Lepe is a Spanish municipality in the province of Huelva, Andalusia.

In the year 2012 it had

27,241 inhabitants. Its surface area is 127.94 km² and has a density of 212.92.
inhabitants/km². It is the most populated municipality in the province after the capital.

Founded by the Phoenicians in a small valley by the Río Piedras, Lepe has been populated by
Romans and Arabs, preserving the historical heritage of these times. Lepers sailors and
linked to the town of Lepe are involved in the discovery and conquest of America, between
those highlighted by Rodrigo Pérez de Acevedo. Other renowned Leperos include Álvaro Alonso Barba,
Cristóbal Méndez and Manuel Vela.

The leper demographic has grown rapidly due to immigration, which now accounts for 19% of the
municipal register. The greatest incentive has been the cultivation of strawberries, although
Currently, the booming economic sector is tourism, since the creation of Islantlla.
communicated with Isla Cristna and included in both municipal terms.

The smaller nuclei of Lepe are La Barca, Pinares de Lepe, El Terrón, La Antlla and the part of
Islands of the municipality of Lepe, increasing these last two the population in summer.
significantly due to tourism. The Natural Area of Marismas del Río Piedras and Flecha of
Rompido is the main exponent of the natural heritage of the municipality, within which it is located.
the beach of Nueva Umbría, virgin and nudist.

In its municipal area, it is worth mentioning its 24 km of beach (La Antlla, Nueva Umbría, and the part...
Oriental of Islantilla, as well as the fishing port of El Terrón, the Hermitage of Our Lady of
the Beautiful or the Tower of the Catalan. Among its festivals stands out the Pilgrimage of Our Lady of the Beautiful
and the Patron Saint Festivals of San Roque and La Bella.

Toponymy and symbols

Toponymy

Based on classical texts, various authors have identified the current location of Lepe with
Roman settlements called Laipe Megala (Rodrigo Caro, 1634), Laepa (García and
Bellido, 1947; G. Bonsor, J.P Garrido and E. Orta, 1922) and Praesidium (Luzón, 1975). From all these
options is Laepa which has the greatest support among historians, although as a
small rustic village more than an actual town. It is after the second wave of
Arab conquests that made Lepe the economic center of the area, going from being a
small hamlet to a "city beside the Ocean Sea," as described by the eastern geographer
posterior Yaqut al-Hamawi in the year 1229. The name it receives during that time of
Arab domination is Labb, from which its current name derives.

Motto

Sun, Sea and Earth.

Shield

Cortado. The first azure with a silver castle, added with three towers, masoned of sable and
gules clarified, accompanied by a trained silver griffin and a branch of oleander
flourished, in its color, placed between the castle and the tap. The second quarter of silver features the figure of
Rodrigo Pérez de Acevedo at the moment of seeing the New World.

Flag

Three parallel stripes perpendicular to the flagpole, blue the first, white the second, and green the third.
third. The first and third will each have 2/7 of total width; and the white one or the center
3/7 of the same measure. Centered and superimposed with the local coat of arms.

History of Lepe

Lepe in the Roman province of Bética is the southwesternmost point of the map.

Foundation and Ancient Age

Although Neolithic and Bronze Age sites have been found, none have been uncovered.
indications of stable settlements in the municipality of Lepe. The Tartessian influence does not
it arrived in Lepe, except for a few scant remnants in the area of the Catalan Tower that point to
Silver trade. During the early period of Roman domination, rustic villas emerged in the
current location of Lepe and fishing factories in Valsequillo and El Terrón. The regression of the
cost prompted the abandonment of the Valsequillo settlement, while fishing activity
from ElTerrón has continued to the present. It is during the peak of Roman domination
when the settlement located in Lepe blooms like a small village, linked to the
agriculture of its fields and fishing from the port of El Terrón.

Middle Ages

Lepe experienced significant development during the Arab rule, becoming the center of the area.
coastal dependent administratively on the taifa of Niebla.

