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A Coruña

A Coruña (La Coruña ; also informally called just Coruña; historical English: Corunna or The Groyne) is a city and municipality in Galicia, Spain. It is Galicia's second largest city, behind Vigo. The city is the provincial capital of the province of A Coruña, having also served as political capital of the Kingdom of Galicia from the 16th to the 19th centuries, and as a regional administrative centre between 1833 and 1982.

A Coruña is located on a promontory in the Golfo Ártabro, a large gulf on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the main industrial and financial centre of northern Galicia, and holds the headquarters of the Universidade da Coruña. A Coruña is the Spanish city featuring the tallest mean-height of buildings, also featuring a population density of 21,972 PD/km2 of built land area.

Origin
There is no clear evidence as to what the name derives from. It seems to be from Crunia, of unknown origin and meaning, documented for the first time at the time of Ferdinand II of León (reigned 1157–1188). As usual in Galician-Portuguese (as well as in Castilian Spanish), the cluster ni naturally evolved into the sound, written n, nn or nh in old Galician orthography, nn in Spanish (later abbreviated to ñ, like the original Latin cluster "nn"), and nh in Portuguese and alternative Galician spelling. "A" is the Galician-Portuguese article equivalent to English the; compare Castilian Spanish la ("the").

One proposed etymology derives Crunia from Cluny, the town in France. During its height (c. 950) the Cluniac religious movement became very prominent in Europe. There is another town named Coruña in Burgos Province.

A more likely possibility is that the name simply means "The Crown", which in Galician is A Coroa and in Spanish is La Corona. It seems less likely that it traces back to the Galician clunia. The name is reputedly from the Greek Κορώνα (Crown), referring to the crown of Geryon that was buried by Hercules under the lighthouse he built to his honour. The hero Hercules slew the giant tyrant Geryon after three days and three nights of continuous battle. Hercules then—in a Celtic gesture—buried the head of Geryon with his weapons and ordered that a city be built on the site. The lighthouse atop a skull and crossbones representing the buried head of Hercules' slain enemy appears in the coat-of-arms of the city of A Coruña, Loukeris (2019).

A proxy evolution within the Portuguese language points out to the Latin word Colonya as its origin, where the L was transformed into R which occurs widely in Portuguese. A similar happening can be found today in Coronie, a Surinamese town which also made its course outside the Portuguese system.

A folk etymology incorrectly derives Coruña from the ancient columna, or Tower of Hercules.

Use
In English, use of the Spanish or Galician forms now predominates. However, the traditional English form Corunna is still often used in the UK, particularly in reference to the Battle of Corunna (1809) in the Peninsular War. Archaically, English-speakers knew the city as "The Groyne", probably from French La Corogne. In Spain, the official form of the name is now the Galician one: "A Coruña", though many Spaniards continue to use "La Coruña". Despite this, "La Coruña" is in a constant decline, in favor of the official and historical form "A Coruña".

Geography
A Coruña is located on a peninsula, and its isthmus was at times formed only by a small strip of sand. Erosion and sea currents caused a progressive accumulation of sand, enlarging it to its present dimensions.

Climate
A Coruña has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Csb) in the Köppen climate classification. Autumn is usually mild with spring-like temperatures, but winter is often unsettled and unpredictable, with strong winds and abundant rainfall coming from Atlantic depressions. The ocean keeps temperatures mild all year round (the variation between winter and summer temperatures is only 9 C-change on average) and therefore frost and snow are extremely rare. In fact, the city has not received significant snowfall since January 1987. A Coruña lies in plant hardiness zone 10b.

Spring is usually warm and fairly calm, while summers are mostly sunny and humid, with occasional rainfall, usually in the form of drizzle; high temperatures are warm but rarely uncomfortably hot because of the sea's cooling influence during the day, most often being around 22 C between July and September. Even the warmest month on record was relatively subdued, being August 2003, with an average high temperature of 25 C. Temperatures above 25 C occur many days in the summer, while temperatures above 30 C are infrequent.

Parishes
A Coruña has five parishes, or parroquias: A Coruña, San Vicente de Elviña, Santa María de Oza, San Cristóbal das Viñas, and San Pedro de Visma.

Districts

 * Cidade Vella (Old town)
 * A Mariña
 * Os Cantóns
 * Pescaría (Pescadería)
 * Ensanche
 * Cidade Xardín
 * Riazor
 * Catro Camiños
 * A Gaiteira
 * Os Mallos
 * Zalaeta-Orzán
 * Torre-As Atochas
 * Monte Alto
 * As Lagoas
 * Falperra–Santa Lucía
 * Juan Flórez–San Paulo
 * Os Castros
 * A Agra do Orzán
 * O Peruleiro
 * A Agrela
 * Sagrada Familia-Campo de Vionho
 * Labañou–San Roque
 * Barrio das Flores
 * Elviña
 * O Ventorrillo
 * O Castrillón
 * As Durmideiras
 * O Birloque
 * O Martinete
 * Matogrande
 * As Roseiras (Rosales)
 * Paseo das Pontes
 * Mesoiro
 * Novo Mesoiro
 * Someso
 * Eirís
 * Monelos
 * San Cristovo das Viñas
 * San Pedro de Visma
 * San Vicenzo de Elviña
 * Bens
 * Nostián
 * O Portiño
 * A Silva–San Xosé
 * Palavea
 * Santa Xema
 * Casabranca–As Xubias
 * Feáns
 * A Zapateira
 * Santa Margarida

Prehistory
A Coruña spread from the peninsula, the site of the later Tower of Hercules, onto the mainland. The oldest part, known popularly in Galician as Cidade Vella (Old City), Cidade Alta (High City) or the Cidade (City), is built on an ancient Celtic castro. It was supposedly inhabited by the Brigantes and Artabrians, the Celtic tribes of the area.

Roman times
The Romans came to the region in the 2nd century BCE; they made the most of the strategic position and soon the city became quite important in maritime trade. In 62 BCE Julius Caesar came to the city (known at the time as Brigantium) in pursuit of the metal trade, establishing commerce with what are now France, England and Portugal. The town began to grow, mainly during the 1st and 2nd centuries (when the Farum Brigantium Tower of Hercules was built), but declined after the 4th century and particularly with the incursions of the Vikings, which forced the population to flee towards the interior of the Estuary of O Burgo.

Middle Ages
After the fall of the Roman Empire, A Coruña still had a commercial port connected to foreign countries, but contacts with the Mediterranean were slowly replaced by a more Atlantic-oriented focus. The process of deurbanisation that followed the fall of the Roman Empire also affected A Coruña. Between the 7th and 8th centuries, the city was no more than a little village of labourers and sailors.

The 11th-century Chronica iriense names Faro do Burgo (ancient name of A Coruña) as one of the dioceses that king Miro granted to the episcopate of Iria Flavia in the year 572:

 * Mirus Rex Sedi suae Hiriensi contulit Dioceses, scilicet Morratium, Salinensem, (...) Bregantinos, Farum...

 * "[King Miro granted to his Irienses headquarters the dioceses of Morrazo, Salnés (...). Bergantiños, Faro...]"

The Muslim invasion of the Iberian peninsula left no archaeological evidence in the northwest, so it cannot be said whether or not the Muslim invaders ever reached the city. As Muslim rule in early 8th century Galicia consisted little more than a short-lived overlordship of the remote and rugged region backed by a few garrisons, and the city was no more than a village amidst Roman ruins, the invaders showed the same lack of interest in the ruined city as they did generally for the region.

As the city began to recover during the Middle Ages the main problem for the inhabitants was the Norman raids, as well as the ever-present threat of raids (razzias) from Al-Andalus to the south. During the 9th century there were several Viking attacks on the city, called at that time Faro or Faro Bregancio.

In the year 991, King Vermudo II began the construction of defensive military positions on the coast. At Faro, in the ruins of the Tower of Hercules, a fortress was built, which had a permanent military garrison. To pay for it, he gave power over the city to the bishop of Santiago. The bishop of Santiago became the most important political post in Galicia, and remained so until the 15th century.

In 1208, Alfonso IX re-founded the city of Crunia. Some privileges, such as those of disembarking and selling salt without paying taxes, were granted to the city, and it enjoyed a big growth in fishing and mercantile business. The city grew and extended through the isthmus. In 1446 John II of Castile granted to A Coruña the title of "City". The Catholic Monarchs established the Royal Audience of the Kingdom of Galicia in the city, instead of Santiago. A Coruña also became the headquarters of the Captaincy General. Later, in 1522, Charles V conceded to the city of A Coruña the license to establish the House of Spices, being this the port chosen by Jofre Garcia de Loysa to set his expedition to conquer the Moluccans. In the late Middle Ages, before the expulsion of the Jews in 1492, a thriving Jewish community created a rich artistic heritage in the city. The most lavishly illuminated Hebrew Bible in medieval Spain was created in A Coruña in 1476. Known as the Kennicott Bible, it is currently housed in the Bodleian Library, Oxford. The Jewish community is said to have dated to at least the 11th century, with fragments of Jewish tombstones dating to that time period. There is a street in present A Coruña called "Calle de la Sinagoga", or "synagogue street", which is believed to be the street where the synagogue once stood.

Modern period
During the Modern period, the city was a port and centre for the manufacturing of textiles. In 1520, king Carlos I of Spain, met in the courts of A Coruña and embarked from its harbour to be elected Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (as Charles V). He allowed the government of the Kingdom of Galicia to distribute spice in Europe between 1522 and 1529. Commerce with the Indies was allowed between 1529 and 1575. San Antón Castle was built to defend of the city and its harbour.

From the port of Ferrol in the Province of A Coruña, Philip II left to marry Mary Tudor in 1554, and much later, in 1588, from the same port the Spanish Armada would set sail to the Spanish Netherlands and England.

In the following year, during the Anglo-Spanish War, Francis Drake besieged A Coruña, but the English Counter-Armada was defeated, starting the legend of María Pita, a woman who took her dead husband's spear, killed the flag bearer of the British forces and rallied support to deny a breach in the wall to the enemy.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the wars of the Spanish monarchy caused a great increase in taxes and the start of conscription. In 1620, Philip III created the School of the Boys of the Sea. In 1682 the Tower of Hercules was restored by Antúnez.

