Vitoria-Gasteiz

Vitoria-Gasteiz is the capital of the Basque Autonomous Community in northern Spain. In the medieval quarter, the Gothic-style Santa María Cathedral features a sculpted facade and towering columns

The 17th-century Plaza de la Virgen Blanca has a monument to the 1813 Battle of Vitoria. The Church of San Miguel has a large, baroque altarpiece and houses a statue of the White Virgin, the city’s patron saint

Few places have two names like Vitoria-Gasteiz. The name "Nueva Victoria" was given to the city by King Sancho VI of Navarre, who founded Vitoria in 1181. At that time it was a walled defensive outpost belonging to the kingdom of Navarre. The name "Gasteiz" comes from a hamlet that used to stand on the hill around which our city is built.

Historically, Victoria has always enjoyed a strategic position because it is situated on the shortest route between the tablelands of Castile and Northern Europe. Throughout its history, the city has always been known as an important trading centre. Historians record that there were three markets held every week in the 13th century and after 1399, there were two annual fairs attended by numerous visitors.

Another important historical feature of the city is its individual privileges, which declared all its inhabitants to be equal, without distinction between nobles and the masses.Read more