Ontinyent
Capital of the Vall d'Albaida and of the Valencian textile industry: location, history and key facts about the town.
Location
Capital of the Vall d'Albaida
Ontinyent lies at an altitude of 382 m, in the western part of a valley surrounded by mountains, in the province of Valencia (Spain). This area, clearly bounded by the Agullent-Benicadell ranges to the south and the Serra Grossa to the north, forms the district of the Vall d'Albaida, of which Ontinyent is the capital.
The original town stood on the right bank of the Clariano river. Today it spreads across both banks, following the strong growth of the last fifty years.
382 m
Altitude
~36.000
Inhabitants
A little history
From Untinyân to city
The Ontinyent area has been inhabited since prehistoric times: there are late Neolithic sites, such as the Arenal de la Costa, and many Bronze Age settlements, the most notable being the Cabeço de Navarro. In Roman times the land was dotted with farms, and the town's very name, Untinyân, dates from before the Islamic period.
The old town, La Vila, is documented from the 11th century: the historian Ibn al-Abbar mentions it as the birthplace of the poet al-Untinyani, and in the 12th century the geographer al-Idrisi refers to Ontinyent castle as a stop on the road between Murcia and Valencia. Conquered by King James I in 1244, Ontinyent became a royal town with a vote in the Parliament of the Kingdom of Valencia, and its territory included Agullent (until 1585) and the Alforins (a separate municipality since 1927). In the early 15th century it was the third most populous town south of the Júcar river.
Its modern history was shaped by the Germanies revolt (1522), the great plague of 1600 and the War of the Spanish Succession, lost at Almansa in 1707. The textile industry transformed the town in the 19th and 20th centuries, and in 1904 it was granted the title of city.
Source: historical summary by Ontinyent Tourism (Ontinyent Archaeological Service).
Economy and society
Capital of the Valencian Textile Industry
In the past, the municipality of Ontinyent stretched from the border between the Kingdom of Valencia and Castile to the boundary of Albaida, covering a wide territory. The economic influence Ontinyent has historically had over the western Vall d'Albaida has grown stronger in recent decades.
Today the town is clearly specialised in the textile industry. It is the most populous and economically dynamic town in the Vall d'Albaida, and has been recognised as the Capital of the Valencian Textile Industry.
Ontinyent plays a key role in the network of medium-sized and small towns that make up what is now known as the Central Valencian Districts.
Key facts
- Country
- 🇪🇸 Spain
- Region
- Valencian Community
- Province
- València
- District
- Vall d'Albaida
- Area
- 125,4 km²
- Coordinates
- 38°49'N 0°36'O
- Postcode
- 46870
- Demonym
- Ontinyentí / ontinyentina
- Language
- Valencian