19th century
On 16 January 1809, A Coruña was the site of the Battle of Corunna during the Peninsular War, in which British troops fought against the French to cover the embarkation of British troops after their retreat. In this battle Sir John Moore was killed.

Spanish resistance during the war in Galicia was led by Sinforiano López, and A Coruña was the only Galician city that achieved success against the French troops. French troops left Galicia at the end of May 1809.

During the 19th century, the city was the centre of anti-monarchist sentiment. On 19 August 1815, Juan Díaz Porlier, pronounced against Fernando VII in defense of the Spanish Constitution of 1812. He was supported by the bourgeoisie and the educated people. But on 22 August he was betrayed and hanged in the Campo da Leña two months later. A Coruña supported the liberal side in all the 19th-century rebellions. A Coruña also played an important role in the Rexurdimento, and there were founded the Galician Royal Academy in 1906 and the Brotherhoods of the Galician Language in 1916.

Regarding the economy, in 1804 the National Cigarette Factory was founded, and there the workers' movement of the city had its origins. During the 19th century other businesses (glass, foundries, textiles, gas, matches, etc.) were slowly established, but it was maritime trade and migrant travel that attracted Catalan, Belgian, French and English investments. The Bank of A Coruña was founded in 1857. The new provincial division of 1832 also influenced economic development.

20th and 21st centuries
At the beginning of the 20th century, A Coruña had about 45,000 inhabitants. The Great Depression and the Spanish Civil War severely affected the economy through the 1930s to the mid-1950s. The 1960s and early 1970s saw a dramatic economic recovery, which was part of the wider Spanish Miracle. As elsewhere in Galicia, A Coruña attracted a massive influx of Galician-speaking rural dwellers, into their quickly developed neighbourhoods. The period between 1960 and 1980 saw a big transformation in most areas of the city from being agricultural dwellings to urban districts. The international oil shocks of the mid and late 1970s severely disrupted the economy, causing many bankruptcies and high unemployment until the mid-1980s, when slower but steady economic development was resumed.

Elections of 1931
In the Spanish general elections, 1931, all the political parties knew that the electoral results had important political consequences. The campaign of Unión Monárquica was very important in A Coruña and was supported by El Ideal Gallego. Republicans and socialists constituted a block, made up of ORGA, independent republicans, Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) and the Radical Socialist Republican Party.

In the elections, the republican parties obtained 34 of the 39 council seats. The best results were of the ORGA and of the Partido Radical Socialista, and the Radical Republican Party lost a lot of support.

Democracy returns
From 1983 to 2006, the mayor of the city was Francisco Vázquez Vázquez (PSOE), and the city became devoted to services, but he also was criticised because of his being openly against Galician nationalism, favouring the already established Castillian-Spanish social dominance and extending the equally deep-rooted prejudice against Galician language and cultural expression. Another downside's of Mr Vazquez legacy would be his town-planning policies, with big-money pharaoh-like projects with little social impact (shopping centres, Millennium obelisk, etc.). However, on a positive note Mr Vazquez's 23 year-long mandate saw the European-funded Maritime Promenade and the city's Scientific Museums (Casa das Ciencias-Planetario-, Casa dos Peixes-Aquarium and Casa do Home-Domus).

On 20 January 2006 Vázquez was named ambassador to the Vatican City, and was later replaced by Francisco Javier Losada de Azpiazu. In 2007 Municipal Elections the local government was a coalition of the Socialists' Party of Galicia and the left-wing nationalist Galician Nationalist Bloc party. The city celebrated its first millennium in 2008.

In the 2011 Municipal Elections, the conservative candidate Carlos Negreira (PP) obtained a majority, the first one for the People's Party in the city since the arrival of democracy.

The mayor of the 2015–2019 mandate was Xulio Ferreiro, from the Marea Atlántica ("Atlantic Tide") party, who was elected in 2015 on an anti-corruption mandate. His remit was to improve the town planning of the city rather than to leave it to the mercy of corrupt, unregulated free-market policies which have left a negative legacy in many areas of the municipality. He has widespread support across the region in opposition to a project to sell off the city's port (a legacy of the preceding mayor Carlos Negreira) to a private equity firm, which wants to construct a gated community of high-rise apartment blocks for which there is no real market demand in a city with a population of fewer than 250,000 inhabitants. The plan is to put a covenant on the land and to encourage a civic consultation on redevelopment of the site.

The current mayor is Inés Rey of PSdeG-PSOE.

19th and 20th centuries
After the War of Independence (1808–1814), the fortunes of Ferrol began to deteriorate. The largest port in northern Spain, site of the Reales Astilleros de Esteiro, one of the three Royal Royal Dockyards together with Cartagena and Cádiz, almost became a "dead" town during the reign of Ferdinand VII. By 1833, the City and Naval Station of Ferrol saw its civilian population reduced to 13,000. During the administration of the marquess of Molina, Minister for Naval affairs in the mid-19th century new activities sprang up, but Ferrol never fully returned to its former glory. During those years, most of the Spanish colonies in Latin America succeeded in gaining independence from their former metropolis.

The population of the City of A Coruña in 1900 reached 43,971, while the population of the rest of the province including the City and Naval Station of nearby Ferrol as well as Santiago de Compostela was 653,556. A Coruña's miraculous growth happened during the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War at a similar rate to other major Galician cities, but it was after the death of Francisco Franco when the city of A Coruña (and Vigo) left all the other Galician cities behind.

The meteoric increase in the population of the City of A Coruña during the years which followed the Spanish Civil War in the mid-20th century was accompanied by the decline in the villages and hamlets of the province as it industrialized.

found: INE Archiv – graphic for Wikipedia

21st century
The municipality of A Coruña has 247,604 inhabitants and a population density of around 6,700 inhabitants per square kilometer.

In 2010, there were 12,344 foreigners living in the city, representing 5% of the total population. The main nationalities are Brazilians (10%), Colombians (8%) and Peruvians (7%).

By language, according to 2008 data, 7.75% of the population speak Galician as a primary language, 36% speak Spanish and the rest use both interchangeably.

The A Coruña metropolitan area has 431,332 inhabitants.

Main sights
The city is the site of the Roman Tower of Hercules, a lighthouse which has been in continuous operation since possibly the 2nd century AD. It has been declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. It is surrounded by a large public park with a golf course and the so-called Moor's Graveyard (Cemiterio do Mouro in Galician, Cementerio del Moro in Spanish) a building where in fact there were never burials, Muslim or not, which now houses the Casa das Palabras (Galician for House of Words) museum. The lighthouse features as the main emblem of the city's flag and coat of arms.

The city is also well known for its characteristic glazed window balconies, called galerías. Originally, this type of structure came about as a naval architecture solution for the challenging weather, particularly designed for rainy days. This fashion started in nearby Ferrol in the 18th century when some of the technicians working for the Royal Dockyards had the idea of using the shape of the back of a warship in a modern building. Soon afterward, most seaports in northern Spain, were adding these glazed window balconies to their city-port houses. The Old Town (Ciudad Vieja in Spanish, Cidade Vella in Galician) is the name given to the oldest part of A Coruña. During the ninth and tenth centuries, the inhabitants of what was then called Faro Island (peninsula where the Tower of Hercules stands) were leaving the area due to constant attacks by the Viking fleet and settled in the area of Betanzos. In 1208 King Alfonso IX refounded the city at the present site of the Old Town and put it under his personal control, free from allegiance to the clergy or feudal lords. In the fourteenth century, the scarcely-surviving city walls of the Old Town were built, as well as three harbors: the Parrot and San Miguel. It also preserves the stronghold known as the Old Fortress, now converted into the Garden of San Carlos, in which Sir John Moore is buried. The Old City of A Coruña kept streets and squares that revive the city's history and noble mansions and residences such as Rosalia de Castro's house, located on Prince Street. Notable buildings are the Royal Galician Academy, the institution dedicated to the study of Galician culture and especially the Galician language, the Romanesque churches of Santiago and Saint Mary, As Bárbaras Monastery (Romanesque and Baroque) and the headquarters of the Operational Logistics Force of the Spanish Army. In July, a Medieval Fair takes place in the streets of the Old City.

The city has several museums, such as the Castle of San Antón Archaeological Museum, Fine Arts Museum and the network of scientific museums (Casa das Ciencias, which also includes a planetarium, DOMUS, made by Arata Isozaki and Aquarium Finisterrae). In 2012, the National Museum of Science and Technology (MUNCYT) opened a branch in the city. A Coruña's social scene is most popular on Summer nights. Most bars and clubs are on Rua do Orzán, which runs directly parallel to Paseo Maritimo on the beach side. Another popular destination, primarily for a more youthful crowd, is Os Xardins (The Gardens), a park near the beginning of Rúa Real and the Os Cantons Village Shopping Centre.

Squares, parks and beaches

 * María Pita Square, the most important square in the city. Notable landmarks are the City Hall and the statue of the local heroine Maria Pita. Nearby you can also find Church of Saint George, where first same-sex marriage in Spain took place between Elisa and Marcela in 1901, which is the basis for the movie of the same name.
 * Mount of San Pedro Park, a former military area, with views over the city and the ria. Visitors can arrive by road or using an elevator from the promenade. It has a café, play areas, gardens and three restored artillery pieces.
 * The promenade (Paseo Marítimo) is 9 km long, one of the largest in Europe. It runs around the city's headland, passing sights such as its Aquarium, the Estadio Riazor and the Tower of Hercules. There used to be a functioning touristic tramway, opened between 1997 and 2002, which ceased operations after a derailment in 2011.
 * In the summertime, the Orzán and Riazor beaches are immensely popular destinations, located directly opposite of the port in the central part of the city. During María Pita festivity, which takes place all through August, Riazor is the venue of Noroeste Pop Rock Festival, a free music festival with groups from Spain and abroad (Amaral, David Bisbal, Joe Cocker or Status Quo have played on it in last editions). Other beaches in the city smaller than Orzan and Riazor are As Lapas down Hercules Tower, O Matadoiro next to Orzan, San Amaro and Oza.