Once the Arabs are expelled, this territory will pass into the hands of the Order of the Temple, coinciding with the
occupation of the area by Castilian repopulators. This order was dissolved between 1307 and 1312, it was
bought Lepe, along with Ayamonte, by doña María Coronel, becoming part of the domains
from the house of the Guzmanes, later lords of Niebla, under whose jurisdiction it remained until
mid-15th century. After a long period of family quarrels, Don Juan Alonso de
Guzmán, the duke of Medina Sidonia, ceded the locality, along with Ayamonte and La Redondela, to
her daughter Doña Teresa de Guzmán, as a dowry for her marriage to Don Pedro de Zúñiga,
thus forming the marquisate of Ayamonte, to whose trajectory it will be linked
historically Lepe until the first third of the 19th century, when the lordships were abolished
jurisdictional.

It is known of the existence in Lepe of an ancient castle owned by the Marquises of

Ayamonte, little is known about this castle, except for its ancient location, near the
Plaza de España, with dimensions of 53 by 50 meters. Nothing is known about its construction either.
A lot, it would approximately be built around 1444 and it is known that they would remain standing.
some of its walls in 1847, although it may have been completely destroyed shortly afterwards.
[citation needed]

Modern Age

The sailors of Lepe played a significant role in the voyages of discovery of their neighbors.
Portuguese conducted along the African coasts, as in the Columbian voyages or in the
expeditions that headed towards those same places. Notable among others is Sebastián.
Rodríguez, bearer of the letter from Isabel I of Castile with the royal consent for the voyage of
Christopher Columbus and Francisco de Torres, brother-in-law of Díaz de Solís who set sail with him on his trip on the 8th.
October 1515 and that gave name to the Torres Islands, in Uruguay.

Nineteenth Century
20th Century

In 1961, the first educational center of Lepe was inaugurated, the Early Childhood Education Center.
Primary School 'Alonso Barba', where classes are still taught after a major renovation in 2006.

The City Council of Lepe requested on December 27, 1963, the title of City for Lepe and
Excellence for your City Council, finally granted by the Council of Ministers on the 9th.
April 1965. This request had been joined by the Civil Governor of Huelva, the Provincial Council
Provincial of Huelva, the City Council of Moguer, the City Council of Palos, the Institute of
Studies of Local Administration, the Institute of Chemistry 'Alonso Barba' and the Royal Society
Colombina Onubense. After the award, numerous congratulations were received, among which
It comes from the Head of State.

The needs of local commerce led to the construction of a wholesale market in 1970
and the regulation of it and the popular market. This changed location according to the
needs and the complaints of some neighbors, until it was finally located in the esplanade behind
the Coronation Park.

The coat of arms of the municipality did not comply with heraldic standards, so the
The Town Council in Full approved on March 14, 1988 the modification of the coat of arms and the flag.
based on a report by José Antonio Delgado Orellanas - belonging to the Royal Academy
from History-. The historian proposed the addition of three fig leaves in green in the
second quarter of the coat of arms and the inclusion of those leaves in the center of the flag.
In response to this, the Plenary decided to place the figure of Rodrigo Pérez de Acevedo on the shield and this
fully in the flag. The definitive coat of arms and flag were approved through
Decree 92/1989, of May 3, with the modifications made by the City Council.

Twenty-first Century

In the year 2002, Lepe surpassed 20,000 inhabitants, acquiring new competences.
municipal elections. The following year, the municipal government changed its sign, with Manuel Andrés obtaining
González (PP) the mayoralty after twenty years of PSOE government. The Virgen Bella Hospital, once
completed, it does not open due to political disputes, so a Center is projected
High Resolution Hospital (CHARE) located north of Lepe, which in 2011
finalized awaiting the construction of the access from the HU-4400 road.
In 2008, the current PGOU was approved, which includes the development of La Antlla to the north of
the A-5055 and the construction of a new ring road that encompasses the neighborhoods of Valdepegas,
the Races and others in a multidirectional expansion. In 2009, Lepe left the
water distribution services GIAHSA, rescuing drinking water
collection of solid waste to then award it to the company Aqualia SA for 25 years.

