Santander is a city in Spain. Open left menu Santander
Despite the fact that this is a northern Spanish city, washed by the stormy waters of the Atlantic Ocean, it is still a popular seaside resort. Tourists here will find clean sandy beaches and beautiful 19th-century architecture.
Santander - a city reborn from the ashes (photo: Ignacio Javier Lanza)
The city of Santander is the capital of the province of Cantabria, it is also called the “sea gate” of Castile. It is an important port, a tourist center, and a place of busy trade. Ancient white marble buildings here alternate with typical buildings - historical palaces stand in the middle of the urban landscape. Santander inevitably became a “city of contrasts”: the old center burned down in a terrible fire in 1941.
The city stands on the Atlantic coast, in the north of the country, a hundred kilometers from Bilbao. From the north it is washed by the waves of the ocean, from the southeast by the waters of Santander Bay.
It is much cooler here than in the Mediterranean Spanish resorts. Summer water temperature does not exceed +22°C, the air warms up to +24°C. In winter, the thermometer stays at +10°C. It rains heavily in November, January and February; in April. The best season for vacation is from late July to mid-October.
Beaches of Santander
The most popular beaches are the central El Sardinero and the ancient La Magdalena. On Sardinero there is a wide sandy beach 500 m long, a gentle slope to the water, protected from direct waves. It is adjacent to the 250 m long Concha beach, adjacent to the park. The well-equipped Playa La Magdalena is located in a bay within the residence. Playa de Biquinis is also located in the royal park: divers dive there, near the ruins of an ancient pier. Los Peligros occupies 200 m along the coast of Santander Bay. There is a yachting school on an island in the middle of Playa Los Peligros. Secluded Playa de Mataleñas is located on the western outskirts: it stretches between the Menor and Mayor lighthouses. Quiet and picturesque Los Peligros is located in a bay opposite the Peña Cabarga mountain.
Attractions
Santander Cathedral
El Sardinero area
Big casino
Botin Arts Center
Cabo Major Lighthouse (with museum)
Royal Hotel
Alley Pereda
Pereda Gardens
Porticada Square
Palace of Festivals of Cantabria
Palace of Sports (Santander)
Esperanza Market
Maritime Museum of Cantabria
Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Cantabria
Los Peligros Beach
La Magdalena beach
Beach bikini
El Camello Beach
El Sardinero Beach I
El Sardinero Beach II
Los Molinucos Beach
Mataleñas Beach
Cathedral
Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (photo: Ignacio Morlanes Ruiz)
The Santander Cathedral survived the fire and has survived to this day. It was built in the 12th–14th centuries on the site of the Roman monastery of Cuerpos Santos. The ancient monastery church with the relics of the city’s patron saints, Emeteria and Celedonia, is hidden in the crypt, under a transparent ceiling. The Cathedral of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción is a three-nave Romanesque-Gothic basilica with an original 13th-century portal and a cloister with a bypass gallery.
Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
The neo-Gothic church Sagrado Corazón de Jesús was consecrated in 1890, the bell tower was erected 13 years later. The temple, created by José Maria Basterra, has a Latin cross in its plan; the vaults were erected on 12 rib supports. The sculptural compositions inside the church and at the central gate are the work of Michel Castellanos.
Town Hall
Not far from the Cathedral, on the Plaza de Ayuntamiento, the city hall is located. The Santander Municipal Council building was originally built in 1907 in an eclectic style designed by the architect Julio Martinez-Zapata. Subsequently it was significantly expanded.
Royal Palace and La Magdalena Park
The Royal Palace of La Magdalena stands at the top of the peninsula of the same name. The former royal residence from 1912, built for Alfonso XIII, is now used for state events and weddings. The palace is surrounded by a park and pine forest on 25 hectares. This is a public recreation area with a marine zoo, a polo field, a beach, and playgrounds.
Layout of La Magdalena Park:
Ticket prices and opening hours of the palace:
The cost of a ticket to La Magdalena Palace for a 45-minute tour (only in Spanish) is €3.
Start of excursions:
El Sardinero area
Plaza Italia (photo: CARLOS MORALES)
The El Sardinero area is the area between the Magdalena Peninsula and Cape Menor, the center of Santander's tourist life. Here there is a promenade along the two main beaches, the Picio Gardens are green, the best hotels and the Gran Casino have been built. In this area there are the Sports Palace and the El Sardinero Arena, the Palace of Congresses, and Plaza Italia.
Grand Casino of Santander
Gran Casino (photo: Javier)
The magnificent Gran Casino building has stood on the Plaza de Italia since 1916. The gaming complex was built according to the design of the architect Valle. Inside there are two bars, eight poker tables, slot machines, roulette, and blackjack. The Gran Casino Sardinero hosts musical events, performances, presentations, and exhibitions.