Economy

A Coruña is nowadays the richest region of Galicia and its economic engine. There have been various changes in the city's structure over the last few decades—it now shares some administrative functions with the nearby city of Ferrol. Companies have grown, especially in sectors such as finance, communication, planning, sales, manufacturing and technical services, making A Coruña the wealthiest metropolitan area of Galicia. The port itself unloads large amounts of fresh fish, and with the increase in other port activities like crude oil and solid bulk, which make up 75% of Galician port traffic.

In 1975, the clothing company Zara, founded by Amancio Ortega Gaona, opened its first store worldwide in this city and has since become a national and international clothing chain.

Inditex, the main textile manufacturer of the world, has its headquarters in the nearby town of Arteixo. A Coruña concentrates 30% of the GDP of Galicia and in the period between 1999 and 2001 it grew 35%, surpassing Vigo which was traditionally economically stronger. Other important companies of the city are Banco Pastor (owned by Banco Popular Español), Banco Etcheverría (oldest in Spain), Hijos de Rivera Brewery, Abanca, R Cable Operator, the Repsol refinery, Gas Natural combined cycle power plant, General Dynamics factory, Alcoa aluminium plant and La Voz de Galicia, a Spanish-language conservative daily newspaper, the one with the largest circulation in Galicia. A Coruña is also an important retail center. El Corte Inglés, the main department store chain in Spain, has two centers in the city, one of them in the new commercial area Marineda City, opened in April 2011, one of the biggest shopping centers in the EU, which also includes, among others, IKEA and Decathlon stores, cinemas, an ice rink, a bowling court and a kart circuit. Other hypermarket chains present in the city are Carrefour (two centers), Hipercor and Auchan (known in Spain as Alcampo).

Over the last few years, emphasis has been placed upon better access and infrastructure, especially cultural, sporting, leisure and scientific areas. Following a significant oil spill when the Aegean Sea wrecked and exploded, considerable resources have been used in the recovery of the shoreline and strengthening the tourist sector. All this has reaffirmed the city's existing character as a centre for administration, sales, port activities, culture and tourism. The city also has a regional airport, used by 1.025.688 passengers in 2015.

Tourism
Tourism in A Coruña has increased in recent years to the point of receiving 62 cruise ships a year.

The two main beaches of A Coruña (Orzán and Riazor) are located in the heart of the city and are bordered by the promenade above. This location makes them a great attraction for tourists, being also a meeting point for surfers much of the year. Moreover, the city has other beaches like As Lapas, San Amaro, Oza and Matadoiro. These four beaches, along with Riazor and Orzán, were recognized with blue flag certification in 2011.

An important holiday is on the night of San Xoán-Seaone (St John), celebrated with a massive fireworks celebration, parade, bonfires and the ancient fires on all city beaches well into dawn.

In 2006 and for the first time ever, the number of tourists has doubled the population of the city, virtually to 500,000 the number of people who chose the city as a tourist destination.

The city has an extensive network of hotels, with an offer of over 3,000 hotel vacancies. There is 1 five-star hotel and 11 four-star hotels, as well as many other hotels and hostels. The city is also focusing on business tourism, offering the Congress and Exhibition Centre PALEXCO, with room for more than 2,500 people; a new trade fair centre, EXPOCORUÑA, venue of concerts, exhibitions and festivals like Sónar.

The city is also located on the English Way, a path of the Camino de Santiago.

Education and culture
There are 38 pre-school centres, 47 primary schools, 29 vocational schools and 33 secondary schools.

Higher education is represented by the University of A Coruña, a public university established in 1989, the UNED branch, and CESUGA, a private university centre in alliance with University College Dublin, which offers Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Architecture Irish degrees. Escuela de Negocios NCG offers MBA and other master's degrees in business.

There are seven municipal libraries, one library that belongs to the provincial government and one public library, administered by the Xunta. The Archive of the Kingdom of Galicia (Arquivo do Reino de Galicia in Galician) is located in the Old Town.

There is an Escola Oficial de Idiomas (Spanish language school) centre, which offers classes in English, French, Galician, Italian, German, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian, Chinese, Japanese and Spanish as a foreign language.

Music studies are well represented by a Music school. A Coruña is also the base for the Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia.

The city is home to two main theatres, Teatro Colón and Teatro Rosalía, with regular performances, music concerts and other representations. A multipurpose centre, the Coliseum, hosts a variety of concerts and cultural and sporting events. International artists like David Copperfield, Maná, Mark Knopfler, Shakira, Gloria Estefan, Iron Maiden, Deep Purple and Judas Priest among others have performed there. In summer it also serves as a bullring, and in winter as an ice rink.

A Coruña has several museums, such as the Castle of San Antón Archaeological Museum, its Fine Arts Museum, the Military Museum and the network of scientific museums (Casa das Ciencias, which includes a planetarium, DOMUS, made by Arata Isozaki and Aquarium Finisterrae). In 2012, the [National Museum of Science and Technology (MUNCYT) opened a branch in the city.

The city's principal festival is the María Pita Festival, which lasts from the end of July to mid-September. The festival includes Noroeste Pop Rock (free concerts at Riazor beach), free concerts in venues all over the city, the Medieval fair in the Old Town, the International Folklore Festival, a book fair, Festival Viñetas desde o Atlántico, a comic fair and, for the first time in 2011, a recreation of the famous German Oktoberfest. Another very popular festival is St. John's Day, which is celebrated on 23 June with bonfires under the night sky on beaches and neighbourhoods all over the city. More than 150,000 people go out from afternoon to early morning in order to frighten the evil spirits away by jumping over the bonfires. Apart from that, Virxe do Rosario's day is also celebrated, but to such an extent as the festivities previously mentioned.

Transport
A Coruña is the destination of one of the radial roads originating in Madrid, (N-VI). Currently there is a highway (Autovía A-6) that runs parallel to the old radial road. Another major road running through the city is the toll motorway AP-9, which links Ferrol with the Portuguese border crossing the main cities of Galicia. AG-55 motorway links the city with the Costa da Morte, although currently only going as far as Carballo. The conventional road N-550 (A Coruña-Tui) is the main link to the airport while the new highway is still under construction.

Air transport
A Coruña Airport, formerly known as Alvedro Airport, is located in the municipality of Culleredo, approximately 7 km from the city centre. It serves mainly Spanish destinations, although there is regular service to London and Lisbon and, in the summer season, to Amsterdam and Paris. In 2010, 1,101,208 passengers used the airport.

Rail transport
Railway services depart from San Cristovo Station. The city is connected with Madrid and Vigo by high-speed rail since 2021 via the Madrid–Galicia high-speed rail line. Regional lines connect the city with Vigo through Santiago de Compostela and Pontevedra, Lugo and Monforte de Lemos. Intercity trains depart to Madrid, Barcelona and the Basque Country, passing through many other important northern Spanish cities. There is a freight train station that serves the port.

Intercity buses
Regional and intercity buses depart from the Bus station at Caballeros Street. A Coruña is well connected with its metropolitan area and other Galician cities and towns. Intercity services connect the city with Madrid, Barcelona, Andalusia and the Basque Country among others and with European cities such as Geneva, Paris or Munich.

Local public transport
Local transportation in A Coruña is provided by es:Compañía de Tranvías de La Coruña. Its network includes 24 bus lines served by 93 vehicles. Despite its name containing the Spanish word for tramway, it no longer operates any trams. The tramway had been inaugurated in 1903 as a horse drawn tram which was electrified starting in 1911 with the last horse drawn trams withdrawn in 1913. The tram was partially replaced by trolleybuses before completely shutting down in 1962. The tram has however subsequently been revived in 1995 as a heritage tramway before once again ceasing operations in 2011. The trolleybus which had replaced the tram after World War II was itself withdrawn in 1979.

Sport
A Coruña has an extensive network of sports infrastructures. The most important one is the Riazor Sport Complex, which includes Estadio Riazor (home of Deportivo de La Coruña), the Palace of Sports (home of HC Liceo A Coruña), two indoor tracks, a pelota court and an indoor swimming-pool. La Torre Sport Complex hosts many football fields, a golf court and another pelota court. There are also five municipal football fields, 11 sports centres and several marinas (Real Club Náutico, Marina Coruña, etc.). In 2007 the Termaria Casa da Auga complex was opened, which has a gymnasium, a thalassotherapy centre and an indoor Olympic-sized swimming pool.

Founded in 1906, Deportivo competes in the second tier Segunda División as of the 2024–25 season. Since the Spanish football league system was established in 1928, it has spent 46 seasons in the Primera División (first division) and 42 seasons in the Segunda División (second division). They won the league title once, in the 1999–2000 season, and finished as runners-up on five occasions. The club also won two Spanish Cups (1995 and 2002) and three Spanish Super Cups, along with five Segunda División titles, the last one being in the 2011–12 season. Between 2000–01 and 2004–05, Deportivo played in the UEFA Champions League for five consecutive seasons, and reached the semi-finals in 2004. The women's section of the club plays in Spain's top division, Liga F, as of the 2024–25 season.

The city has a roller hockey team, HC Liceo, one of the most successful in Spain, and the team plays in the main League OK Liga. They became Europe's Champions in 2011.

The city's basketball team, Básquet Coruña, plays in LEB Oro league, the Spanish second division. Handball teams and Balonman Xiria currently plays in the Spanish third division. The American football team Towers Football currently plays in LGFA, the Galician regional gridiron football league.

Two Gaelic football teams were founded in 2010 and 2011, A Coruña Fillos de Breogán (with men and women's teams) and Ártabros de Oleiros (also originating in A Coruña). They participate in the Iberian Championship and in the Galician League.

Casas Novas riding club, in the outskirts of the city, hosts many national and international championships.

In tenpin bowling, A Coruña is home to the annual Teresa Herrera de Bowling tournament, this year (2016) played from 24 to 28 August in the Pleno Bowling Centre, Marineda City. It attracts players from all over Spain.

Politics
Domingos Rafael Merino Mexuto was the first mayor after the Spanish Constitution of 1978 for the PSG party (he is now in the BNG party), and he currently works at the Galician Ombudsman's (Valedor) office.

