Editing Villarreal

{{Short description|Town in Valencian Community, Spain}}
{{about|the city in Spain|the football club|Villarreal CF|the city in Portugal|Vila Real|other uses}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                            = Villarreal
| settlement_type                 = [[Municipalities of Spain|Municipality]]
| official_name                   = {{Lang|ca-valencia|Vila-real}} {{no bold|(official)}}
| native_name                     = {{Native name|ca-valencia|Vila-real}}
| image_skyline                   = Vila-real Vila Square 10.JPG
| image_size                      = 
| image_caption                   = Villarreal, Vila Square and Sant Jaume Street
| image_flag                      = Flag of Catalonia.svg
| image_shield                    = Escut de Vila-real.svg
| nickname                        = 
| motto                           = 
| image_map          = {{Maplink|frame=yes|plain=y|frame-width=285|frame-height=180|frame-align=center|frame-coordinates={{Coord|39.5|N|3.7|W}}|zoom=4|type=point|title=Villarreal|marker=city|type2=shape|stroke-width2=2|stroke-color2=#808080|text=Interactive map of Villarreal.}}
|map_caption              = Location of Villarreal
| pushpin_map = Spain Valencia#Spain
| subdivision_type                = Country
| subdivision_name                = Spain
| subdivision_type1               = [[Autonomous communities of Spain|Autonomous community]]
| subdivision_name1               = [[Valencian Community]]
| subdivision_type2               = [[Provinces of Spain|Province]]
| subdivision_name2               = [[Province of Castellón|Castellón]]
| subdivision_type3               = [[Comarcas of Spain|Comarca]]
| subdivision_name3               = [[Plana Baixa]]
| subdivision_type4               = [[Judicial districts of Spain|Judicial district]]
| subdivision_name4               = Vila-real
| seat_type                       = <!-- [[Capital (political)|Capital]] -->
| seat                            = 
| coordinates                     = {{coord|39|56|16|N|0|6|5|W|region:ES_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes           = 
| elevation_m                     = 42
| elevation_min_m                 = 
| elevation_max_m                 = 
| area_footnotes                  = 
| area_total_km2                  = 55.1
| established_title               = Founded
| established_date                = 20 February 1274
| government_type                 = {{nowrap|[[Mayor-council government]]}}
| governing_body                  = Ajuntament de Vila-real
| leader_title                    = [[Alcalde|Mayor]]
| leader_name                     = José Benlloch
| leader_party                    = [[Spanish Socialist Workers' Party|PSPV]]
| population_as_of                = {{Spain metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}
| population_footnotes            = {{Spain metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes}}
| population_total                = {{Spain metadata Wikidata|population_total}}
| population_demonym              = ''vila-realencs'' ([[Valencian language|va]])<br/>''villarrealenses'' ([[Spanish language|es]])
| population_note                 = 
| population_density_km2          = auto
| blank_name_sec1                 = [[Languages of Spain|Official language(s)]]
| blank_info_sec1                 = [[Valencian language|Valencian]] and [[Spanish language|Spanish]]
| timezone                        = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset                      = +1
| timezone_DST                    = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset_DST                  = +2
| postal_code_type                = [[List of postal codes in Spain|Postal code]]
| postal_code                     = 12540
| area_code_type                  = [[Telephone numbers in Spain|Dialing code]]
| area_code                       = +34
| website                         = {{official website|http://www.ajvila-real.es}}
| footnotes                       = 
}}

'''Villarreal'''{{efn|{{IPA|es|ˌbiʎareˈal}}}} (officially, in {{langx |ca-valencia|'''Vila-real'''}}){{efn|{{IPA|ca-valencia|ˈvila reˈal}}}} is a city and [[Municipalities of Spain|municipality]] in the [[province of Castellón]] which is part of the [[Valencian Community]] in the east of [[Spain]].

The town is located at 42 m above sea level, 7&nbsp;km to the south of the province's capital ([[Castelló de la Plana]]). Villarreal is separated from [[Castelló de la Plana]] by the [[Mijares (river)|Millars]] River. It has 51,367 inhabitants (2010 data), most of them living in the urban area that covers about 10.7% of its ''comarca's'' 55.4&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> surface. Ranked by population, it is the second-largest city in the province (after the capital), and fifteenth in the Valencian Community.