Botin Arts Center
The Botín Arts Center is a modern cultural facility on Paseo de Pereda, an art center designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano. Fundacion Botin is a venue for exhibitions and festivals. The complex combines two buildings with a total area of 2,500 m² with a roof terrace. The buildings rest on columns, as if floating above the bay.
Ticket prices and opening hours:
A ticket to the Botín Arts Center costs €8. The price includes permanent and temporary exhibitions.
| from October to May | from June to September | |
| Mon and January 1, December 25 | closed | closed |
| VT – Sun | 10:00 – 20:00 | 10:00 – 21:00 |
Lighthouse Cabo Major
Lighthouse at Cabo Mayor (photo: Sergio Martinez Martinez)
The large headland with the Cabo Menor lighthouse is located at the edge of Sardinero Beach. The 91-meter round tower was built by Domingo Rohi in 1833–39. For the last two decades, this lighthouse has not been used for its intended purpose: a museum of the Cantabrian artist Eduardo Sanz has been opened there. The entrance is free.
Royal Hotel
Eurostars Hotel Real (photo: Sergio Herreria)
The Royal Eurostars Hotel Real stands on a hill in the middle of a green garden. The rooms offer views of the bay and Los Peligros beach; The windows of the La Rosalera restaurant overlook a magnificent rose garden. The building was built in 1917 and recently reconstructed. The hotel has 7 floors, 123 rooms. Equipped with conference rooms, banquet rooms; There is a sports complex and a large spa center. Hotel page on 
.
Alley Pereda
Pereda Boulevard is the oldest city street. The houses on Paseo de Pereda were not affected by the fire. The palace of the Spanish Transatlantic Company and the neoclassical Bank of Santander (1875) are located here. The promenade is named after the writer, local native of Pereda José Maria, the author of the collection “Mountain Sketches”. The alley stretches to the port of Puerto Chico; In the evenings, city residents and vacationers stroll here.
Pereda Gardens
On the site of the former shopping embankments are the Pereda Gardens, a popular landscape park. Pine trees and palm trees grow here, flower beds are laid out, there is a pond, a fountain installed, and carousels operate. A music pavilion has been built where the municipal orchestra performs. In the middle of the green area there is a monument to José de Perede: on a huge stone pedestal there is a figure of the writer, under it there are relief scenes from his works.
Porticada Square
Almost opposite the Pereda Gardens is the Plaza Porticada, surrounded by 64 arcades in neoclassical style. It, like many other things in the city, was recreated after the terrible fire of 1941. Plaza Porticada is a center of attraction for tourists and local residents; there are many cafes and shops, and there is a monument to the hero of the liberation war against Napoleonic troops, Valarde.
Palace of Festivals of Cantabria
Santander's main concert venue (photo: Simonetta Di Zanutto)
This palace is the architectural symbol of the city. The building was created in 1984–90. designed by Saenz de Oiza. The architect’s work was received ambiguously: the huge size and “deaf” exterior of the palace were criticized. Still, the Palacio de Festivales became the main concert venue of Santander.
Cultural Center Caja Cantabria
The Caja Cantabria Cultural Center is an exhibition and entertainment complex on Calle Tantin. The Art Nouveau building was built in 1904 by Lluis Domenech i Montaner, a contemporary of Gaudí. After 90 years, the center was reconstructed and renamed in 2007 (previously it was named after philanthropist Modesto Tapia). The halls of Caja Cantabria host performances, rock festivals, film screenings, and exhibitions.
Palace of Sports
Palacio de Deportes de Santander (photo: Matthew Herndon)
Palacio de Deportes de Santander is an indoor stadium with 6,000 seats in the El Sardinero district. The avant-garde building, designed by Julian Franco and José Palao, resembles a silver airship. The concrete frame is lined with hundreds of sheets of stainless steel. Concerts, fairs, exhibitions, handball and basketball tournaments take place here.
Esperanza Market
Market building (photo: Jordi Peralta)
The main market of Santander is based on a design created by Eduardo Reinals and Juan Moya Idigoras (1897). The largest Cantabrian market has been granted the status of a cultural site since 1977 and has recently been restored. The two-story building has 160 retail places: inside, they mainly sell seafood. Farm products are sold outside the market.
Market opening hours:
Ticket prices: adults – €5, children (4 – 12 years old) – €2.
Maritime Museum of Cantabria
Maritime Museum of Santander (photo: Turismo de Cantabria)
The Maritime Museum of Cantabria is located in the port area near Los Peligros beach. The exhibitions are dedicated to marine fauna, the history of the Cantabrian coast and fishing, and fishermen's life. The collection has been formed since the 18th century, but today the Museo Maritimo is housed in a building of avant-garde architecture.
Opening hours and ticket prices:
Ticket prices to the Maritime Museum: adults – €8, children (5 – 12 years old) – €5.