Mediumship

Location

Western Coast Region of Huelva.

Main Article: Western Coast (Huelva)

The municipal term of Lepe is located in the southwest of the province of Huelva, in the center
from the Western Coast region. It borders all the municipalities of its region and also
with Punta Umbría (Metropolitan Area of Huelva) to the southeast, Sanlúcar de Guadiana (The
Andévalo) to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the south.

Northwest: San Silvestre de Guzmán and Ayamonte North: Sanlúcar de Guadiana Northeast
Cartaya

West: White Village Wind rose.svg This: Cartaya

Southwest Isla Cristina South: Southeast Atlantic Ocean: Punta Umbría

Geography

Orography

See also: Nueva Umbría Beach

See also: Natural Area Marshes of the Piedras River and Flecha del Rompido

Lepe features varied topography, with a coastline of fine, golden sands to the south and pastures
mountains to the north. The city is located in a valley, surrounded by hills, as the toponymy
actually called 'cabezos', and cultivated lands, where the cultivation of strawberries predominates and the
orange. The city is surrounded by the ancient cliffs of that estuary, from the era of
Pleistocene (gravel and sand), which today make up the mentioned hills, in the interior of the
where the Holocene silt zone is located. To the south of the municipality, there are 24 kilometers.
of beach (La Antlla and Nueva Umbría). The beach of Nueva Umbría, approximately 18
kilometers in length, is included in the Natural Area Marshes of the Piedras River and Flecha of
Broken.7

Flecha del Rompido, viewed from the coastline.

Hydrographer

Main Article: Río Piedras

The municipality of Lepe is bordered to the east by the Piedras River, which separates it from the term
municipal of Cartaya from the north to its mouth in the Atlantic Ocean.
In the past, the river formed an estuary of approximately 2.5 km of inland incursion.
firms, navigable up to the area of La Barca. Currently, the estuary of the Piedras River is filled in.
due to the rapid sedimentation at its mouth, resulting from river transport,
aligned transversely according to the direction of the coastal dynamics, with a strong progression.
It has created a sandbar called Flecha del Rompido, which grows with a
progression of between 30 and 50 meters annually. On its southern side, it forms the beach of Nueva Umbría. The
The marshes of the Piedras River were declared a Natural Site in 1989, with approximately 2,500
hectares of protected land.

Flora and fauna

In the Natural Area of Marismas del Río Piedras and Flecha del Rompido, several species inhabit.
protected both for flora (junipers) and fauna (chameleons). In addition, the municipality has
with pine forests and areas of varied underbrush of rockroses, jaguarzo, and aromatic plants in different zones of
end. Other wooded areas are the Piorno dehesa, the Coastal Park, the Los park
Cabezos, the El Corchuelo park and the Dehesa del Alcornocal, which constitutes the formation most
meridional of the province with the cork oak as the dominant tree species.

Weather

Being located on the Huelva coast, the city's climate is continental (transitional)
between the subtropical and temperate) with Atlantic influence. Its temperature regime is of
maritime climate, with an annual average of 19.2 °C and receiving 2,972 hours of sunshine per year. Therefore
winters are not usually very cold and summers are somewhat hot, tempered by the action of
ocean.