Francisco Vázquez Vázquez from the PSOE became mayor of the city in 1983; however, on becoming the Spanish ambassador to the Vatican, he was replaced by Javier Losada on 10 February 2006.

The mayor between 2015 and 2019 was Xulio Ferreiro, from the Marea Atlántica ("Atlantic Tide") party, who was largely elected in 2015 on an anti-corruption mandate. One of his main priorities was to reverse some of the very worst examples of town planning policy which has left a negative legacy in many areas of the city and its immediate suburbs.

The current mayor is Inés Rey of PSdeG-PSOE.

Notable people

 * Maria Pita, María Mayor Fernández de Cámara y Pita (born in Cambre, 1565–1643), a heroine of the defence of A Coruña in 1589 against the English Armada
 * Ramón Dionisio José de la Sagra y Peris (1798–1871), botany teacher, philosopher and social economist
 * Evaristo Martelo Paumán (1850-1928), poet and Rexurdimento activist
 * Emilia Pardo Bazán (1851–1921), novelist, journalist, essayist and critic
 * Eduardo Dato Iradier (1856–1921), lawyer and politician
 * Ramón Menéndez Pidal (1869–1968), writer
 * Eugenia Osterberger (1852–1932), pianist and composer
 * Pablo Picasso, (1881–1973), artist, lived here for four years in the 1890s
 * Santiago Casares Quiroga (1884–1950), lawyer and politician
 * Wenceslao Fernández Flórez (1885–1964), narrator and journalist
 * Celia Brañas (1880-1948) scientist and teacher fought for the education and inclusion of women into the scientific community in Spain
 * Salvador de Madariaga y Rojo (1896–1978), writer and poet
 * Enrique Líster (1907–1994), communist politician and military general
 * Irene González Basanta (1909–1928), Spain's first professional woman footballer
 * Fernando Casado Arambillet (1917–1994), better known as Fernando Rey, actor
 * Amando de Ossorio (1918–2001), film director
 * Carmela Arias y Díaz de Rábago (1920–2009), first woman president of a bank in Spain
 * María Casares (1922–1996), actress
 * Manolo Sanchez (born 1929), long-time valet to U.S. president Richard Nixon.
 * Luis Suárez Miramontes (born 1935), football player and manager
 * Amancio Ortega, (born 1936 in Castilla y León), founder of fashion brand Zara (clothing)
 * Amancio Amaro Varela (1939–2023), football player
 * Emilio Pérez Touriño (born 1948), former president of the Spanish autonomous community of Galicia
 * Manuel Rivas Barros (born 1957), writer, poet, essayist and journalist
 * Fernando Romay, (born 1959), basketball player
 * María Pujalte, (born 1966), actress
 * Marta Sánchez, (born 1966), singer
 * Nadia Calviño (born 1968), incumbent Minister of Economy and former director-general for Budget of the European Union
 * Andrés Manuel Díaz, (born 1969), athlete
 * Mario Casas, (born 1986), actor
 * Lucas Pérez, (born 1988), football player for Deportivo de La Coruña
 * María Luisa Pérez-Soba, first Galician and fifth Spanish agricultural engineer
 * Iñigo Quintero, (born 2001), musician, known for his 2022 song "Si No Estás"

Twin towns – sister cities
A Coruña is twinned with:
 * 🇫🇷 Brest, France
 * 🇪🇸 Cádiz, Spain
 * 🇻🇪 Caracas, Venezuela
 * 🇦🇷 Mar del Plata, Argentina
 * 🇮🇹 Mariglianella, Italy
 * 🇮🇪 Limerick, Ireland
 * 🇧🇷 Recife, Brazil

title: A Coruña


text:
City of Winchester

Winchester, or the City of Winchester, is a local government district with city status in Hampshire, England.

The district is named after its main settlement of Winchester, which is where the council is based and is also the county town of Hampshire. The city boundaries also encompass a large surrounding rural area, including the towns of New Alresford and Whiteley and numerous villages.

Parts of the district lie within the South Downs National Park. The neighbouring districts are Basingstoke and Deane, East Hampshire, Havant, Portsmouth, Fareham, Eastleigh and Test Valley.

History
Winchester was an ancient borough, which had additionally held city status from time immemorial. The city traces its history to the Roman Era, developing from the town of Venta Belgarum. It saw historic significance from its reconstruction under Alfred the Great in the 9th century and grew in prominence, serving as capital city until London replaced it as capital. The office of Mayor of Winchester was created sometime between 1190 and 1200, making it the second oldest mayoralty in England, after London. Winchester saw a decline after plague swept the country, but began to recover from the 19th century.

The borough was reformed to become a municipal borough in 1836 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, which reformed most boroughs across the country. It had its territory enlarged at the same time to bring developing suburbs within the city boundary. The borough was significantly enlarged in 1932, absorbing Weeke and gaining territory from several other surrounding parishes.

The modern district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the whole area of two former districts and parts of a third, which were all abolished at the same time: The new district was named Winchester after its largest settlement. Winchester's borough status passed to the enlarged district from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor, continuing Winchester's series of mayors dating back to the twelfth century. The city status formerly held by the municipal borough of Winchester was also transferred to the whole of the new district from its creation, allowing the council to call itself Winchester City Council.
 * Droxford Rural District
 * Winchester Municipal Borough
 * Winchester Rural District (except parishes of Botley, Bursledon, Fair Oak, Hamble, Hedge End, Hound and West End, which went to Eastleigh)

Governance

Winchester City Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Hampshire County Council. Much of the district is covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.

In the parts of the district within the South Downs National Park, town planning is the responsibility of the South Downs National Park Authority. The district council appoints one of its councillors to serve on the 27-person National Park Authority.

Political control
Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:

Leadership
The role of mayor of Winchester is now largely ceremonial, with political leadership instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1979 have been:

Composition
Following the 2024 election and a subsequent by-election in July 2024, the composition of the council was:

The next election is due in May 2026.

Elections
Since the last boundary changes in 2016 the council has comprised 45 councillors representing 16 wards, with each ward electing two or three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, with roughly a third of the council elected each time for a four year term of office. Hampshire County Council elections are held in the fourth year of the cycle when there are no city council elections.

Since 2024, the City of Winchester has straddled three parliamentary constituencies. Winchester constituency covers most of the district area, including 13 of the 16 City Council wards of the district. Hamble Valley constituency lies mostly within the boroughs of Eastleigh and Fareham, but also includes Winchester's Whiteley and Shedfield ward. Fareham and Waterlooville constituency lies mostly in the Fareham and Havant districts, but also includes Winchester's Denmead and Southwick & Wickham wards. Since the boundaries were introduced in 2024, Winchester constituency has been represented by Danny Chambers, Hamble Valley has been represented by Paul Holmes and Fareham and Waterlooville by Suella Braverman.

Premises
The council meets at Winchester Guildhall, on the section of High Street known as The Broadway. The main building was built between 1871 and 1875. The council's main offices are in an adjoining modern building called City Offices, to the rear of the Guildhall on Colebrook Street.

Demographics
A Legatum Prosperity Index published by the Legatum Institute in October 2016 showed the City of Winchester as the third most prosperous council area in the United Kingdom, after the Borough of Waverley and Mole Valley.

Parishes
Much of the borough is covered by civil parishes. The main part of the Winchester urban area, roughly corresponding to the pre-1974 borough, is an unparished area. The council runs a "Winchester Town Forum" for this area to discuss local matters in that area in the absence of a parish council. The parish councils for New Alresford and Whiteley have declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take the style "town council". Some of the smaller parishes have a parish meeting rather than a parish council.

The parishes are:

 * Badger Farm
 * Beauworth
 * Bighton
 * Bishop's Waltham
 * Bishops Sutton
 * Boarhunt
 * Bramdean and Hinton Ampner
 * Cheriton
 * Chilcomb
 * Colden Common
 * Compton and Shawford
 * Corhampton & Meonstoke
 * Crawley
 * Curdridge
 * Denmead
 * Droxford
 * Durley
 * Exton
 * Hambledon
 * Headbourne Worthy
 * Hursley
 * Itchen Stoke and Ovington
 * Itchen Valley
 * Kilmeston
 * Kings Worthy
 * Littleton and Harestock
 * Micheldever
 * New Alresford
 * Newlands
 * Northington
 * Old Alresford
 * Oliver's Battery
 * Otterbourne
 * Owslebury
 * Shedfield
 * Soberton
 * South Wonston
 * Southwick and Widley
 * Sparsholt
 * Swanmore
 * Tichborne
 * Twyford
 * Upham
 * Warnford
 * West Meon
 * Whiteley
 * Wickham and Knowle
 * Wonston

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: City of Winchester


text:
Christian Friedrich, Baron Stockmar

Christian Friedrich Freiherr von Stockmar (22 August 1787 – 9 July 1863) was a German physician and statesman, who was a leading player in the affairs of the United Kingdom under Queen Victoria.

Early life and education
He was born in Coburg, Germany, of German parentage and Swedish descent. He was educated as a physician, and became the personal physician of Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in 1816 at the time of Leopold's marriage to Princess Charlotte of the United Kingdom, the only child of the Prince Regent, the future King George IV.

In service of King Leopold

Charlotte died giving birth to a stillborn son about a year later (had she lived, Leopold would have been Prince Consort of the United Kingdom), and Stockmar stayed in Leopold's service as his private secretary, comptroller of the household, and political advisor.

It is said that one of the services he provided was procuring a mistress for Leopold. He was not at all pleased when in 1828 one of his cousins, Caroline Bauer, an actress who bore a striking resemblance to Princess Charlotte, became the mistress of his master. She was brought over to England, together with her mother, but the affair did not last long and she returned to Germany and to the theater. After her death (and that of both King Leopold and Baron von Stockmar), her memoirs were published in which she claimed that she had contracted a morganatic marriage with Leopold and that she had received the title Countess of Montgomery. There has never been any evidence of such marriage, which furthermore was strongly denied by the son of the late Dr. von Stockmar.

