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Santa Cruz de Tenerife |
Santa Cruz de TenerifeCapital
City of the island Tenerife
 Santa
Cruz de Tenerife, the island capital, is also the administrative
centre for the western Canary Islands of El Hierro, La
Palma and Tenerife and is the second biggest city in
the archipelago.
The harbour is one of the busiest in Spain, providing docking facilities for container vessels, cruise ships, hydrofoils and the many ferry services that run between the mainland and the other islands.
Situated in a large natural bay, the city is set against the towering peaks of the Anaga mountains.
While on the face of it the city may not appear to offer much for the sightseeing tourist, it is nevertheless a busy and bustling metropolitan area offering a variety of cultural and retail experiences.
It also has a number of splendid Spanish colonial-style buildings.
Santa Cruz itself has a population of just over 220,000, but with its neighbours La Laguna, Candelaria and Tegueste forms a metropolitan area of over 420,000.
The city's annual carnival is regarded as Europe's best and is ranked in world terms second only to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. It has been estimated in recent years that as many as 280,000 people from all over the world have been on the streets of Santa Cruz at the height of the celebrations.
The Plaza de España is the focal point for the revellers dancing to an array of bands performing simultaneously on stages dotted around or to a cacophony of rock music reverberating from the many kiosks lining the streets.
Carnival celebrations in 2007 begin on January 29 and draw to a close on February 25.
Initially a simple fishing village, Santa Cruz's excellent deep-water harbour made it a natural successor to the island's earlier main port, Garachico, which was devasted by the lava flows of a volcanic eruption in 1706.
Santa Cruz became the major port of the island and, after becoming independent from the then island capital, La Laguna, was declared by King Ferdinand VII the capital of the Canary Islands province in the 19th century.
These days, the economy of Santa Cruz centres around its port, which serves as a crossroads for trade between Europe and the Americas.
In recent years, the city has seen widespread redevelopment, with some revolutionary new buildings such as the eye-catching new concert hall and opera house, the Auditorio, designed by the celebrated Spanish architect and engineer, Santiago Calatrava Valls.
The city is also eagerly anticipating the opening of its new metropolitan tram service later this year (2007), which will initially run from the Plaza de EspaÁa to Avenida Trinidad in neighbouring La Laguna.
Plans are already in place to extend the tram network to the north airport at Los Rodeos and to other parts of Santa Cruz and La Laguna.
Plans are also in hand to begin an island train network, starting with a link between the capital and the island's main airport, Reina Sofía, 75 km south of Santa Cruz. Work is due to start next year (2008).
Due to its strategic location Tenerife has been attacked many times, particularly by the British and the Dutch, and Santa Cruz Bay was the scene of two notable naval engagements involving two of the most famous British admirals.
In 1656, Admiral Robert Blake destroyed a Spanish silver fleet of 16 ships for the loss of one of his own, despite being under fire from shore batteries and attacking and withdrawing on the tide.
Fifty years later, the British under John Genings were defeated when they attacked the island on November 6, 1706 during the War of the Spanish Succession.
In 1797 Admiral Horatio Nelson had his arm blown off in a bloody attack on the city.
In an action still annually celebrated to this day, the garrison and citizens of Santa Cruz repelled an attack by a flotilla of seven British ships led by Nelson, who was planning on capturing a Spanish treasure ship lying up in the harbour.
It was a costly action for the British, resulting in the deaths of 153 sailors, many of them drowned.
Nelson, the hero of Trafalgar eight years later, lost his right arm in the engagement before the ships of the Royal Navy were forced to withdraw.
A first attack by British troops was foiled on July 21. But Nelson persisted with the operation and planned a second assault on July 24, this time focusing the attack on the harbour.
The 1,000 men who landed were met with heavy fire from local defences.
Nelson's right elbow was hit and his stepson, Josiah, applied a tourniquet to his arm.
Nelson returned to HMS Theseus to have his arm amputated by the ship's surgeon Thomas Eshelby.
Officers of the remaining British troops negotiated a surrender with the city defenders and returned to their ships.
Captured British flags can be seen in the Church of Our Lady of the Conception, while El Tigre, the giant cannon that caused such devastation to the attacking force, can be seen at the military museum, the Castillo de Paso Alto.
Worth seeing in Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Churches in Santa Cruz
Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Concepción
Built in 1502 in the colonial style, the church's slim bell tower was an important landmark for sailor. The church contains a number of valuable works of art, such as its high altar, marble pulpit, paintings, gold and silver treasures and the 'cross of conquest' dating back to 1494.
Iglesia de San Francisco
This 17th Century monastic church has richly-decorated timber ceilings and some fine Baroque sculptures.
Parks in Santa Cruz
Parque Garcia Sanabria
Named after a former mayor of the city, the park features decorative wells and arcades, together with an eclectic collection of exotic and rare tropical trees and shrubs and modern statues.