Average temperatures and precipitation in Lepe

I am feb sea abr may jun July ago sep oct nov dic
MEDIA

Maximum temperature (°C) 17 17.9 20.9 22 26.2 29.8 32 33 29.5

25 20.9 18 24.3

Minimum temperature (°C) 6.9 7.9 8.5 11 15.2 17.9 20.5 22.2 20
15.9 13.8 10.2 14.1

Precipitation (mm) 62 43 72 40 28 8 2 4 20
52 62 63 462

Urban area

Main core

Neighborhoods

Lepe is divided into numerous neighborhoods, structured in the following areas: Center, Don Ramiro,
The Plain, The Grove, The Camp, The Mulberries, The Noria, The Colombinas, Blas Infante, The Gaga, The
Pendola, Cantargallo and Virgen Bella Urbanization, Las Colonias, San Roque Neighborhood. The streets of
center, formerly named according to trades (blacksmiths, butcheries, etc.) now carry
notable people from Lepe (Oria Castañeda, Manuel Vela, etc.).

Educational centers

Currently, there are seven primary centers and two secondary and high school centers, all of them
in the city of Lepe except for CEIP Las Gaviotas, located in La Antlla. Furthermore, there are four
private early childhood education centers.

Type of center Location

Private Concerted Early Childhood Education Centers Eduk Lepe

The Little Blue Boat Lepe

Nincompoop Nice
Nobody Lepe

CEIP (Centers for Infant and Primary Education) Alonso Barba Lepe

CEIP César Barrios Beautiful

CEIP La Noria Lepe

CEIP The Seagulls The Ant

CEIP Oria Castañeda Nice

CEIP Río Piedras Lepe

CEIP Rodrigo Pérez Acevedo Good

IES (Secondary Education Institutes) IES La Arboleda9 Pretty

IES El Sur10 Nice

Other educational centers Public Center for Adult Education Lepe-Antllas

Beautiful

Public Center for Adult Education of Huelva Nice

Health centers

Lepe is located in the Western Coast district of Huelva, with an area shared with Isla
Cristna. It has an operational healthcare center and a hospital, the Virgen Bella, initiated.
In 2003, although dismantled, the unfinished work of a hospital exists in a state of abandonment.
next to the A-49, 5 km from the city, which on the plan would be a high-level hospital center
regional resolution. There are also several private clinics in the urban area.

Parks and green areas

They highlight the Station Park, located next to the old train station; the Park of the
Coronation, in commemoration of the coronation of the Virgin of the Beautiful; the Park of V
Centenary, which commemorates the 5th centenary of the Discovery of America and the participation
of the lepero Rodrigo Pérez de Acevedo, and the Gaga Park, which owes its name to the neighborhood
Where it is located. There are multiple smaller green areas scattered throughout the city.

Smaller nuclei

Urban centers of Lepe

Core Coordinates Population Distance

Lepe 37°25 ′N 7°20 ′W 23.296

The Ant 37°20′N 7°21′O 1.547 4,8 km

Islantlla 37°20′N 7°23′O 681 5.7 km

Pinares de Lepe 37°22′N 7°21′W 275 3.1 km

The Clod 37°22′N 7°17′O 72 3.6 km

The Boat 37°28′N 7°17′O 12 4.2 km

Municipality 25.886

Source: INE, 2009 [2] Source: Google Maps [3]

Nearby places Lepe 25,996 inhabitants (2009) LepeSmall-city-symbol.svg La Antlla 5.8 km Small-
city-symbol.svgIslantlla 7,4 kmSmall-city-symbol.svgLa Barca 3,8 kmSmall-city-symbol.svgPinares
from Lepe 3.5 km Small-city-symbol.svg El Terrón 4.5 km

The Antlla

Main article: The Antenna

Next to the La Antlla beach, an urban area primarily for tourism has been built.
commercial area parallel to the beach of the same name. Next to the oldest part of it,
Carmen neighborhood, a promenade begins that connects this town with Islantilla.

Islantilla

Main article: Island

It is a consortium created in the 1990s between the municipalities of Lepe and Isla Cristina.
to attract luxury tourism. It features 4-star hotels, a 27-hole golf course
holes, two shopping malls, and private developments.

Pine Forests of Lepe

Main article: Pinares de Lepe

It is a housing development built in a pine forest located between Lepe and La Antlla, where it is being
currently building a shopping center. Private plots with chalets predominate,
having some garden and pool.