After Leopold had briefly come under scrutiny for the position of King of the Greeks, he was made King of the Belgians in 1831. From then on, Stockmar took up residence in Coburg, continuing to advise Leopold. In 1837, he was sent by Leopold to serve as advisor to Queen Victoria: one of his first tasks was to brief her on whether Leopold's nephew, Prince Albert (later Prince Consort), was a suitable mate. After the marriage of Victoria and Albert, Stockmar became their unofficial counsellor, including in the education of Victoria's son and heir, the future King Edward VII, and intervened in several crises.

Stockmar's memoirs were published as Memoirs of Baron Stockmar.

Ambassador to the German parliament
In 1848 he was made ambassador of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to the parliament of the German Confederation.

His prominence in the United Kingdom's political circles led to resentment at what was seen to be Albert's (and, generally, German) intervention in the UK's affairs.

Stockmar was raised to the rank of baron by the King of Saxony. He died at Coburg.

Marriage
In August 1821 he married his maternal cousin, Fanny Sommer (1800-1868); they had three children:
 * Ernst Alfred Christian von Stockmar (1823–1886)
 * Marie von Stockmar (1827–1856), married Hermann Theodor Hettner
 * Carl August von Stockmar (1836–1909), married Baroness Anna von Haynau (1847–1904), great-granddaughter of William I, Elector of Hesse and his mistress Rosa Dorothea Ritter.

Screen portrayals

 * Paul Leyssac portrayed Baron Stockmar in Victoria the Great (1937)
 * Noel Willman portrayed Baron Stockmar in Edward the Seventh (1975)
 * David Suchet portrayed Baron Stockmar in Victoria & Albert (2001)
 * Jesper Christensen portrayed Baron Stockmar in The Young Victoria (2009)

title: Christian Friedrich, Baron Stockmar


text:
Pierre

Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (petros) meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation of Aramaic כיפא (Kefa), the nickname Jesus gave to apostle Simon Bar-Jona, referred in English as Saint Peter. Pierre is also found as a surname.

People with the given name

 * Abbé Pierre, Henri Marie Joseph Grouès (1912–2007), French Catholic priest who founded the Emmaus Movement
 * Monsieur Pierre, Pierre Jean Philippe Zurcher-Margolle (c. 1890–1963), French ballroom dancer and dance teacher
 * Pierre (footballer), Lucas Pierre Santos Oliveira (born 1982), Brazilian footballer
 * Pierre, Baron of Beauvau (c. 1380–1453)
 * Pierre, Duke of Penthièvre (1845–1919)
 * Pierre, marquis de Fayet (died 1737), French naval commander and Governor General of Saint-Domingue
 * Prince Pierre, Duke of Valentinois (1895–1964), father of Rainier III of Monaco
 * Pierre Affre (1590–1669), French sculptor
 * Pierre Agostini, French physicist
 * Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, professional footballer who plays for the English club Chelsea and the Gabon national football team
 * Pierre Barbe (1900–2004), French architect
 * Pierre Bézier, engineer and mathematician known for his work with Bézier curves
 * Pierre Boulez (1925–2016), French classical and electronic composer
 * Pierre Boulle, French author
 * Pierre Bourgault, public speaker, journalist and politician famed for his work for Quebec independence from Canada
 * Pi'erre Bourne, American record producer, rapper, songwriter, and audio engineer.
 * Pierre Bouvier, Canadian musician and lead singer of Simple Plan
 * Pierre Brice, French actor
 * Pierre Caille (disambiguation), several people
 * Pierre Capretz, host of French in Action
 * Pierre Cardin, French fashion designer
 * Pierre Cathala (1888–1947), French Minister of Finance from 1942 to 1944
 * Pierre Chambrin, White House Executive Chef
 * Pierre Chouteau, Jr., (1789–1865), American fur trader who established the trading post of Fort Pierre (South Dakota) in 1832
 * Pierre Clostermann, French pilot who fought in World War II for the Royal Air Force (RAF)
 * Pierre Coffin, animator known for the Minions franchise
 * Pierre Conner, American mathematician
 * Pierre Corneille, (1606–1684) French playwright known for Le Cid
 * Pierre Corréia, French rugby union player
 * Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games
 * Pierre Courthion (1902–1988), Swiss art critic and historian
 * Pierre Curie, French physicist and husband of Marie Curie
 * Pierre Dagher, Lebanese actor and voice actor
 * Pierre Darmon (born in 1934), French tennis player
 * Pierre Daru (1767–1829), French soldier, statesman, historian, and poet
 * Pierre de Fermat, French lawyer and mathematician
 * Pierre Deladonchamps, French actor
 * Pierre Deland, Swedish actor and director
 * Pierre Pelerin de Maricourt, French scholar
 * Pierre Deligne, Belgian mathematician
 * Pierre Dolbeault, French mathematician
 * Pierre Engvall, Swedish ice hockey forward
 * Pierre Fourier, Catholic saint and French priest
 * Pierre Franckh, German actor
 * Pierre Gagnaire, French chef
 * Pierre Gagnier, Canadian politician
 * Pierre Garçon, American football player
 * Pierre Gasly, racing driver currently driving for Alpine F1 Team in Formula One
 * Pierre Gaspard (1834–1915), French mountain climber and guide
 * Pierre Gaspard, Belgian physicist and professor
 * Pierre Gemayel, politician and founder of the Al-Kataeb party in Lebanon
 * Pierre Godin (born 1947), Canadian politician
 * Pierre David Guetta, French DJ, record producer and songwriter
 * Pierre Harmel (1911–2009), former Belgian Prime Minister
 * Pierre Henry, French musician
 * Pierre Hermans, Dutch field hockey goalkeeper
 * Pierre-Emile Kordt Højbjerg, Danish professional footballer
 * Pierre van Hooijdonk, Dutch footballer
 * Pierre Jallow, Gambian basketball player
 * Pierre Jeanpierre, French soldier
 * Pierre Yves Kéralum (1817–1872), French-American priest and architect
 * Pierre Laporte (1921–1970), Canadian journalist, lawyer, and politician
 * Pierre Lavertu, Canadian football player
 * Pierre Le Faguays (1892–1962), French sculptor
 * Pierre Levasseur (disambiguation), several people
 * Pierre Littbarski, German footballer
 * Pierre van Maldere, South Dutch composer
 * Pierre Marchand (editor), French publisher
 * Pierre Menard, American fur trader and politician
 * Pierre Morel, French film director
 * Pierre Nkurunziza, former president of Burundi
 * Pierre Papillaud (1935–2017), French billionaire businessman
 * Pierre Pilote, ice hockey player
 * Pierre Pincemaille, French musician
 * Pierre Poilievre, Canadian federal MP for the riding of Nepean-Carleton
 * Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, the first self-proclaimed anarchist and is regarded by some as the founder of modern anarchist theory
 * Pierre-Loup Rajot, French actor and director
 * Pierre-Auguste Renoir, French impressionist artist
 * Pierre Roger (swimmer), French swimmer
 * Pierre Salinger, Press Secretary to US President John F. Kennedy
 * Pierre Sanoussi-Bliss, German actor and director
 * Pierre Schaeffer, French experimental musician
 * Pierre Schapira (mathematician), French mathematician
 * Pierre Sergeol (1902–1975), French actor
 * Pierre Shammassian, Lebanese-Armenian comedian
 * Pierre Sinaÿ, French organic chemist
 * Pierre Sokolsky, American physicist
 * Pierre Sprey, French-American aircraft designer
 * Pierre Strong Jr. (born 1998), American football player
 * Pierre Taki, Japanese musician
 * Pierre Tardi (1897–1972), French scientist
 * Pierre Tendean revolution hero from Indonesia
 * Pierre Thomas (disambiguation), several people
 * Pierre Trudeau, former Canadian Prime Minister
 * Pierre Turgeon, Québécois NHL Hall of Famer
 * Pierre Vatin (born 1967), French politician
 * Pierre Vogel (born 1978), German Islamist Preacher
 * Pierre Warren, American football player

People with the surname

 * Aaron Pierre (born 1993), footballer
 * Carmine Pierre-Dufour, Canadian film director and screenwriter
 * Christophe Pierre (born 1946), Catholic prelate and diplomat
 * DBC Pierre (penname), Mexican writer
 * Georges St-Pierre (born 1981), Canadian MMA fighter and former UFC Welterweight champion
 * James Pierre (born 1996), American football player
 * Jean Baptiste Louis Pierre (1833–1905), French botanist
 * John Wallace Pierre, American engineer
 * Juan Pierre (born 1977), American baseball player
 * Percy A. Pierre (born 1939), American electrical engineer and mathematician
 * Perri Pierre (born 1988), Haitian-American actor and film producer
 * Raymond Pierre (born 1967), American track and field athlete
 * Robert Pierre (born 1992), Christian recording artist
 * Roger Pierre (1923–2010), French actor

Aliases

 * Pierre Carl Ouellet, former ring name of Canadian wrestler Carl Ouellet (born 1967)
 * Pierre Poutine, an alias used in an attempt to hide certain parties involved in the 2011 Canadian federal election voter suppression scandal

Fictional characters

 * Pierre, a Chrono Cross playable character
 * Pierre, a character in JumpStart
 * Pierre, in the 2016 film A Wedding
 * Pierre Bezukhov, a central character in the novel War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
 * Pierre Escargot, a French teacher from the TV show All That, played by Kenan Thompson
 * Pierre Belmondo, a Wipeout character responsible for the birth of anti-gravity racing
 * Dominique Pierre, in the Netflix series Grand Army

title: Pierre


text:
Bridgnorth District

Bridgnorth District was a local government district in Shropshire, England, from 1974 to 2009. Its council was based in the town of Bridgnorth. The district also included the towns of Much Wenlock, Shifnal and Broseley and the villages of Albrighton and Sheriffhales, as well as RAF Cosford.

History
The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972. The district covered the former Bridgnorth Rural District, and nearly all of the Shifnal Rural District, excluding a small part of Shifnal parish within the area of Telford New Town, which went to Wrekin district. The former municipal boroughs of Much Wenlock and Bridgnorth had been converted into rural boroughs in 1966 and 1967 respectively, making them part of Bridgnorth Rural District whilst retaining some of their civic dignities such as the right to appoint a mayor.

The new district created in 1974 was administered by Bridgnorth District Council until abolition on 31 March 2009. From 1 April 2009 the area was administered by the new Shropshire unitary authority created as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England.