The town was founded with royal status by [[King of Aragon|King]] [[James I of Aragon]] in 1274 during his campaign to regain Muslim territory in present-day Valencia during the [[Reconquista]]. It later became an agricultural centre for orange cultivation, and more recently a centre for the ceramics industry.

The city is the birthplace of [[Francisco Tárrega|Francisco de Asís Tárrega y Eixea]] (1852–1909) who was a Spanish [[composer]] and [[classical guitar]]ist of the [[Romantic music|Romantic]] period. He is also the composer of ''Gran Vals'', an excerpt of which was used in a popular [[Nokia tune|Nokia ringtone]]. In modern times Vila-real is well known for its [[Villarreal CF|football club]] that bears the city's name, a club that, in spite of the city's small size, has won the [[UEFA Europa League|Europa League]], reached the semi-finals of the [[UEFA Champions League|Champions League]] (twice) and has since finished amongst the top clubs in Spain on several occasions.

==Etymology==
[[File:Generalitat corts vilareal.jpg|thumb|left|The city's name, ''Vilareal'', adorns its representative in a tapestry of the 1592 [[Corts Valencianes|Valencian Parliament]].]]
Both the [[Castilian Spanish]] ''Villarreal'' and [[Valencian language|Valencian]] ''Vila-real'' are [[cognate]]s meaning 'Royal Village', due to the city's foundation by King [[James I of Aragon]]. Throughout the [[Middle Ages]], as were most European settlements, it was officially known by its Latinised name ''Villae Regalis''. A 1592 tapestry of the [[Corts Valencianes|Valencian Parliament]] shows the city's representative with the old Valencian name ''Vilareal''. It was in the late 18th century, as Spain became more centralised, that the Castilian name took over.  The city was renamed in 1939, after the [[Spanish Civil War]], as ''Villarreal de los Infantes'' (Royal Town of the [[Infante]]s), to avoid confusion with other Spanish localities with the same name. It is sometimes still referred to under this extended version.<ref name="top1">{{cite web|author=quality-Datenbank Klaus Gebhardt e.K. |url=http://www.top500.de/cities/v/villarreal_de_los_infantes_spain.php |title=Villarreal de los Infantes in Spain (Espana) |publisher=Top500.de |access-date=2012-11-07}}</ref>

On 27 February 2006, the municipal corporation voted the Valencian name to become the exclusive official name for the municipality.<ref name=medit>{{Cite web|url=https://www.elperiodicomediterraneo.com/vilareal/2007/02/20/toponimo-vila-real-oficial-efectos-42801581.html|website=El Periódico Mediterráneo|title=El topónimo Vila-real ya es oficial a todos los efectos|date=20 February 2007}}</ref> The agreement was thus published in the ''[[Boletín Oficial del Estado]]'' in January 2007, and the dual official name Villarreal/Vila-real removed.<ref name=medit /><ref>{{Cite journal|title=Decreto 180/2006, de 1 de diciembre, por el que se aprueba el cambio de denominación del municipio de Villarreal/Vila-real por la forma exclusiva en valenciano Vila-real|journal=[[Boletín Oficial del Estado]]|date=30 January 2007|page=4490|issn=0212-033X|url=https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2007/01/30/pdfs/A04490-04490.pdf}}</ref>

Inhabitants of the city are known as ''vila-realencs'' (male) or ''vila-realenques'' (female) in Valencian, and ''villarrealenses'' in Spanish.

== History ==
[[File:Rio mijares edited.JPG|thumb|left|[[Mijares (river)|Mijares river]] passing through Villarreal]]
Villarreal was founded on 20 February 1274 by King James I of Aragon (hence its royal status), to strengthen his reconquest of Eastern Spain from the Moors. It was placed strategically on the ancient [[Via Augusta]]  65&nbsp;km north from [[Valencia, Spain|Valencia]], and in the outskirts of the then-Muslim stronghold of [[Borriana, Castellón|Borriana]]. It was founded with royal status, with representation in the Valencian Parliament and Delegation of the Kingdom, and had the privilege of using the royal standard as its ensign. Villarreal was part of the royal sector of the Valencian Parliament and had an active say in its affairs.

