Santander

Bahía

The history of the city of Santander, which may well have been the Roman Portus Victoriae, really began in the 11th-c when the first settlement grew up around the Abbey of San Emeterio. It was given its charter in 1187 and it was then that the "Puebla Vieja" (Old Town) became clearly established around both the Abbey and the Castle. During the Middle Ages Santander was an important trading port, ant it was at this time that it underwent new urban development. In the so-called "Puebla Nueva" (New Town) all the religious, political and commercial buildings were constructed (around the Plaza del Cantón), and these were supported by an active maritime trade with America. From the 17th-c onwards Santander became the capital of Cantabria, although it was not until 1779 that this fact was legally recognized.

Santander enjoyed its greatest economic activity with America towards the end of the 19th-c and, as a result, work began on improving the port and enlarging the city further towards the east. The city continued to grow in this direction during the 19th-c as the area of El Sardinero was developed, and also towards the west and the area of Las Alamedas.

El Sardinero

In 1900 Santander took on its characteristic appearence of a city with glassfronted balconies. However, a fire in 1941 destroyed a large part of the city which was then rebuilt in a kind of Neo-Herrerian style (such as the Plaza Porticada) and a "rationalist" style. Rapid development in the 1960 s brought about the construction of high-rise buildings and the appearance of popular districts of rather poor architectural quality. In contrast to these we find the residential and tourist area of El Sardinero.

Nowadays Santander is basically a comercial, administrative and tourist city. A great deal of effort is being spent on making the city the most important cultural and recreational centre in northen Spain. This objective is being sought by both public and private enterprise. The University of Cantabria, the International University of Menéndez Pelayo, the International Festival of Santander, the Botín Foundation, the Caja Cantabria Social and Cultural Organization, the Menéndez Pelayo Library, the Port Authorities, the Municipal Museum, several art galleries and other cultural centres all offer a wide selection of activities which help to complement the city's natural attractions, both in winter and in summer.

Gothic Cathedral

The oldest building in the city is the Gothic Cathedral, whose main church and cloisters date from the 14th-c, whereas the crypt (the present-day Church of El Cristo) goes back to the 13th-c. The latter takes the form of a small church with three apses, all in the Burgos-Gothic style. The aisles are in contrast to this because of their austere nature. Recent excavations in one of the naves have uncovered a Roman house.

The austere main church is Burgundy-Gothic in style, and inside contains a number of Renaissance and Baroque chapels. Inside there are also such curiosities as a Muslim font for performing one sablutions, and the tomb of Menéndez Pelayo, the work of Victorio Macho. Following the fire in 1941 part of the Cathedral was rebuilt and the present day transept and apse were added.

Near the Town Hall, the group of buildings formed by the Menéndez Pelayo Library and the Municipal Museum of Fine Arts is one of the finest corners in the city...

The novelist Pérez Galdós once wrote the following about Santander: all the luxuries that can be found here have been provided by nature itself.