Energy policy
In May 2006, a report commissioned by British Gas showed that housing in the district of Bridgnorth produced the 12th highest average carbon emissions in the country at 7,176 kg of carbon dioxide per dwelling.

Political control
The first elections to the council were held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority until coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council from 1974 until its abolition in 2009 was held by the following parties:

Leadership
The last leader of the council was Elizabeth Yeomans, an independent.

Elections

 * 1973 Bridgnorth District Council election
 * 1976 Bridgnorth District Council election
 * 1979 Bridgnorth District Council election (New ward boundaries)
 * 1983 Bridgnorth District Council election
 * 1987 Bridgnorth District Council election
 * 1991 Bridgnorth District Council election (District boundary changes took place but the number of seats remained the same)
 * 1995 Bridgnorth District Council election
 * 1999 Bridgnorth District Council election
 * 2003 Bridgnorth District Council election (New ward boundaries)
 * 2007 Bridgnorth District Council election

title: Bridgnorth District


text:
Clare Hall, Cambridge

Clare Hall is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1966 by Clare College, Clare Hall is a college for advanced study, admitting only postgraduate students alongside postdoctoral researchers and fellows. It was established to serve as an Institute of Advanced Studies and has slowly grown and developed into a full constituent college.

Clare Hall is one of the smallest colleges with around 250 graduate students, but around 125 fellows, making it the highest ratio of fellows to students at Cambridge University. Notwithstanding its small size, the college is also notable for its high number of Nobel Laureate affiliates. Clare Hall maintains many Cambridge traditions including formal halls and the tutorial system.

History
Clare Hall was founded by Clare College (which had previously been known as "Clare Hall" from 1338 to 1856) as an Institute for Advanced Study. The intention was to become a social group of men and women, with accommodation for their families. The proposal was directed at graduate students studying for higher degrees in the university, research fellows working at post-doctoral level, permanent fellows holding faculty or research posts in the university, and visiting fellows on leave from universities around the world.

After Clare College decided to establish this new centre in January 1964, the initial planning was carried through by a small group of fellows of the college chaired by the Master, Sir Eric Ashby. It was soon agreed that the new centre would be called Clare Hall, the ancient name by which the college itself had been known for more than five hundred years until the mid-19th century. Clare Hall maintains close ties with Clare College, sharing some facilities and annual events.

The Institute of Advanced Studies at the University of Bologna is so far the only institution abroad explicitly modelled upon Clare Hall.

Buildings
The architect Ralph Erskine was appointed to design the buildings for Clare Hall, which were to include common rooms, offices and dining facilities, a house for the President, and twenty apartments for visiting fellows. A neighbouring house, Elmside in Grange Road, provided rooms for the relatively small number of graduate students.

Sir Eric Ashby, then Master of Clare College and Vice-Chancellor of the University, formally opened Clare Hall in September 1969. Brian Pippard, the first President of Clare Hall, had already moved into the President's house with his family; twelve research students were living on the college site in Elmside and a number of visiting fellows with their families were living in the newly built college apartments.

Among the early visiting fellows was Ivar Giaever, who was awarded a Nobel Prize for Physics in 1973. Joseph Brodsky, a visiting fellow and poet in residence at Clare Hall in 1977, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1987. William Nordhaus, a visiting fellow in 1970, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Economics in 2018.

Other facilities on the college grounds include a sports complex with a multi-gym, swimming pool and tennis court. It also has a dining room which is used for formal halls. The university athletics track is a short run from the main college buildings.

Growth
In 1978 a second neighbouring house, now called Leslie Barnett House, was obtained for graduate student accommodation. This purchase also allowed the Michael Stoker and Brian Pippard Buildings to be built in the college grounds, providing further student rooms.

The Anthony Low Building in the garden of Elmside was completed in 2000, providing further common rooms and the Garden Bar for the graduates on the main college site.

In the summer of 1996, the college purchased a substantial property, formerly the Cambridge family home of Victor Rothschild, 3rd Baron Rothschild (1910–1990), which is about five minutes' walk from the college at the western end of Herschel Road. It was renamed Clare Hall West Court and, after conversion and some major building works, now provides public rooms, studies, apartments, study bedrooms, a fitness centre and a swimming pool.

Student life
Unlike other colleges in the university, Clare Hall does not have a High Table at meals or a Senior Common Room, and it is a single society for all social functions and in the use of the various college common rooms and other facilities. This encourages interaction between graduate students, distinguished visiting fellows and other senior members, aided also by the wide variety of national backgrounds and research interests of the members.

The interaction between members of Clare Hall is encouraged also by college seminars, lunchtime discussions and formal lecture series. The latter includes the annual series of lectures relating to human values, given by a distinguished international scholar and sponsored by the Tanner Foundation. They also include the annual Ashby lecture, given by a visiting fellow, and the more frequent ASH seminar (arts, social sciences and history) that were initiated by some of the visiting life members.

Other events include art exhibitions, films and small concerts which supplement the wealth of music available in the university.

Presidents
The President's term of office is fixed at seven years. Previous presidents include Brian Pippard (1966–73), Robert Honeycombe, Goldsmiths Professor and Head of the Department of Metallurgy (1973–80); Sir Michael Stoker (1980–87), former director of the Imperial Cancer Research Laboratories; Anthony Low (1987–94), Professor of Commonwealth History and formerly Vice-Chancellor of the Australian National University; Dame Gillian Beer (1994–2001), King Edward VII Professor of English Literature; Ekhard Salje (2001–08), Head of the Department of Earth Sciences; Sir Martin Harris (2008–13), former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Manchester; and David Ibbetson, Regius Professor of Civil Law.

Professor C. Alan Short became the ninth President of Clare Hall from 1 August 2020. He is the Professor of Architecture of the University of Cambridge.

Fellows
The late Lord Ashby was elected as the first honorary fellow of Clare Hall in 1975, on his retirement from the Mastership of Clare College.

Present honorary fellows include two former visiting fellows, Kim Dae-Jung, former President of the Republic of Korea and Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2000, and Lee Bollinger, who later became President of the University of Michigan and Columbia University. They also include the retired presidents of the College, together with Ralph Erskine, architect of the early buildings, and Richard Eden, one of the founding fellows.

Clare Hall has a strong tradition in theoretical physics. Brian Pippard, its first President, was Cavendish Professor of Physics. Notable current fellows include Michael Green, former Lucasian Professor of Mathematics; John D. Barrow, a Templeton Prize laureate; and Stephen Toope, Vice-Chancellor of the University from 2017. Notable past fellows include David J. Thouless, winner of a 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics; Ivar Giaever, winner of a 1973 Nobel Prize in Physics; Stephen Adler, permanent faculty at the Institute for Advanced Study; Michael R. Douglas of Stony Brook University; J. David Jackson of the University of California, Berkeley. Other American academics who were past fellows include Andreas Acrivos (fluid dynamics) of Stanford, Leila Ahmed (divinity) of Harvard, David Epel (marine biology) of Stanford.

Notable alumni and past fellows

 * Paul Berg, 1980 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry
 * Betty Behrens, Historian
 * Joseph Brodsky, 1987 Nobel Laureate in Literature
 * José Wendell Capili, Filipino writer
 * Michele Chiaruzzi, Sammarinese ambassador
 * Jeff Colyer, Governor of Kansas
 * Kim Dae-jung, Former President of South Korea, 2000 Nobel Laureate in Peace
 * Ivar Giaever, 1973 Nobel Laureate in Physics
 * Tamala Krishna Goswami, Hindu theologian
 * Seamus Heaney, 1995 Nobel Laureate in Literature
 * Tobias Hecht, American anthropologist
 * Howard Markel, American historian of medicine and physician
 * William Nordhaus, 2018 Nobel Laureate in Economics
 * Barbara Sahakian, Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology
 * Phyllis Starkey, former Labour Party MP
 * Budiman Sudjatmiko, Indonesian activist and politician
 * David J. Thouless, 2016 Nobel Laureate in Physics
 * Michael Toch, Professor of medieval history

title: Clare Hall, Cambridge


text:
Perrine

Perrine may refer to:

Places

 * Perrine, Florida, an unincorporated community
 * Perrine Bridge, Twin Falls, Idaho, United States; named after I. B. Perrine
 * Perrine's Bridge, near Rifton, New York, United States
 * Perrine Road Bridge, Larkin Township, Michigan
 * Perrine (crater), an impact crater on the Moon

Other uses

 * Perrine (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name
 * Perrine, a restaurant at The Pierre hotel, New York City
 * The Story of Perrine, an anime series
 * 18D/Perrine–Mrkos, a comet

title: Perrine


text:
Steve Benson (cartoonist)

Stephen Reed Benson (born January 2, 1954) is an American editorial cartoonist.

Biography
Stephen Benson was born on January 2, 1954, in Sacramento, California. As the grandson of former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and former LDS Church president Ezra Taft Benson, he attended Brigham Young University, from which he graduated cum laude, and became the cartoonist for the Arizona Republic in 1980. He moved to the Tacoma Morning News Tribune in 1990, but then returned to the Arizona Republic in 1991, and remained until laid off in January 2019. Benson is now the staff political cartoonist for the Arizona Mirror and his work continues to be nationally distributed by Creators Syndicate.

Awards
Benson was awarded the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning, was a Pulitzer finalist in 1984, 1989, 1992, and 1994, and has received a variety of other awards. He has served as president of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists. His cartoons have been collected in a number of books.

Controversy
In the late 1980s he was at first a supporter, then a prominent critic, of Evan Mecham, the first Mormon to be elected governor of Arizona. Benson's criticism stirred controversy among Arizona's Mormon population, leading some LDS Church members to seek the intervention of Benson's grandfather in the matter. In the midst of the scandal, Governor Mecham telephoned Benson and told him to stop drawing critical cartoons about him, or his eternal soul would be in jeopardy. Benson was later relieved of his position on a stake high council.