The Boat

Main article: La Barca (Lepe)

The Barca is located next to the bridge that connects the towns of Lepe and Cartaya, although it is
sparsely populated. It has the La Barca hotel.

The Clod

Main article: The Clod

It is located next to La Ermita, in a bend of the Piedras River right at the beginning of the Arrow of
Rompido, where the natural area contains the nudist beach of Nueva Umbría.

Economy

The cultivation of strawberries was on the rise in the 90s.

The economy of Lepe is primarily based on tourism, with 1866 hotel rooms. During the
In the 90s, the strawberry craze was on the rise, with this fruit being exported from the Cooperative of the
Beautiful. In 2012, it had an unemployment rate of 13.2%. The average net income declared for the year 2008 is
of €15,138.1. In 2009, there were 1,635 commercial establishments, of which 498 were dedicated to
wholesale and retail trade.

Primary sector

Agriculture

Lepe has 523 hectares of herbaceous crop surface compared to 2,499 hectares of
woody crops, according to data from 2008. The main irrigated herbaceous crop is strawberry, which
occupies 74% of the surface area dedicated to crop aesthetics, while the orange tree, the main
Irrigated woody crop occupies 52.8% of the area designated for woody crops.
The broad bean, the pea, the lupin, the fenugreek, the carob and other dryland herbaceous crops
they are much less present in the leper fields, occupying only 5 hectares. For their part,
The almond tree, the main and traditional woody dryland crop in Lepe, occupies 120 hectares.

Fishing

At the port of Terrón, there are trawlers, towed gillnets, and drift nets.
Registered vessels in the city are both offshore and inshore, and since in the
At the port of Terrón, the fishing practiced is of an artisanal nature, the most complex fleet works.
in the fishing grounds of the Gulf of Cádiz and North Africa. Its fleet depends on the captaincy of
Port of Isla Cristna.

Secondary sector

Of the 1,635 commercial establishments located in Lepe in 2009, 270 belonged to the sector
of construction. In the 90s, there was intense industrial development around the
strawberry cultivation, with companies dedicated to the production of greenhouse plastics, pallets and
harvesting and processing machinery for strawberries. Lepe has several industrial estates.
Industrials: El Chorrillo, Huerta Márquez, and La Gravera, with the latter being the largest, newest and
located on the outskirts, next to the A-49.

Tertiary sector

Leisure areas

Lepe mainly has two commercial and leisure areas. On one hand, the center
nerve center of the city, where various shops dedicated to fashion can be found
like the hospitality industry, highlighting the pedestrian street Manuel Vela. On the other hand, the center
leisure commercial center located on Avenida de Andalucía, where various shops can be found
dedicated mainly to leisure, from movie theaters to a bowling alley, bingo, or nightclub.

Tourism

On the beaches of Lepe, both in La Antlla and Islantilla and in its golf course, you can find
several shopping centers and a multitude of hospitality businesses, which are quite busy
mainly in the summer months. Tourism is mainly based on the 25 km of beach
of white and fine sands of the municipality of Lepe in La Antilla, Nueva Umbría and Islantilla, being
this last one created by the initiative of the municipalities of Lepe and Isla Cristina. Islantilla is equipped
with tourist and leisure infrastructures such as green areas, a 27-hole golf course, a
hospitality school, 1800 hotel rooms, commercial and leisure areas, etc., that are
making the consolidation of elite tourism in this privileged area possible. On its part,
Nueva Umbría is the second best nudist beach in Spain.

Historical heritage

Lepe once had a rich artistic heritage, but due to natural circumstances
like the great earthquake of Lisbon in 1755, and human events, like the War of Independence,
he lost a large part of it. The lost heritage is highlighted by the disappeared castle of Lepe.

