Logbook · 47 places

From esparto to footwear

Elx/Elche, El Baix Vinalopó, Alicante

1 Villages · 13 Monuments · 11 Nature · 7 Activities · 6 Curiosities · 6 Historical milestones · 3 Food and drink

Spain › Valencian Community › Alicante › El Baix Vinalopó › Elx/Elche › From esparto to footwear

From esparto to footwear

Historical milestone · Elx/Elche, El Baix Vinalopó, Alicante

Image of Elx/Elche, not of the place itself.

The espadrille of esparto and hemp was Elche's first industry. The arrival of the sewing machine in 1875 opened the way to leather footwear, and before the First World War a hundred or so factories employed most of the city's workers.

siglo XIX

Photo: Gafotas (Wikimedia Commons) (CC BY-SA 3.0)

What to see and do in Elx/Elche