In 1993 Benson faced further controversy within the LDS Church, when he stated that his grandfather, then nearing his 94th birthday, was suffering from senility that was being concealed by church leadership. Later that year, Benson publicly left the church. He has since become a critic of religious belief, appearing at Freedom From Religion Foundation's annual conventions and stating in its paper Freethought Today, "If, as the true believers claim, the word 'gospel' means good news, then the good news for me is that there is no gospel, other than what I can define for myself, by observation and conscience. As a freethinking human being, I have come not to favor or fear religion, but to face and fight it as an impediment to civilized advancement."

In 1997, a Benson cartoon used the image of a firefighter carrying a dead child to comment on the death sentence that had just been imposed on Oklahoma City bombing defendant Timothy McVeigh. Benson forcefully defended his work against some readers' contentions that the cartoon was insensitive.

In 1999, Benson released a political cartoon titled "Texas Bonfire Traditions." In the cartoon, he compared the 1999 Aggie Bonfire collapse to the Waco siege of 1993 and the murder of James Byrd Jr. in 1998. This prompted negative reactions and criticism from Texas A&M, and forced The Arizona Republic to remove the cartoon.

title: Steve Benson (cartoonist)


text:
Highwayman's hitch

The Highwayman’s hitch is a quick-release draw hitch used for temporarily securing a load that will need to be released easily and cleanly. The hitch can be untied with a tug of the working end, even when under tension. The highwayman's hitch can be tied in the middle of a rope, and so the working end does not need to be passed around the anchor when tying or releasing.

History
The hitch was called the highwayman's cutaway in 1947 by Cyrus L. Day. He related that, according to Hal McKail, the knot was attributable to the notorious 18th-century English highwayman Dick Turpin. Day's book, however, suggested it for use as a quick-release mooring hitch for solo sailing.

While the knot is alleged to have actually been used by highwaymen, this claim is rejected by knot expert Geoffrey Budworth, who stated, "there is no evidence to substantiate the reputation of the highwayman's hitch as a quick-getaway-knot for robbers on horseback."

Tying
The knot is three bights that each successively lock the previous one:
 * 1) the first one, in the middle of the rope, wraps around the pole,
 * 2) the second one (called the toggle bight) is a bight of the standing part locking the first one so the pole is held tight, and
 * 3) the third one (called the slip-tuck) is a bight of the working part (slack end) locking the second bight.

The locking actions are achieved by reaching through each bight to pull the next one through.

The knot has to be finished by pulling the standing part tight to ensure that it holds.

Weakness
Until the knot is tightened and properly dressed, the highwayman's hitch has little holding power. The highwayman's hitch is susceptible to capsizing when the pole is substantially larger than the rope diameter. The failure occurs because the second bight sees the force of the standing part, but is held in place by the working part, which has no tension. When capsizing, tension on the standing part pulls the second bight through the first bight. This drags the slip-tuck through, and will release the hitch if the third bight isn't long enough. Alternatives to the highwayman's hitch have been devised to mitigate collapse when tied around large objects.

Alternatives
One simple improvement is to repeat the second and third bights i.e. one more bight of the standing part and then one more bight of the working part, each successively locking the previous bight; this has the disadvantage of requiring longer rope from both parts.

Another technique is to twist each bight before reaching through it for the next locking bight; the disadvantage here is the difficulty of tightening afterwards.

In his book Outdoor Knots, Clyde Soles presents one of Dan Lehman's revisions to the highwayman's hitch that is simple and effective, naming it the "slip-free hitch". One simply rearranges the trio of bights so that the heavily loaded bight in the standing part will surround, rather than go through, the next-made bight; the finishing slipped-tuck bight will thus go through the 2nd-made bight, and so be less severely loaded. As the frame against which this rope toggle is nipped is entirely parts of the knot (and not depending upon proximity to the hitched object), this revision avoids the capsizing vulnerability of the highwayman's hitch.

The Notable Knot Index recommends the tumble hitch as a more stable hitch. It's a similar hitch, but less prone to capsizing because the main part remains passive and the locking is done by two successive bights of the working part (no end needed) wrapping around both the standing part and the post/pole before locking the previous bight.

title: Highwayman's hitch


text:
Arkansas City

Arkansas City (pronounced Ar-Kansas City) may refer to:

 * Arkansas City, Arkansas, a town in Desha County, Arkansas, United States
 * Arkansas City, Kansas, a city in Cowley County, Kansas, United States

title: Arkansas City


text:
Wicklow

Wicklow (Cill Mhantáin, meaning 'church of the toothless one'; Víkingaló) is the county town of County Wicklow in Ireland. It is located on the east of Ireland, south of Dublin. According to the 2022 census, it had a population of 12,957 people. The town is to the east of the M11 route between Dublin and Wexford. It also has railway links to Dublin, Wexford, Arklow, and Rosslare Europort. There is also a commercial port for timber and textile imports. The River Vartry is the main river flowing through the town.

Geography
Wicklow town forms a rough semicircle around Wicklow harbour. To the immediate north lies 'The Murrough', a grassy walking area beside the sea, and the eastern coastal strip. The Murrough is a place of growing commercial use, so much so that a road by-passing the town directly to the commercial part of the area commenced construction in 2008 and was completed in summer of 2010. The eastern coastal strip includes Wicklow bay, a crescent shaped stone beach approximately 10 km in length.

Ballyguile Hill is to the southwest of the town. Much of the housing developments of the 1970s and 1980s occurred in this area, despite the considerable gradient from the town centre. From Wicklow the land rises into rolling hills to the west, going on to meet the Wicklow Mountains in the centre of the county. The dominant feature to the south is the rocky headlands of Bride's Head and Wicklow Head, the easternmost mainland point of the Republic of Ireland. On a very clear day, it is possible to see the Snowdonia mountain range in Wales.

Climate
Similar to much of the rest of northwestern Europe, Wicklow experiences a maritime climate (Cfb) with cool summers, mild winters, and a lack of temperature extremes. The average maximum January temperature is 9.2 °C (48.6 °F), while the average maximum July temperature is 20.4 °C (68.7 °F). On average, the sunniest month is May. The wettest month is October with 118.9 mm (4.6 in) of rain, and the driest month is April with 60.7 mm (2.4 in). With the exceptions of October and November, rainfall is evenly distributed throughout the year with rainfall falling within a relatively narrow band of between 60 mm (2.4 in) and 86 mm (3.4 in) for any one month. A considerable spike of moisture occurs in October and November, each of which records almost double the typical rainfall of April.

Wicklow is sheltered from moisture locally by Ballyguile hill and, more distantly by the Wicklow mountains. This causes the town to receive only about 60% of the rainfall the west coast receives. In addition, because Wicklow is protected by the mountains from southwesterly and westerly winds, it enjoys higher average temperatures than much of Ireland. While its location is favourable for protection against the prevailing westerly and southwesterly winds that are common to much of Ireland, Wicklow is particularly exposed to easterly winds. As these winds come from the northern European landmass Wicklow can, along with much of the east coast of Ireland, experience relatively sharp temperature drops in winter for short periods.

Economy
Since 1995, the town has undergone significant change and expansion reflecting the simultaneous growth in the Irish economy. Residential developments have taken place to the west of the town along Marlton Road (R751). More recently, housing developments have been concentrated to the northwest of the town towards the neighbouring village of Rathnew. The completion of the Ashford/Rathnew bypass in 2004 meant that Wicklow is now linked to Dublin (42 km north) by dual carriageway and motorway. These factors have led to a steady growth in population of Wicklow and its surrounding townlands while its importance as a commuter town to Dublin increases.

Toponymy
Earlier spellings of the town's name include Wykinglo in the late 12th century, and Wykinglowe in the 14th century.

The name is usually explained as coming from the Old Norse words Víkingr ("Viking") and ló ("meadow"), that is to say "the Vikings' meadow". Norwegian toponymist Magne Oftedal criticizes this, saying that -ló was never used outside Scandinavia nor in such a combination. He argues that the first element is Uikar- or Uik- ("bay"), and that the intermediate -n- of the old forms is a mistake by clerks. However, all early recorded forms show this -n-. For this reason, Liam Price and A. Sommerfelt derive it from Víkinga-ló ("the Vikings' meadow").

Nevertheless, the Irish patronymics Ó hUiginn and Mac Uiginn (anglicised O'Higgins and Maguigan) could bring a key for the meaning "Meadow of a man called Viking".

The origin of the Irish name Cill Mhantáin bears no relation to the name Wicklow. It has an interesting folklore of its own. Saint Patrick and some followers are said to have tried to land on Travailahawk beach, which is to the south of the harbour. Hostile locals attacked them, causing one of Patrick's party to lose his front teeth. Manntach ("toothless one"), as he became known, was undeterred; he returned to the town and eventually founded a church, hence Cill Mhantáin ("church of the toothless one"). Although its anglicised spelling Kilmantan was used for a time and featured in some placenames in the town like Kilmantan Hill, it has gradually fallen out of use. The Anglo-Normans who conquered this part of Ireland preferred the non-Irish placename.

History
During excavations to build the Wicklow road bypass in 2010, a Bronze Age cooking pit (known in Irish as a fulach fiadh) and hut site was uncovered in the Ballynerrn Lower area of the town. A radio carbon-dating exercise on the site puts the timeline of the discovery at 900 BC. It has been argued that an identifiable Celtic culture had emerged in Ireland by 600 BC or even earlier. According to the Greek cartographer and historian, Ptolemy, the area around Wicklow was settled by a Celtic tribe called the Cauci/Canci. This tribe is believed to have originated in the region containing today's Belgium/German border. The area around Wicklow was referred to as Menapia in Ptolemy's map which itself dates back to 130 AD.

Vikings landed in Ireland around 795 AD and began plundering monasteries and settlements for riches and to capture slaves. In the mid-9th century, Vikings established a base which took advantage of the natural harbour at Wicklow. It is from this chapter of Wicklow's history that the name 'Wicklow' originates.

The Norman influence can still be seen today in some of the town's place and family names. After the Norman invasion, Wicklow was granted to Maurice FitzGerald who set about building the 'Black Castle', a land-facing fortification that lies ruined on the coast immediately south of the harbour. The castle was briefly held by the local O'Byrne, the O'Toole and Kavanagh clans in the uprising of 1641 but was quickly abandoned when English troops approached the town. Sir Charles Coote, who led the troops is then recorded as engaging in "savage and indiscriminate" slaughter of the townspeople in an act of revenge. Local oral history contends that one of these acts of "wanton cruelty" was the entrapment and deliberate burning to death of an unknown number of people in a building in the town. Though no written account of this particular detail of Coote's attack on Wicklow is available, a small laneway, locally referred to as "Melancholy Lane", is said to have been where this event took place.

