Village
Muro de Alcoy is a municipality in the comarca of El Comtat, in northern Alicante, in the depression of the pre-Betic valleys of Alcoi, between the Sierra de Mariola and the Sierra de Benicadell; it now has 9,372 inhabitants. In 1240 James I granted the town to a Muslim from Xàtiva, and in 1291 James II included it in the feudal lordship of Roger de Lauria; the lordship passed through several noble houses until in 1448 Alfonso the Magnanimous sold the town and barony of Cocentaina to Jimén Pérez de Corella, whose descendants are today the counts of Cocentaina. Muro attained the status of town in 1706, with its own justice separate from Cocentaina. After the expulsion of the Moriscos, on 26 April 1611 it received a settlement charter for seventeen settlers; in 1916 the surname Alcoy was added to distinguish it from other Muros in Spain.
Activity
The Fireta de Sant Antoni, around 17 January, is one of the most notable dates on Muro de Alcoy's festive calendar: it begins with the blessing of animals and brings together, over three days, a craft market and a programme of cultural activities of provincial tourist interest.
Monument
Church of San Juan Bautista of Muro de Alcoy, built on the site of a former Arab mosque, with a notable altarpiece. The present temple dates from the 18th century and is in the Neoclassical style, according to the municipality's article on its heritage section.
Monument
A Neoclassical hermitage with three naves and a blue-tiled dome, built from 1763 thanks to a land donation by Mariana Alonso; enlarged from 1777, ransacked during the Civil War and restored in 1951. It is the shrine of Muro de Alcoy's patron saint.
Monument
Large chimney of a former marc distillery in Muro de Alcoy, evidence of the industrial heritage of the comarca of El Comtat.
Nature
The Vía Verde of the River Serpis follows the route of the old railway that linked Alcoy with the port of Gandía, closed in 1969. The original line, 53 kilometres long, had 7 tunnels and 12 bridges, and connected the Sierra de Mariola natural park with the Mediterranean Sea, running alongside the River Serpis for much of its course. As it passes through Muro de Alcoy, in El Comtat, it follows the course of this river. In 2020 the Generalitat Valenciana put out to tender the construction project for the 28-kilometre stretch between Muro de Alcoy and Villalonga, a work promoted by the town councils along the route and still awaiting completion.
Monument
Old manor house of Muro de Alcoy, considered, along with the Fuente de San Roque, one of the buildings of greatest architectural interest in the municipality. The Palau de la Senyoria belonged to the counts of Cocentaina, who later also held the title of dukes of Medinaceli.
Nature
The Fuente de San Roque, right in the urban centre of Muro de Alcoy, is a centuries-old fountain more than three hundred years old: according to the municipality's article, it dates from 1707. It flows with natural water coming from the Sierra de Mariola, which reaches the town centre just as it did originally.
Nature
The Cueva Beneito of Muro de Alcoy is classified among the Middle Palaeolithic sites of the Comunitat Valenciana, together with El Salt de Alcoy and the Cueva del Cochino of Villena, all concentrated in the south of the region. It is one of the prehistoric landmarks of the interior of the province of Alicante.
Monument
The hermitage of San Antonio, in the municipality of Muro de Alcoy (El Comtat, Alicante), gives its name to the traditional Feria de San Antonio, one of the most deeply rooted festive dates in the municipality's calendar. This fair has been celebrated in commemoration of San Antonio since the year 1738.
Curiosity
The farming-household cooking of Muro de Alcoy preserves dishes such as borreta, blat picat and bajoques farcides, accompanied by herb liqueurs and coffee with liqueur.
Activity
The Feria de San Antonio of Muro de Alcoy (El Comtat, Alicante) has been celebrated since 1738, in commemoration of the saint. It takes place at the end of January, with a traditional market and dances in the Plaza del Palacio, in addition to the popular market and the usual events in the town centre.
Historical milestone
After the expulsion of the Moriscos, on 26 April 1611 Francesc Roís de Corella granted a carta puebla to seventeen settlers to inhabit the place again. Before 1609 the town had some 330 houses and was the second centre of the county.
Historical milestone
Muro attained the status of villa in 1706, in the middle of the War of Succession, which gave it its own justice and council as against Cocentaina. In 1916 the reform of the municipal gazetteer added to it the surname of Alcoy to distinguish it from other Muros in Spain.
Food and drink
Stew of wheat crushed in the mortar and cooked slowly with beans, cardoon stalk and pig-slaughter sausages. It was prepared in the farmsteads on days of rest and still appears on the menus of the comarca's restaurants during the winter.