Manises

Manises is a municipality in the comarca of Horta Oest in the Valencian Community, Spain. Located in the province of Valencia, it had 30,508 inhabitants in 2009 (NSI) and is famous for its pottery and being the location of Valencia Airport.Physical GeographyThe town is situated at the western end of the Horta de València (link=no), on the right bank of the river Turia.WeatherThe climate is typically Mediterranean but with some variations, with summers warmer and winters colder than the coast, with night frost in the winter months. The average winter temperature drops to 4.7 degrees (although it can reach −5C° or −10C° in the coldest days) while the summer see temperatures of 24.8 degrees (with peaks of 35C°).HistoryManises extends to the right bank of the river Turia and is uneven in the western sector for the first mountains that dominate the alluvial plain of Turia.Agriculture is predominantly carob trees, olive trees and small areas of vineyards and almond trees. The irrigation uses water from the river Turia through the ditch of Manises.The main economic activity is industry, focusing on ceramics; in the Middle Ages and Renaissance era Manises was the most important production centre for Hispano-Moresque ware, which was exported all over Europe. The industry had a strong comeback in the second half of the 19th century. In 1917 the School of Ceramics was founded, which included the study of this activity in its various forms: artistic ceramics, porcelain and tiles. Today small businesses predominate.