Resident Nihil. Avilés Ressurrection (II)

CHAPTER TWO. THE PLACE.

Although there's trace of Neolitic settlementes in Acheulean Period (about 100,000 years BC), the name is based on the Roman name Abilius, which demonstrates the Roman presence in the area about II century BC.

In X century King Alfonso III built Castle Gauzón over a previous one (dated about VII century) to defend the village against pirate raids. In XI century, King Alfonso VI conceded the title od Villa de Realengo, to respond only before the King and no other. The villa had the monopoly of salt commerce in the area, such a privilege lasted for centuries, trading salt from Castille and even Andalucia to the rest of Europe.

Many a seaman were born Avilés.
Rui González with Ramón Bonifaz broke the Triana chain bridge in Seville ramming his ship into it and thus allowing the Christians to conquer Seville from the Muslims in 1248.

Pedro Menéndez de Avilés was Captain General of West Indies and First Adelantado de la Florida in times of King Pillip II. His brother Bartolomé was Admiral of the Indian Fleet carrying gold to Spain.

In Modern Era, the once strategic port, began to loose influence and traded agricultural goods with moderate results.

In XIX century Avilés was one of the firts cities with electricity and regained a prosperous trade with coal and the Real Compañía Asturiana de Minas.
In XX century, both the revolution in 1934 and the Civil War took a high fare in lives. In the 50s, big industrial companies established in Avilés, rebuilding the port to create new docks for the goos to trade: Ensidesa (Arcelor-Mittal), Empresa Nacional de aluminio (Alcoa), Cristalería Española, Asturiana de Zinc, Frigoríficos Fandiño, Arnao, etc.

In 1981 Avilés was declared Contaminated Atmosphere Area, becoming the most contaminated city in Spain, with high asthma cases. Its dangerous levels were even higher than the Polish city of Katowice, which was considered as an example of an unhealthy city. The small streams that pour into the ria (Raices, Magdalena and Vioño) hardly could receive the title of river.

Today Avilés is the 3rd city in Asturias with 80,000 inhabitants, only 26 Km away from Oviedo, and 14 Km away from the airport.
The city has the main fishing port in Asturias and the second one in commerce.
In 2003 began the process to clean the ria of contaminated mud in the bottom. Still in progress.
The building of Centro Internacional Oscar Niemeyer in 2011 has placed Avilés worldwide. And the Council has an urbanistic development planned to renew both sides of the ria.