The original town was surrounded by walls, but expanded outside these limits beginning in the 14th century due to an increase in population. The demographic and economic imbalances which characterise the 15th century carried on into the beginning of the 16th with constant conflicts between the Christian population and the [[Mudéjar]]s (Muslims who still lived in Christian majority Spain) who lived in the area.

During the 16th century, productive farm land was extended and enhanced by drilling wells to obtain water and convert dry land into irrigated fields, making it possible to begin commercial agriculture in the 17th century. After the city's disastrous participation in the [[War of the Spanish Succession]], in the second half of the 18th century, the first industries were established, mainly for textiles. Also during that time, the city became involved in various revolts and wars which changed Spain's political make-up.

In the 19th century, the cultivation and trade of oranges was introduced, which gave the town great economic progress, led both by businessmen and by farmers' associations or "[[Agricultural marketing cooperative#Marketing cooperatives|cooperative]]s". After the [[Spanish Civil War]] (1936–1939), the earnings obtained from the orange trade allowed several entrepreneurs to build ceramic tile factories as a way to diversify their industries. Ceramics has continued to expand up to the present day, and is now Villarreal's main economic activity.

== Main sights ==
[[File:Plaça_vila-real.jpg|thumb|left|Main square]]
[[File:Campanar vila-real.jpg|thumb|left|The belfry of Sant Jaume Church]]
[[File:Francisco tarrega.JPG|thumb|Monument of Francisco Tárrega in Villarreal]]
Sights in the town include:
* ''Basílica de Sant Pasqual'' (Saint Paschal's Basilica), from the 20th century (the [[Sanctuary of St. Paschal Baylon|former building]] was destroyed during the [[Spanish Civil War]]).
* ''Església de Sant Jaume'' (Saint James's Church), from the 18th century.
* ''Plaça Major'' (Main Square), a square surrounded by several porticoed houses built in different periods.
* The City Museum "''Casa de Polo''"
* Chapel and park of ''Mare de Déu de Gràcia'' (Our Lady of Grace).
* Monument of [[Francisco Tárrega]]

== Economy ==
Villarreal's economy has evolved since the days of cultivation and trade of [[Orange (fruit)|orange]]s in the last century to the manufacturing of [[ceramic]] [[tile]]s, which today is its most important source of income.

It hosts 4 of Spain's 500 largest businesses, all of which trade in the ceramic tile industry. Other industries in the city include financial services, bricks and other clay products, and basic metals.<ref name="top1"/>

==Sport==
[[File:El Madrigal Stadium 02.jpg|thumb|right|Villarreal CF playing at the [[Estadio de la Cerámica]]]]

The town is home to [[Villarreal CF]], a football club in [[La Liga]], Spain's highest tier of football. Founded in 1923, the club reached the national divisions in 1956 and the top-tier in 1998. During a successful spell in La Liga, the side were League runners-up in the 2007–08 season. They were [[UEFA Champions League]] semi-finalists in [[2005–06 UEFA Champions League|2006]] and again in [[2021-22 UEFA Champions League|2022]] and they won their first European trophy by winning the [[UEFA Europa League|Europa League]] [[2021 UEFA Europa League Final|final]] in [[2020–21 UEFA Europa League|2021]]. Villarreal have also been semi-finalists in [[2003–04 UEFA Cup|2004]], [[2010–11 UEFA Europa League|2011]] and [[2015–16 UEFA Europa League|2016]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.villarrealcf.es/en/europa-league/europa-league-2010-11|title=Europa League 2010/11|work=Web oficial del Villarreal CF|access-date=27 September 2018}}</ref> The team play at the [[Estadio de la Cerámica]] which, with a 25,000-seat capacity, could fit half of the population of the town.

Villarreal CF full-back [[Joan Capdevila]] played in the Spain national squad that won the [[2010 FIFA World Cup]] in [[South Africa]]. Capdevila and Villarreal teammate [[Marcos Senna]] played in the Spain national squad that won [[UEFA Euro 2008]].

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons category|Vila-real}}
{{Wikivoyage}}
* {{Official website}}
* [http://www.Vila-real.info Vilapedia, wiki about Vila-real, history, economy, tourist info, etc.]

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