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BRIEF HISTORY OF CADIZ Cadiz stands on a peninsula jutting
out into a bay, and is almost entirely surrounded by water.
Named Gadir by the Phoencians, who founded their trading
post in 1100 BC, it was later controlled by the Carthaginians, until it became
a thriving Roman port. It sank into oblivion under the Visigoths and Moors,
but attained great splendour in the early 16th century as a launching point
for the journey to the newly discovered lands of America. Cadiz was later
raided by Sir Francis Drake, in the struggle to gain control of trade with
the New World, and managed to withstand a siege by Napoleon's army. In the
early 19th century Cadiz became the bastion of Spain's anti-monarchist, liberal
movement, as a result of which the country's first Constitution was declared
here in 1812.. Some of the city's 18th century walls still stand, such as the Landward Gate. The old, central quarter of Cadiz is famous for its picturesque charm, and many of the buildings reflect the city's overseas links. Worth a visit are the city's Cathedral and churches of Santa Cruz and San Felipe Neri, which is famous throughout Spain as the place where, in defiance of Napoleon's siege, the provisional government was set up with its own liberal Constitution. Other points of interest are La Santa Cueva, home to several paintings by Goya, and stately mansions such as the Casa del Almirante and Casa de las Cadenas
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