Though the surrounding county of Wicklow is rich in Bronze Age monuments, the oldest surviving settlement in Wicklow proper is the ruined Franciscan friary (founded 1252, dissolved 1551). This is located at the west end of Main Street, within the gardens of the local Catholic parish grounds. Other notable buildings include Wicklow Town Hall, which dates back to around 1690, and Wicklow Gaol, which was built in 1702 and later renovated as a heritage centre and tourist attraction. The East Breakwater, arguably the most important building in the town, was built in the early 1880s by Wicklow Harbour Commissioners. The architect was William George Strype and the builder was John Jackson. The north Groyne was completed by about 1909; John Pansing was the designer and Louis Nott of Bristol the builder. Wicklow Gaol was a place of execution up to the end of the 19th century. Billy Byrne, a leader of the 1798 rebellion, was executed at Gallows Hill near Wicklow in 1798. He is commemorated by a statue in the town square. At Fitzwilliam Square in the centre of Wicklow town is an obelisk commemorating the career of Captain Robert Halpin, commander of the telegraph cable ship Great Eastern, who was born in Wicklow in 1836.

Transport
Bus Éireann, I.P Passenger Services Ltd (trading as Wexford Bus) and Iarnród Éireann all operate to and through the town.

Bus

Bus Éireann provides twenty three return services per day to Dublin Busáras on the 133 bus route. The route starts at Monument and makes its way around the town stopping at various stops before continuing to Rathnew and Dublin. It no longer serves Dublin airport.

A 131 bus route service has been introduced which provides sixteen return services from Wicklow to Bray per day. This route calls at several stops in the town before terminating at Bray DART station.

Wexford Bus operates ten services to Dublin airport and up to twelve from Dublin airport each day. Both services are via Dublin city center. Wexford Bus's services are one hour each way to Dublin city center, some 30 mins shorter than the Bus Eireann service. However they do not go through the town, dropping passengers at the Grand Hotel before continuing on to Arklow.

Wexford Bus also operates the UM11 service which calls at Wicklow's Grand Hotel bus stop and carries on to Maynooth University, via the Intel campus in Leixlip. It operates in college term time only. There is one outbound service each morning, weekdays, and a return service in the evening.

TFI Local Link operate the 183 service which runs between Arklow and Sallins in County Kildare. It calls at several stops within the town. There are five services per day operating between Arklow and Wicklow, before continuing on to, and returning from Sallins via several towns and tourist attractions in the Wicklow mountains.

Route 133: Wicklow ↔ Dublin Busáras

Route 740A: Gorey ↔ Wicklow ↔ Dublin Airport

Route 131: Wicklow ↔ Bray

Route 183: Arklow ↔ Wicklow ↔ Sallins

Route UM11: Gorey ↔ Wicklow ↔ Maynooth

Rail

Iarnród Éireann operate six trains per day in each direction from Wicklow railway station. Services offer connections to most large towns in counties Wexford and Wicklow, as well as a coastal link to Dublin city. Services northbound terminate at Dublin Connolly and southbound terminate at Rosslare Europort.

Sports and recreation
Wicklow Golf Club, founded in 1904, is located between the town and Wicklow head, while Blainroe Golf Club is situated about 3.5 km south of Wicklow. Oak Hill Cricket Club is located 7.5 km south of Wicklow. The club plays its home matches at Oak Hill Cricket Club Ground, which was constructed in 2008. The ground has hosted first-class cricket matches for Ireland and Leinster Lightning.

Wicklow Local Electoral Area
In local government, the Wicklow local electoral area elects six councillors to Wicklow County Council. The electoral divisions of Wicklow include Altidore, Ballycullen, Brockagh, Calary, Dunganstown East, Glendalough, Glenealy, Killiskey, Moneystown, Newcastle Upper, Oldtown, Togher, Trooperstown, Wicklow Rural and Wicklow Urban.

News media
The Wicklow News was set up on 15 August 2016. Their current partial address is in Wicklow.

Twinning
Wicklow is twinned with the following settlements:
 * 🇩🇪 Eichenzell, Hesse, Germany
 * 🇫🇷 Montigny-le-Bretonneux, Île-de-France, France
 * 🏴 Porthmadog, Gwynedd, Wales

Notable people

 * Leo Cullen, Irish rugby union coach
 * Josh van der Flier, Irish rugby union player
 * Nicholas Ford, Irish-born American politician
 * William Goodison, surgeon
 * Robert Halpin, captain of the SS Great Eastern
 * F. E. Higgins, children's author
 * Hozier, Irish musician
 * Hybrasil, electronica group
 * Jimmy Martin, golfer
 * Fionnuala McCormack, runner
 * Paul McShane, footballer
 * Áine O'Gorman, footballer
 * Ursula Stephens, Irish-born Australian politician
 * John Ussher, priest
 * George Drought Warburton, soldier and politician

title: Wicklow


text:
Heimaey

Heimaey, is an Icelandic island. At 13.4 km2, it is the largest island in the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago, and the largest and most populated island off the Icelandic coast. Heimaey is 4 nmi off the south coast of Iceland. It is the only populated island of the Vestmannaeyjar islands, with a population of 4,414. The Vestmannaeyjar Airport and the Westman Islands Golf Club taken together cover a good portion of the island.

In January 1973, lava flow from nearby Eldfell destroyed half the town and threatened to close its harbour, its main income source. An operation to cool the advancing lava with sea water saved the harbour.

History
Abducted from the north of Ireland, the slaves were called westmen (Vestmenn), as before discovering Iceland, Ireland was the most western part of the world known to northern Europeans then (c. 840). The slaves went ashore at Heimaey and took shelter in the hills. Ingólfur hunted them and killed them in revenge for their murdering his foster brother. In the process, he named various places and landmarks. For example, he named "Dufþekja", an area on Heimaklettur, Heimaey's highest hill, after the slave Dufþakur (the Icelandic version of the Gaelic 'Dubhthach,' Anglicized as 'Duffy') who was said to have thrown himself off Heimaklettur at that point, preferring to take his own life than to let Ingólfur take it.

First settlers
In tradition, Herjólfur Bárðarson was said to be the first person to settle in Heimaey. According to the Landnáma, he built his farm in Herjólfsdalur (literally: Herjólf's valley) about 900. The archaeological excavation in 1971 of ancient ruins in Herjólfsdalur revealed that there had been settlement nearly 100 years earlier.

Turkish raid
In 1627, three Arab pirate ships from the Ottoman-controlled Barbary Coast raided several towns on the south coast of Iceland and outlying islands. They attacked Grindavík and Heimaey. In Grindavík, townspeople could flee into the lava field of Reykjanes and hide indefinitely. Heimaey was so isolated that it was vulnerable and people suffered. Many heroic stories were told of the people who survived the invasion, most notably Guðríður Símonardóttir. Better known as Tyrkja-Gudda (Turkish-Gudda), she was taken by the pirates from her home at Stakkagerði on Heimaey to the slave market in Algeria. She was eventually ransomed back to Denmark by King Christian IV of Denmark and was re-educated by and later married the poet Hallgrímur Pétursson. The Hallgrímskirkja Lutheran church in Reykjavík is named in his honour.

Eldfell

At 01:00 on 23 January 1973, a volcanic eruption of the mountain Eldfell began on Heimaey. The ground on Heimaey started to quake and fissures formed. The fissures grew to 1600 m in length, and lava began to erupt. Lava sprayed into the air from the fissures. Volcanic ash was blown to sea. Later, the situation deteriorated. When the fissures closed, the eruption converted to a concentrated lava flow that headed toward the harbour. The winds changed, and half a million cubic metres of ash blew on the town. During the night, the 5,000 inhabitants of the island were evacuated, mostly by fishing boats, as almost the entire fishing fleet was in dock.

The encroaching lava flow threatened to destroy the harbour. The eruption lasted until 3 July. Icelanders sprayed the lava with six million tons of cold seawater, causing some to solidify and much to be diverted, thus saving the harbour. During the eruption, half of the town was crushed and the island expanded in length. The eruption increased the area of Heimaey from 11.2 km2 to 13.44 km2. Only one man died in the eruption. The eruption is described by John McPhee in his book The Control of Nature.

Present day
Heimaey is home to around 4,500 people, and eight million puffins every summer. Many millions of other birds migrate there for breeding and feeding.

The island is connected to the rest of Iceland by a ferry and Vestmannaeyjar Airport.

Most people on the island live off fishing. During an annual festival, people are allowed to catch a few puffins to share at the festival, or to eat at home.

In popular culture

 * Some final shots of Chris Marker's film Sans Soleil are of stark white Heimaey houses slowly buried by the deep black volcanic ash of the eruption. The backdrop reveals splashes of red lava as it flows into a steel-grey sea.
 * Heimaey is mentioned in the song "Island" by American progressive-metal band Mastodon. The line is "Lava goddess, Ice and fire, Settling down, Ocean Geysir, Gullfoss, Heimaey 73." This refers to the eruption of Eldfell.
 * Keiko the whale from the Free Willy films was in real life flown to Klettsvik Bay on Heimaey as his final home before being freed.
 * Ashes to Dust by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir (2007, English Translation 2011), the third of her murder mysteries set in Iceland, is largely set on Heimaey and focuses round the Eldfell eruption of 1973, and discoveries resulting from excavation, more than 30 years later, of a house buried in the volcanic ash.
 * Heimaey features in Bruce McMillan's photo-illustrated children book Nights of the Pufflings (1995). In the story a tradition of rescuing young birds, pufflings, by local children is told. The pufflings take their first flight on August nights, and get accidentally stranded in the village streets. The children then set them free at the beach at daytime.
 * The 1973 album Sumut by Greenlandic rock band Sumé features a song called "Heimaey erĸaivdlugo" (English: "Ode to Heimaey").

title: Heimaey