Valladolid

Valladolid
Valladolid
Municipality
	Aerial view of Valladolid
	Flag Coat of arms
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Castile and León
Province	Valladolid
Comarca	Campiña del Pisuerga
Judicial district	Valladolid
Founded	1072
Government
• Alcalde	Francisco Javier León de la Riva (2007) (PP)
Area
• Total	197.91 km2 (76.41 sq mi)
Elevation	698 m (2,290 ft)
Population (2009)
• Total	317,864
• Density	1,600/km2 (4,200/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Vallisoletano, -a (unformally, pucelano, -a)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	47001 - 47016
Dialing code	983
Official language(s)	Spanish
Website	Official website

Valladolid^ⓘ (Spanish: [baʎaðoˈlið]) is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales. It is the capital of the province of Valladolid and of the autonomous community of Castile and Leon (de facto).

Etymology

One common suggestion for the origin of Valladolid's name is the Arabic name "Baladul Walid" (بلد الوليد) meaning The City of Walid in memory of one of the Ummayad dynasty's greatest caliphs in Damascus. But left unexplained is why a village on a remote frontier should have been given such a grand title. A more probable etymology derives it from the Celtiberian language name Vallis Tolitum ("waters valley", due to the confluence of rivers). The most probable derivation is from the demonym Vallisoletano (which in fact is the Spanish demonym of the city), meaning "from sunny valley" - in Middle Ages texts the city is stated as vallisoletum (see the painting above).

It is also popularly called Pucela, a nickname whose origin is not clear, but probably refers to a few knights who accompanied Joan of Arc, known as La Pucelle. Another theory is that Pucela comes from the fact that Puzzeli's cement was sold there, the only city in Spain that sold it.

History

Remains of Celtiberian and of a Roman camp have been excavated near the city. The nucleus of the city was originally located in the area of the current San Miguel y el Rosarillo square, and was surrounded by a palisade. Archaeological proofs of the existence of three ancient lines of walls have been found.

During the time of Moorish rule in Spain the Christian kings moved the population of this region north into more easily defended areas, and deliberately created a no-mans' land as a buffer zone against further Moorish conquests. Valladolid was captured from the Moors in the 10th century, remaining a small village until king Alfonso VI of Castile donated it to count Pedro Ansúrez in 1072. He built a palace (now lost) for himself and his wife, countess Eylo, the Collegiate of St. Mary and the La Antigua churches. In the 12th and 13th centuries Valladolid grew rapidly, thanks also to the commercial privileges granted by the kings Alfonso VIII and Alfonso X, as well as to the repopulation of the area after the Reconquista.

In 1469 Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand of Aragon were married in the city; by the 15th century Valladolid was the residence of the kings of Castile and remained the capital of the Kingdom of Spain until 1561, when the city was destroyed by a fire and Philip II, born here, moved the capital to Madrid, starting a period of decadence for Valladolid. In 1506 Christopher Columbus died in Valladolid in a house which is now a Museum dedicated to him. It was made the capital of the kingdom again between 1601 and 1606 by Philip III. The city was again damaged by a flood of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers.

Despite the damage to the old city by the 1960s economic boom, it still boasts a few architectural manifestations of its former glory. Some monuments include the unfinished cathedral, the Plaza Mayor (Main Square), which was the template for that of Madrid, and of other main squares throughout the former Spanish empire, the National Sculpture Museum, next to the church of Saint Paul, which includes Spain's greatest collections of polychrome wood sculptures, and the Faculty of Law of the University of Valladolid, whose façade is one of the few surviving works by Narciso Tomei, the same artist who did the transparente in Toledo Cathedral. The Science Museum is next to Pisuerga river. The only surviving house of Miguel de Cervantes is also located in Valladolid. Although unfinished, Cathedral of Valladolid was designed by Juan de Herrera, architect of El Escorial.

Main sights

The capital of Castile y León preserves in its old quarter heritage of aristocratic houses and religious buildings.

Interesting Religious buildings

The unfinished Cathedral, commissioned by King Philip II and designed by the architect Juan de Herrera in the 16th century, following a mannierist style perhaps influenced by Michelangelo. The church is unfinished due to financial problems and its nave was not opened until 1668. Years later, in 1730, Master Churriguera finished the work on the main front. Inside the cathedral, the sanctuary houses a reredos made by Juan de Juni in 1562. The complex is linked to the Diocesan Museum, which holds carvings attributed to Gregorio Fernández and Juni himself, as well as a silver monstrance by Juan de Arce.
The large Gothic church of San Benito, built by the Benedictines between 1500 and 1515, with an unusual tower.
San Miguel Church, antient church of the Jesuits (now, parish church), built at the end of the 16th century, hosts some reredos by the early 17th-century sculptor Gregorio Fernández.
The façade of the Dominic's Church of San Pablo Church, characterized by Gothic statues and decoration built around 1500.
El Salvador Church, with a façade built around 1550, a 15th-century Flemish reredos and a brick tower dating from the 17th century.
The church of Santiago has reredos depicting the Adoration of the Magi (1537) created by Berruguete and, in the sanctuary, a great baroque reredos depicting Saint James killing moors, as usual in Spain.
The Gothic church of Santa maría la Antigua has an unusual pyramid-shaped Romanesque tower from the 12th century and a 14th century gothic sanctuary, influenced by the Cathedgral of Burgos..
The Convent of Santa María la Real de las Huelgas, originally built about 1600, following Spanish mannierist tendencies.
Convento de Santa Ana, a neoclassical building housing various paintings by Francisco de Goya.
San Juan de Letrán Church, featuring a Baroque façade built in 1737. Beside this last church is the Monasterio de los Padres Filipinos, designed by the architect Ventura Rodríguez in 1760.