Buildings[edit]

Parochial Church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán

Main article: Church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán (Lepe)

Declared a historical-artistic monument by Royal Decree 83/1985. Although it is unknown the

the exact date of its construction is believed to have been founded in the early 16th century by lady
Teresa de Guzmán, Duchess of Béjar, as a form of penance. She was probably
built on a 14th-century building.

Chapel San Cristóbal

Main article: San Cristóbal Chapel (Lepe)

At a crossroads between Ayamonte and Seville, the Chapel of San Cristóbal must have risen from the
15th century - inside, some coins minted during the times of the Kings have been found.
Catholics - as one of the points of obligatory prayer for those passing through Lepe. It begins its
restoration in 1998, with remnants of frescoes discovered inside in 2001. Thanks to
the long survival of the Mudejar in these lands, this construction falls within this
architectural style, always with the contribution of local master builders. Currently, it
restored, but closed to the public.

Almond Warehouse
It was annexed to the Hermitage of San Cristóbal and dated back to the 19th century. Its main value, along with
the constructive technique and the cast iron columns that supported its highest part, was to be
testgo the collection of almonds and figs in the time when these were basic elements
in the lepera economy. It was destroyed by municipal initiative in 2007.

Tower of the Catalan.

Main article: Catalan Tower

Watchtower built as part of the defensive plan of Philip II to protect the coast from the
Turko-Berber attacks. The date of its construction is estimated to be between the 16th and 17th centuries.
It overlooks from a cliff the Natural Area of Marismas del Río Piedras and Flecha del Rompido.

Ruins of the Franciscan convent.

Hermitage of the Beautiful

It is a small chapel that dates back to the 20th century, used to house the image of
Our Lady of the Beautiful on the days that the Pilgrimage celebrated in her honor lasts. It is a building
of cross latna with attached bell tower and has an access staircase. From this Chapel, it
appreciates the Romero Enclosure in its entirety, as well as the Natural Area Marismas del Río Piedras and
Arrow of Rompido on the horizon.

Monuments

Ajimez (1). Declared as Asset of Cultural Interest in 1985 by the Spanish state and in
1995 by the Junta de Andalucía. [citation needed] This architectural element is a clear example
during the rise that Mudéjar architecture had in the province of Huelva since the second half of
14th century to the 15th and 16th centuries. It is a window divided by a mullion over which
they download two twin arches.

Ajimez (2). Of the same type as the previous one, although smaller in size. It was destroyed in the year
2006, regarding which the Lepe City Council is studying the possible
responsibilities and stated that in the building that occupies his place a replica would be made of the
destroyed specimen.[citation needed]

Illustrious characters

Born in Lepe

Adrián González da Costa, poet winner of the Adonais Prize 2002.

Álvaro Alonso Barba

Cristóbal Méndez (1500-1564), physician and author of the book 'The Benefits of Physical Exercise'
1553

Florencio García Millán, lawyer and donor of the Monument to the Book. An award that bears his
The award is given annually to the best students who complete Secondary Education and Baccalaureate.

José Manuel González Ortz "Cheli" (1979), football player.

José Rafael de Oria y Castañeda (1809-1866), clergyman who installed the first electric lighting
of the April Fair in Seville.

Juan de Lepe, (15th century), a member of the court of Henry VII of England who was king of
England for a day.

Manuel Vela González, cardiologist appointed in 1926 as a full member of the Royal Academy
Academy of Medicine of Seville.

Manuel Matamoros García (1834-1866), Protestant Christian activist.

Rodrigo Pérez de Acevedo, sailor who sighted land during the Discovery of America.

Linked to the city

Escolástico Medina García "Tico Medina" (1934), journalist.

Jesús Quintero Rodríguez (1940), journalist and presenter whose father was from Lepe
Juan Díaz de Solís (1470-1516), navigator, discoverer, and conqueror of the Río de la Plata.

Manuel Summers Rivero (1935-1993), filmmaker and comedian.

Luciano Martn, LUCI, international under-19 player and 2nd division coach of Joaquin
Caparros[need citation]