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Valladolid
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Valladolid— Municipality —
Flag
Coat of arms
Coordinates: 4°43′0″W / 41.633333°N 4.716667°W / 41.633333; -4.716667Coordinates: 4°43′0″W / 41.633333°N 4.716667°W / 41.633333; -4.716667
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 (76.4 sq mi)
Elevation 698 m (2,290 ft)
Population (2009)
- Total 317,864
- Density 1,606.1/km2 (4,159.8/sq mi)
- Demonym Vallisoletano, -a (informalmente, pucelano, -a)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 47001 - 47016
Dialing code 983
Official language(s) Spanish
Website Official website
Valladolid (help·info) is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, upon the Pisuerga River and within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda (DO) and Cigales . It is the capital of the province of Valladolid and of the autonomous community of Castile and Leon.
Etymology
One suggestion for the origin of Valladolid's name comes from its apparent similarity with "BaladulWalid" (in Arabic بلد الوليد) meaning The City of Walid in memory of one of the Ummayad dynasty's greatest caliphs in Damascus; but no good reason has been given as to why the Moors should have given such a grand title to what was then a remote village on the much contested frontier of their empire. A more likely suggestion is a conjunction of the Latin: VALLIS, "Valley", and Celtic: TOLITUM, "place of confluence of waters. Ruins of a Roman settlement have been found in the area and the area was occupied by Celtic tribes when it was conquered by the Romans. Another suggestion is valla ("fence" in Spanish) "de" (of) Olid (Spanish family name).
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. Other theory tells that it was called Pucela because Puzzeli's cement was sold there, the only city in Spain that did.
History
Valladolid was captured from the Moors in the tenth century, being a small village which was then improved by count Pedro Ansúrez in the eleventh century; in 1469 Queen Isabella of Castile and King Ferdinand of Aragon were married in the city and by the fifteenth century it was the residence of the kings of Castile and remained the capital of the Kingdom of Spain until 1561, when Philip II, born here, moved the capital to Madrid. Christopher Columbus died in Valladolid in 1506 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. It was in that period when Cervantes published his first edition of Don Quixote in 1605.
The city nonetheless boasts few architectural manifestations of its former glory. Some monuments include the unfinished cathedral, the church of Santa Maria la Antigua, the Plaza Mayor (Main Square)(the template for that of Madrid and of future main squares in the Castilian-speaking world), 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. Valladolid is an economic motor of the autonomous community, having an important automobile industry (IVECO, FASA-Renault, Michelin). There is an airport at nearby Villanubla, with connections to London-Stansted, Paris, Brussels-Charleroi, Milan, Lisbon, Barcelona and Vigo.
Main sights
The capital of Castile-León preserves in its old quarter, a heritage of aristocratic houses and religious buildings. Among them, the unfinished Cathedral was commissioned by King Philip II and designed by the architect Juan de Herrera in the 16th century. Their respective deaths left the church unfinished 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 great chapel houses a magnificent 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 Saint Benedict (San Benito) was built between 1500 and 1515, with an unusual tower. The Saint Michael Church (San Miguel), built at the end of the 16th century by the Jesuits, hosts excellent reredos by Gregorio Fernández. The façade of the San Pablo Church is famous by its Gothic statues and decoration. The Savour (El Salvador) Church has a façade built around 1550 and a picturesque brick tower dating from the 17th century. The church of Saint Jamea (Santiago) has reredos depicting the Adoration of the Magi (1537) created by Berruguete. The Gotic church of Saint Mary the Ancient (Santa María de La Antigua) has an unusual pyramid-shaped Romanesque tower from the 12th century. The Monastery of Santa María la Real de las Huelgas was originally built in 1600. The Monasterio de Santa Ana has various paintings by Francisco de Goya. San Juan de Letrán Church has an outstanding Baroque façade built in 1737. Beside this last church is the Monasterio de los Padres Filipinos, designed by the famous architect Ventura Rodríguez in 1760.
The heart of the old city is the 16th-century Plaza Mayor, presided over by a statue of Count Ansúrez. On one side of it stands the City Hall, a building from the beginning of the century crowned by the 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 in it on 21 May 1527. The Royal Palace, 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.
The University, whose Baroque façade is decorated with various academic symbols, and the Santa Cruz College, which as well as housing a valuable library forms one of the first examples of the Spanish Renaissance, say much about the cultural importance of Valladolid.
The city preserves houses where great historical characters once lived, like the Casa de Cervantes, where the author of Don Quijote lived with his family between 1603 and 1606. As a curiosity, it was in this house where the writer gave his masterpiece the finishing touches. A visit to the house-museum enables you to get to know the way of life of a noble family in the 17th century through possessions and furniture from the time. You can also visit the Christopher Columbus House-Museum, where the navigator spend the last years of his life. Nowadays the palace exhibits various pieces and documents related to the discovery of America.