Other buildings

The heart of the old city is the 16th-century Plaza Mayor, presided over by a statue of Count Ansúrez from 1903. On one side of it stands the City Hall, an eclectic building dating from the beginning of the 20th century, crowned by a clock tower. In the nearby streets is the Palace of Los Pimentel, today the seat of the Provincial Council, is one of the most important, as King Philip II was born here on 21 May 1527. The Royal Palace (where King Philip IV of Spain and Queen Anne of France, mother of Louis XIV were born), the 16th-century Palace of the Marquises of Valverde, and that of the banker Fabio Nelli – a building with a Classicist stamp built in 1576 – should also be pointed out. The Museum of Valladolid occupies this complex, exhibiting a collection of furniture, sculptures, paintings and ceramic pieces dated from Prehistoric times to the present.

The National Sculpture Museum is site in San Gregorio College, a Flemish Gothic style building . It is home to polychrome carvings made by artists like Alonso Berruguete or Gregorio Fernández. The Museum of Contemporary Spanish Art, located in the Patio Herreriano, one of the cloisters of the former Monastery of San Benito, preserves more than 800 paintings and sculptures from the 20th century.

The University, whose Baroque façade is decorated with various academic symbols, and the Santa Cruz College, which as well as housing a library forms one of the first examples of the Spanish Renaissance.

The city preserves houses where great historical characters once lived. They include:

the Casa de Cervantes, where the author of Don Quijote lived with his family between 1603 and 1606. It was in this house where the writer finished his masterpiece.
The Christopher Columbus House-Museum is located in the what was though the residence of the Genoese navigator in the last years of his life. Nowadays the palace exhibits various pieces and documents related to the discovery of America.
The house where José Zorrilla was born, housing various personal possessions, furniture and documents that belonged to the Romantic writer.

Population

As of the 2004 census, the population of the city of Valladolid proper was 321,713, and the population of the entire urban area was estimated to be near 400,000.

Economy

Valladolid is an economic motor of the autonomous community, having an important automobile industry (IVECO, FASA-Renault, Michelin).

Transportation

There is an airport at nearby Villanubla (10 km of Valladolid city centre), with connections to London-Stansted, Paris, Brussels-Charleroi, Milan, Lisbon, Düsseldorf, Barcelona, Malaga, Alicante, Balearic Islands and Canary Islands.

Seminci

The city is also host to one of the foremost (and oldest) international film festivals, the Semana Internacional de Cine de Valladolid (Seminci), founded in 1956.

Local cuisine

Although an inland province, fish is commonly consumed. Brought from the Cantabrian Sea, fish like red bream and hake are a major part of Valladolid's cuisine.

The main speciality of Valladolid is, however, lechazo (suckling baby lamb). The lechazo is slowly roasted in a wood oven and served with salad.

Valladolid also offers a great assortment of wild mushrooms. Asparagus, endive and beans can also be found. Some legumes, like white beans and lentils are particularly good. Pine nuts are also produced in great quantities.

Sheep cheese from Villalón de Campos, the famous pata de mulo (mule's leg) is usually unripened (fresh), but if it is cured the ripening process brings out such flavour that it can compete with the best sheep cheeses in Spain.

In the area of bread Valladolid has a bread to go with every dish, like the delicious cuadros from Medina del Campo, the muffins, the pork-scratching bread and the lechuguinos, with a pattern of concentric circles that resemble a head of lettuce.

The pastries and baked goods from the province of Valladolid are well-known, specially St. Mary's ring-shaped pastries, St. Claire's sponge cakes, pine nut balls and cream fritters.

Valladolid is also a producer of wines. The ones that fall under the Designation of Origin Cigales are very good. White wines from Rueda and red wines from Ribera del Duero are known for their quality.

Easter

Easter holds ("Semana Santa" in Spanish) one of the best known Catholic traditions in Valladolid. The Good Friday processions are considered an exquisite and rich display of Castilian religious sculpture. On this day, in the morning, members of the brotherhoods on horseback make a poetic proclamation throughout the city. The "Sermon of the Seven Words” is spoken in Plaza Mayor Square. In the afternoon, thousands of people take part in the Passion Procession, comprising 31 pasos (religious statues), most of which date from the 16th and 17th centuries. The last statue in the procession is the Virgen de las Angustias, and her return to the church is one of the most emotional moments of the celebrations, with the Salve Popular sung in her honour.

Easter is one of the most spectacular and emotional fiestas here. Religious devotion, art, colour and music combine in acts to commemorate the death of Jesus Christ: the processions. Members of the different Easter brotherhoods, dressed in their characteristic robes, parade through the streets carrying religious statues (pasos) to the sound of drums and music – scenes of sober beauty.

Sport

Valladolid is represented in the Segunda División, the 2nd level of football (soccer) in Spain, with their own club, Real Valladolid, or Pucela as they are nicknamed.

CR El Salvador, current champions of Spain's División de Honor de Rugby compete in the European Challenge Cup. They play their matches at Estadio Pepe Rojo.

Twin towns - sister cities

External links

Institutions

Museums

Miscellaneous

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