Ciudad Real

**Ciudad Real** (; Scots: *Ryal Ceety*) is a ceety in Castile-La Mancha, Spain, wi a population o c. 75,000. It is the caipital o the province o Ciudad Real.  It haes a stop on the AVE heich-speed rail line an haes begun tae grow as a lang-distance commuter suburb o Madrid, which is locatit 115 mile (185&nbsp;km) tae the north o Ciudad Real.

## History

Ciudad Real wis foondit bi Keeng Alfonso X The Wise in the 13t hunderyear (1255) tae fecht wi the Militar Order o Calatrava. Durin the Middle Ages, fower kilometres o waws an ane hunder an thirty towers protectit a population made up o Christians, Muslims an Jews.

Efter the unification o the Iberian kinricks unner the Catholic Monarchs, Ciudad Real became the caipital o the province o La Mancha in 1691. This fact favoured its economic development which wis shown bi the construction o several important biggins. In 1755, housomeivver, a yirdquauk centred on Lisbon destroyed mony o these biggins. In 1809, durin the Peninsular War, French troops defeated their Spanish counterparts and occupied the city, using the local hospital as their headquarters and barracks.

## Main sichts

The Plaza Mayor sits in the centre o Ciudad Real. The day, anerly twa pairts o the waw that surroondit the ceety in medieval times remain staundin.
 
Don Quixote's Museum is situatit next tae Parque de Gasset.

The Museo Elisa Cendreros exhibits a auld collection o fans an carvit firth.

The Iglesia de Santiago is the auldest kirk in Ciudad Real. It wis biggit at the end o the 13t hunderyear. Its style is Gothic. It haes three blocks dividit intae twa pairts. Its decoratit wi gothic pentins an wi seiven-heidit draigons, which wur uised such as amulets against the bad spirits. The ceilin is decoratit wi stanes shapit aicht pointit starns.

Anither important kirk in Ciudad Real is Iglesia de San Pedro (Kirk o Saunt Peter). It is the maist interestin an teepical monument o the ceety. It wis biggit durin the 14t an 15t hunderyears. Its style is Gothic, an it hooses the tomb o Chante de Coca, confessor an chaplain o the Catholic Monarchs. 
In the year 1420 the King o Castile an León Juan the II, gae him the title tae Ciudad Real (Ryal Toun).

Ciudad Real Cathedral, biggit in the 16t century, has the second-largest nave in Spain and a magnificent Baroque altarpiece.

## Events
Ane o the maist popular festivals in the ceety is La Pandorga, which taks place Julie 30 an 31. On the last day o the month the festival honours its patroness, *La Virgen del Prado*. The uisual attire o the pairticipants consists o jeans, a white shirt, an the tradeetional handkerchief.

## Sports

The ceety haed a handbaw team, the BM Ciudad Real, which wis the winner o the handbaw EHF Champions League in 2006, 2008 and 2009.

The handbaw club wis ane o the best in the warld an its umwhile hall, the Don Quixote Arena, is ane o the biggest in the Spaingie profeesional league. BM Ciudad Real however moved its team to Madrid. Its name became BM Neptuno but for sponsorship raisons wis aften referred tae as Atlético Madrid. In 2013, BM Neptuno an aw disappeared.

Ciudad Real haes a basketbaw team an aw, which includit David De la Rubia, ane o the maist renouned Spaingie players in recent years.

## Transport
A heich-capacity airport (Ciudad Real Central Airport) wis biggit tae serve the ceety, but closed in 2012. The privately fundit airport cost a estimatit €1 billion tae build. It is nou for sale for €100 million plus payment o the developer's debt, awtho in Julie 2014 this wis reducit tae €80 million in a further attempt tae fynd a buyer.

## Climate

## Eddication

Ciudad Real haes 24 Primar Schuils an 13 Heich Schuils. The Heich Schuil "Torreón del Alcázar" wis foondit in 1987. In the first years thare wur anerly vocational studies, thirty teachers an 350 students. Some years later the heich schuil incorporatit the Compulsory Seicontar studies an A levels. At the moment thare are 93 teachers an 1000 students. In the year 1995 the Heich Schuil wis affered the opportunity tae become a bilingual schuil. In the year 2005 the first bilingual group arrivit.

## References