# Castellón de la Plana

> city in the Valencian Community, Spain

**Wikidata**: [Q15092](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15092)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castellón_de_la_Plana)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/castellon-de-la-plana

## Summary
Castellón de la Plana (officially named Castelló de la Plana) is a city and municipality located in the Valencian Community, Spain. It serves as the capital of the Plana Alta comarca and recorded a population of 183,711 residents in 2025. Founded in 1251 by James I of Aragon, the municipality covers an area of 111.33 square kilometers and is situated near the Mediterranean Sea.

## Key Facts
- **Official Name**: Castelló de la Plana (exclusive official name since 2019; previously Castellón de la Plana/Castelló de la Plana from 1982)
- **Location**: Plana Alta, Valencian Community, Spain, Europe
- **Coordinates**: 39.98598055555556, -0.03743888888888889
- **Area**: 111.33 square kilometers
- **Elevation**: 27 meters above sea level
- **Population**: 183,711 (2025, register office); 180,379 (2024); 176,238 (2023)
- **Inception**: 1251 (founded by James I of Aragon; earlier settlement in 1239 by Nuño Sánchez)
- **Country**: Spain
- **Timezone**: UTC+01:00 (Central European Time, standard); UTC+02:00 (Central European Summer Time, daylight saving)
- **Official Language**: Catalan (predominant language per Law 4/1983)
- **Budget**: €231,578,214.03 (2025)
- **INE Code**: 12040
- **Postal Codes**: 12001–12006, 12100
- **Phone Number**: +34-964-35-51-00
- **Website**: http://www.castello.es/ (Catalan, Spanish)
- **Head of Government**: Begoña Carrasco (People's Party, since June 17, 2023)
- **Patron Saints**: Our Lady of Lledó, Saint Christopher, Blaise of Sebaste
- **Public Holiday**: Magdalena Festival
- **Demonym**: castellonenca (feminine singular), castellonenc (masculine singular), castellonense (common), Castellonese
- **Twin Towns**: Châtellerault (since 1987), Lleida (since 2016), Târgoviște (since 2017), Ube (since 2018)
- **Adjacent Municipalities**: Borriol, Benicàssim, Almassora, Onda, L'Alcora
- **Bodies of Water**: Mediterranean Sea, Q23979290, Rambla de la Viuda
- **Stadium**: Nou Estadi Castalia (owned by the city)
- **Sitelink Count**: 83

## FAQs
**What is the origin of Castellón de la Plana?**
The city was officially founded in 1251 by James I of Aragon, though an earlier settlement existed in 1239 under Nuño Sánchez. It was moved to its current plain location (hence "de la Plana") from a nearby hill.

**What languages are spoken in Castellón de la Plana?**
Catalan (specifically Valencian) is the predominant official language, as established by the Law of Use and Teaching of Valencian (Law 4/1983). The municipal website is available in both Catalan and Spanish.

**How has the population of Castellón de la Plana changed recently?**
The population reached 183,711 in 2025. It fluctuated from 180,185 in 2013 to a low of 169,498 in 2017, before rising again in subsequent years.

**Who governs Castellón de la Plana?**
As of June 17, 2023, the city is led by Mayor Begoña Carrasco of the People's Party. The office held by the head of government is the Mayor of Castelló de la Plana.

**What are the city's international connections?**
Castellón de la Plana is twinned with four cities: Châtellerault in France (since 1987), Lleida in Spain (since 2016), Târgoviște in Romania (since 2017), and Ube in Japan (since 2018).

**What is the city's economic status?**
The city has an approved budget of €231,578,214.03 for the year 2025, which is noted as a record amount.

**What are the city's main celebrations?**
The Magdalena Festival is the city's public holiday. The city's patron saints are Our Lady of Lledó, Saint Christopher, and Blaise of Sebaste.

## Why It Matters
Castellón de la Plana serves as a significant urban center and the capital of the Plana Alta comarca in the Valencian Community. Its strategic coastal location near the Mediterranean Sea has established it as a key municipality in eastern Spain. The city's governance of a record budget of over €231 million in 2025 indicates its economic importance within the region. The preservation and official recognition of the Catalan (Valencian) language highlight its cultural distinctiveness within Spain. Its twinning agreements with cities across Europe and Asia reflect its active engagement in international cooperation. As a big city with over 180,000 residents, it plays a vital role in the administrative, economic, and social landscape of the Valencian Community.

