week of La Línea de la Concepción, with fourteen penitential brotherhoods processing on different days, is declared a Fiesta de Interés Turístico Nacional de Andalucía.
Activity
The Carnival of La Línea de la Concepción, known as the Carnaval de la Concha Fina, is held in February or March each year.
Activity
The Tapas Fair of La Línea de la Concepción is held in early May at the Complejo Ballesteros.
Activity
On the night of 23 June, La Línea de la Concepción celebrates the Noche de San Juan on its beaches, with traditional bonfires.
Food and drink
The cuisine of La Línea de la Concepción blends Andalusian fried-food cooking (fried cuttlefish, sardine skewers, grilled octopus) with products and influences arriving from Gibraltar, such as queki, a walnut sponge cake of British origin.
Monument
Urban sculpture by Nacho Falgueras (2002) in La Línea de la Concepción, inspired by a work by the local painter José Cruz Herrera.
Monument
Monument dedicated to the flamenco singer José Monje Cruz, "Camarón de la Isla", who lived in La Línea de la Concepción.
Historical milestone
The separation of La Línea from San Roque was authorised on 17 January 1870, and on 20 July of that same year the new town council was formed, with Lutgardo López Muñoz as its first mayor-president. In 1913 Alfonso XIII granted it city status.
Food and drink
Traditional seafood dishes of La Línea de la Concepción: fried cuttlefish, moruna-style sardines, grilled octopus, sardine skewers and shrimp fritters, alongside "queki", a local sponge cake with walnuts and raisins.