Almansa

Almansa (Spanish pronunciation: [alˈmansa]) is a Spanish town and municipality in the province of Albacete, part of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. The name "Almansa" stems from the Arabic المنصف (al-manṣaf), "half way of the road". The municipality borders with Alicante, Valencia and Murcia. Almansa is famous for its Moros y cristianos festival celebrated from 1 to 6 May. Almansa is built at the foot of a white limestone crag, which is surmounted by a Moorish castle, and rises abruptly in the midst of a fertile and irrigated plain. About 1 mile (1.6 km) south of the town centre stands an obelisk commemorating the Battle of Almansa fought there on 25 April 1707 during the War of Spanish Succession, in which a French, Spanish and Irish army under command of the duke of Berwick, a natural son of James II, routed the allied British, Portuguese and Spanish troops. Annual reenactments of that battle have been formally listed in the Spanish cultural register. The Sierra del Mugrón is located within the Almansa city limits.