## Notable For
- **Name Change**: In 2019, the city officially changed its name from the bilingual "Castellón de la Plana/Castelló de la Plana" to the exclusive Catalan form "Castelló de la Plana."
- **Record Budget**: The municipal budget for 2025, exceeding €231 million, is the largest in the city's history.
- **Linguistic Significance**: Designated as an area where Catalan (Valencian) is the predominant language under regional law.
- **Historical Founding**: One of the cities established by James I of Aragon during the Reconquista, with a documented founding date of 1251.
- **International Twinning**: One of the few Spanish cities with a sister city in Japan (Ube), formalized in 2018.
- **Coastal Location**: Positioned on the Mediterranean coast, adjacent to notable natural features like the Rambla de la Viuda.
- **Encyclopedic Coverage**: Documented in numerous major encyclopedias including Encyclopædia Britannica, Brockhaus and Efron, and the Great Russian Encyclopedia.
- **Digital Presence**: Maintains a presence across over 80 Wikipedia language editions, indicating global recognition.

## Body

### Identity and Nomenclature
Castellón de la Plana is officially known as "Castelló de la Plana," a change enacted by Decree 40/2019 on March 22, 2019, which adopted the exclusive Valencian form of the name. This name became official in the Spanish state gazette on April 15, 2019. Prior to this, since 1982, the official name was the bilingual "Castellón de la Plana/Castelló de la Plana." The city also has numerous historical and alternative names, including Castellón de Burriana, Castelló del Camp de Borriana, Villa de Castellón, and Ciudad de Castellón. Its native label is Castelló de la Plana.

### Geography and Administration
The municipality is situated in the Plana Alta comarca of the Valencian Community, Spain. It covers a total area of 111.33 square kilometers and has an average elevation of 27 meters above sea level. Its precise coordinates are 39.98598055555556 latitude and -0.03743888888888889 longitude. The city shares borders with five other municipalities: Borriol, Benicàssim, Almassora, Onda, and L'Alcora. It is also located near or next to several bodies of water, including the Mediterranean Sea and the Rambla de la Viuda.

Administratively, the city is assigned the INE code 12040 and has postal codes ranging from 12001 to 12006, as well as 12100. The city's government can be contacted at +34-964-35-51-00. The official website, http://www.castello.es/, provides information in Catalan and Spanish.

### Governance and Finance
The head of government is Begoña Carrasco, a member of the People's Party (Partido Popular), who assumed office on June 17, 2023. She holds the office of the Mayor of Castelló de la Plana. The city's financial administration includes a record-breaking budget of €231,578,214.03 approved for the year 2025. The city is also the owner of the Nou Estadi Castalia, a significant local infrastructure asset.

### History
The inception of the city is dated to 1251, when it was founded by James I of Aragon. Historical records also note an earlier settlement in 1239 associated with Nuño Sánchez. The topic of its history is further detailed in the dedicated subject, "History of Castellón de la Plana."

### Demographics
The city's population has fluctuated over the past two decades. According to register office data, the population in 2025 is 183,711. This represents a continuation of a recovery that saw numbers rise from 169,498 in 2017 to 176,238 in 2023 and 180,379 in 2024. The city's population peaked in the early 2010s, with 180,690 residents in 2010. A 2019 census recorded 83,072 male and 88,656 female residents.

### Culture and Religion
Catalan is the official and predominant language, a status defined by the 1983 Law of Use and Teaching of Valencian. The city celebrates the Magdalena Festival as its primary public holiday. Its religious life is marked by the veneration of three patron saints: Our Lady of Lledó, Saint Christopher, and Blaise of Sebaste. Residents are known by the demonyms "castellonenc" (masculine singular), "castellonenca" (feminine singular), "castellonense" (common), or "Castellonese."

### International Relations
Castellón de la Plana maintains active town twinning (hermanamiento) agreements with four cities. The first was established with Châtellerault, France, on February 27, 1987. More recent agreements include Lleida, Spain (June 28, 2016); Târgoviște, Romania (September 6, 2017); and Ube, Japan (June 21, 2018).

### Media and Digital Presence
The city maintains a social media presence, including a Twitter account (@ajuntcastello), which had 13,211 followers as of February 2023. The municipal website serves as a key portal for official information. The city's global recognition is evidenced by its presence on Wikipedia in numerous languages, including English, Spanish, German, French, Chinese, and Arabic, among dozens of others.