Parque Maritimo
Adjacent to Santa Cruz's newest spectacle, the magnificent Auditorio, lie the gardens and promenades of Parque Maritimo, designed by the world-renowned Canarian artist and architect César Manrique, with its outdoor swimming pools and waterfalls, restaurants and sports facilities.
Places worth seeing in Santa Cruz
Plaza de la Candelaria
A white marble obelisk and a fountain are at the centre of this square, just a few hundred yards up from the city's main square, the Plaza de España. Most of the city's best shopping streets spread out from here.
Plaza de España
Santa Cruz's finest square has as its centrepiece the Monumento de los Caidos, a memorial obelisk to those killed in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939).
Plaza de Weyler
Has as its focal point an attractive marble fountain. The square is overlooked by the imposing military headquarters of the Canary Islands.
Plaza del Principe Asturias
A calm oasis amid the hustle and bustle of the city, steps lead up to the square from the surrounding streets on each of its four sides. A number of grand old trees and a multiplicity of plants add to the quiet charm of the square, which also features a bandstand.
Las Ramblas
Starting from Rambla del General Franco near to the city's jetfoil ferry terminal, the broad tree-lined avenues of Las Ramblas wend their way along several different streets and roads to the higher part of the city. A broad promenade separates the two sides of the road and is populated by scores of small restaurants and kiosks and shaded by huge laurel trees and palms. The area is littered with sculptures by artists renowned the world over, including our own Henry Moore.
Music, art and culture
Teatro Guimerá
The theatre, named after the poet Ángel Guimerá, born in Santa Cruz in 1849, is the long-time cultural centre of the city, staging grand opera and an annual festival of classical music.
Museums in Santa Cruz
Center de Arte La Recova
Once a market hall, it now stages a variety of exhibitions.
Mon-Fri 10am-1pm, 6-9pm; Sat 10am-1pm
Museo Municipal de Bellas Artes
Paintings and sculptures by Canarian artists and by Spanish, Italian and Dutch masters such as Brueghel, Ribera, Jordaens and Van Loo are to be found here.
Mon-Fri 10am-8pm
Museo Militar Regional de Canarias
An old fortress dating back to the 19th Century, the Cuartel de Almeida, has on display the cannon, El Tigre, which is said to have shot off the right arm of the man who became the hero of Trafalgar, Lord Horatio Nelson.
Tues-Sun 10am-2pm, Calle San Isidro 2
Museo de la Naturaleza y el Hombre
The Museum of Natural History and Man covers the island's flora and fauna and the history of the original native inhabitants, the Guanches. It also includes an archaeological museum.
Tues-Sun 9am-7pm, Calle Fuente Morales
Eating out in Santa Cruz
Café del Principe
By day a café and bar for office people and in the evening a cosy restaurant. Closed Mondays.
Plaza del Principe Austurias
El Coto de Antonio
Popular restaurant tucked out of the way near the Plaza de Toros. Closed Sundays.
Calle General Goded 13
Cerveria Central
Sheltered under broad sun screens, a good selection of tapas is on offer to satisfy even the biggest appetite.
Open daily 10am-2am, La Luna/Calle San Clemente
Shopping and markets in Santa Cruz
Arts and Crafts
A wide variety of traditional island crafts can be found in this pavilion of national arts and basket weaving feature heavily.
Mon-Fri 10am-2pm, 5-8pm. Sat 10am-2pm
Mercado de Nuestra Señora de África
A Moorish-style covered market selling mostly fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and grocery items from some 300 stalls. It's the ideal place to pick up good quality, good value local produce, such as the exellent goat and sheep cheeses produced in some of the more remote parts of the island.
It's also a colourful and vibrant spectacle and the ideal place in which to sample some typical Canarian life.
Daily 7am-3pm Calle San Sebastián
Beaches in Santa Cruz
Las Teresitas
Close by the city lies the man-made beach of Las Teresitas, established some 30 years ago by the island government who imported 4,000,000 bags of sand from the Sahara desert to create what is still to this day one of the most beautiful beaches on Tenerife. The beach has good facilities, with a café, showers and plenty of parking. Palm trees provide shade and beach activities include volleyball and aerobics.
Night life in Santa Cruz
Partying is what many citizens of Santa Cruz do best. Bars, restaurants and discos stay open well into the early hours of the morning. Most of the sophisticated places are centred around the Avenida de Anaga, the tree-lined boulevard that runs along the sea front. Venture further away from the sea to find more reasonable prices but just as much activity.
Malibu Beach
One of the most popular and refined night-time venues with excellent service from debonair waiters serving the latest cocktails in a cosmopolitan atmosphere.
Wed-Sun 10pm-2am Avendia de Anaga 33, Santa Cruz de Tenerife
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Tenerife Santa Cruz de Tenerife
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