### Academic and Library Classifications
The city is cataloged in a vast array of national and international databases and libraries. Its identifiers include:
- **Library of Congress Authority ID**: n80089397
- **VIAF ID**: 127917118
- **GND ID**: 4085172-2
- **Bibliothèque nationale de France ID**: 13543897d
- **National Library of Spain ID**: XX451327
- **Geonames ID**: 6356995
- **MusicBrainz Area ID**: bf54fbad-a2c9-48ce-838b-bfb2af775760
- **CATCÀNIC ID**: 981058613789206706

### External References and Sources
Castellón de la Plana is described in several authoritative encyclopedic sources, including the Pauly–Wissowa, the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, the Jewish Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron, and the Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition. It also has entries in the Great Russian Encyclopedia portal, the Croatian Encyclopedia (Hrvatska enciklopedija), and the Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana. The city is categorized under "Category:Castellón de la Plana" on Wikimedia Commons, with specific categories for people born there ("Category:Births in Castellón de la Plana") and associated people ("Category:People from Castellón de la Plana").

## References

1. Nomenclátor Geográfico de Municipios y Entidades de Población (20240402 edition)
2. [Llei 4/1983, de 23 de novembre, d'Ús i Ensenyament del Valencià](https://www.dogv.gva.es/va/eli/es-vc/l/1983/11/23/4/)
3. [Ley 4/1983, de 23 de noviembre, de Uso y Enseñanza del Valenciano](https://www.dogv.gva.es/va/eli/es-vc/l/1983/11/23/4/spa)
4. [Source](http://femp.femp.es/files/566-1113-archivo/LISTADO%20HERMANAMIENTOS%20CON%20EUROPA.pdf)
5. [Source](http://www.castello.es/web30/pages/generico_web10.php?id=val&cod1=26&cod2=103)
6. [Source](https://www.elmundo.es/comunidad-valenciana/castellon/2017/07/28/597a648de2704efb588b45af.html)
7. [Source](http://www.pmtgv.ro/anexaHCL110-2014.pdf)
8. [Source](http://www.pmtgv.ro/infratiri.html)
9. [Source](https://www.elperiodic.com/val/castellon/ciutats-castello-formalitzen-declaracio-dagermanament_574299)
10. Virtual International Authority File
11. BnF authorities
12. OpenStreetMap
13. [Source](https://www.worlddata.info/europe/spain/timezones.php)
14. [Source](https://aldc.espais.iec.cat/localitats-nova/index-numeric-de-localitats/)
15. [Source](https://www.elperiodicomediterraneo.com/magdalena/2018/03/04/traslado-villa-castellon-41381286.html)
16. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
17. Czech National Authority Database
18. MusicBrainz
19. Municipal Register of Spain 2013
20. Municipal Register of Spain 2012
21. Municipal Register of Spain 2011
22. Municipal Register of Spain 2010
23. Municipal Register of Spain 2009
24. Municipal Register of Spain 2008
25. Municipal Register of Spain 2007
26. Municipal Register of Spain 2006
27. Municipal Register of Spain 2005
28. Municipal Register of Spain 2004
29. Municipal Register of Spain 2003
30. Municipal Register of Spain 2002
31. Municipal Register of Spain 2001
32. Municipal Register of Spain 2014
33. Municipal Register of Spain 2015
34. Municipal Register of Spain 2016
35. Municipal Register of Spain 2017
36. Municipal Register of Spain 2018
37. [Cifras oficiales de población resultantes de la revisión del Padrón municipal a 1 de enero. National Statistics Institute](http://www.ine.es/dynt3/inebase/index.htm?padre=525)
38. Municipal Register of Spain 2019
39. Municipal Register of Spain 2020
40. Municipal Register of Spain of 2021
41. Municipal Register of Spain of 2022
42. Municipal Register of Spain of 2023
43. Municipal Register of Spain of 2024
44. Municipal Register of Spain of 2025
45. Flickr Shapefiles Public Dataset 2.0
46. [Source](https://datosabiertos.dipcas.es/explore/dataset/eell-de-castellon/table/)
47. [Diari Oficial de la Generalitat Valenciana. 1982](http://www.dogv.gva.es/datos/1982/08/30/pdf/1982_801912.pdf)
48. [Decreto 40/2019, de 22 de marzo, del Consell, de aprobación del cambio de denominación del municipio de Castelló de la Plana/Castellón de la Plana por la forma exclusiva en valenciano «Castelló de la Plana».. Boletín Oficial del Estado. 2019](https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2019/04/15/pdfs/BOE-A-2019-5721.pdf)
49. [Decret 40/2019, de 22 de març, del Consell, d’aprovació del canvi de denominació del municipi de Castelló dela Plana / Castellón de la Plana per la forma exclusiva en valencià Castelló de la Plana.. Diari Oficial de la Generalitat Valenciana. 2019](http://www.dogv.gva.es/datos/2019/03/23/pdf/2019_2901.pdf)
50. List of Municipalities and their Codes by Provinces as of January 1, 2019