Modern Art Museum
Museum of Contemporary Art building (photo: Jordi Peralta)
The Museum of Contemporary Art and Art Nouveau Cantabria (MAS) is located on Rue Rubio, in the former library of 1908. It houses masterpieces of Spanish, Italian, Flemish painting from the 15th to 18th centuries, as well as works by contemporary Cantabrian artists. The MAS collection includes 800 paintings and 200 engravings, 300 sculptures, photographs, coins, medals, and fossil finds. The two lower floors often host temporary exhibitions.
MAS is closed for renovations until 2018.
Funicular and lookout of Rio de la Pila
The Mirador Rio de la Pila observation deck offers wonderful views of the city and Santander Bay. A free funicular takes everyone to the very top, which runs from 6:00 to 12:00. The rather steep street Río de la Pila leads from the city center to the funicular, but to make it easier for city residents to climb, escalators are installed on it.
A little history
In the 1st century AD The Romans founded the port of Victoriae Iuliobrigensium on this land. The first records about the city of Santander date back to 1068. Since 1187, the city received the special status of "fueros" from Alfonso VIII. In 1497, the inhabitants were wiped out by the plague - only a quarter of the population remained.
By the 19th century, Santander had achieved prosperity, but in 1893 disaster struck: the Cabo Machichaco ship carrying dynamite exploded in the port, and the shock wave destroyed the streets. By the end of the 19th century, Santander had become a center of tourism and a royal residence was founded. A fire in 1941 again destroyed most of the buildings, but by 1950 the city was revived.
Events, holidays, events
Pilgrimage to the chapel of La Virgen del Mar (photo: Partido Popular de Cantabria)
May 28 is the Fiesta Virgen del Mar, the day of the patroness of Santander: a treat is prepared on the streets for all residents - Cocido montañés. June 23–24 – Night of San Juan with torchlight processions and fireworks on the beaches. In mid-July - Baños de Ola, a festival of mass celebrations and swimming dedicated to the opening of the Royal Residence.
July 27 – Semana Grande with colorful performances and processions. Santander's main music event is FIS, the International Music Festival. It takes place in the halls of the Palacio de Festivales in early August.
What to try?
Traditional meat dish Cocido montañés (photo: pilar velarde)
Santander is often called the "gastronomic capital" of the country. They love seafood here and cook it according to old fishermen's recipes. Local restaurants serve fried squid calamares fritos, clam chowder, ruffe pates and octopus and lobster sandwiches. It is worth trying tuna sorropotun, mussels mejillones a la marinera. A traditional meat dish is Cocido montañés - various meats, cabbage and white beans. Popular Cantabrian cheeses: Bejes-Tresviso picon, aleve.
What to see in the vicinity of Santander?
Beach Our Lady of the Sea
Corbanera Castle
Cabarceno Zoo Park
Wild beaches of Langre
Santillana del Mar
Altamira Caves
Comillas
Caves of Monte Castillo
Natural Park of Dunas de Liencres (or Dunes of Liencres)
Beach Our Lady of the Sea
Playa de La Virgen del Mar (photo: Antonio Anton)
Playa de La Virgen del Mar is a small beach located 10 minutes by bus. It got its name from the nearby chapel of the Virgen del Mar, the patroness of the city. The chapel stands on an island, connected to the mainland by a pedestrian bridge.
Corbanera Castle
Castillo de Corbanera (photo: Jesus Lopez)
Castillo de Corbanera – fragments of a military fortress in the town of Monte (2.5 km from Santander). The fortifications, erected in 1874, have been declared an object of national cultural value.
Natural park-zoo
Parque De La Naturaleza Cabarceno is a natural space with a quaint landscape. Many years ago, ore was mined here, and then animals were settled among the picturesque area.
Viewpoint and beach of Langre
Playa de Langre (photo: Ramon Bacas)
Wild beaches of Langre - a 2 km long sandy coastline, surrounded by steep cliffs, green meadows and fields. At low tide, Playa de Langre doubles in size. There is a long flight of stairs leading down to the beach.
City of Santillana del Mar
Santillana del Mar is a distinctive city-museum, an authentic medieval settlement 30 kilometers from Santander. The historical core of Santillana del Mar is the monastery of St. Juliana, founded in 870.
Altamira Caves
Paintings on the walls of the cave (photo: rafaeltg1)
The Altamira Caves are a monument of the primitive era near Santillana, a UNESCO site. Well-preserved, bright ritual paintings from the Paleolithic period were discovered on the walls of Cuevas de Altamira.
City of Comillas
Comillas is a former port and fishing town on the Biscay coast. Here you can see the fabulous Sobrellano Palace and the majestic Pontifical University. The main attraction of Comillas is the El Capricho house - the Caprice building, designed by Gaudi.
Caves of Monte Castillo
Rock art in El Castillo cave (photo: Cueva Las Monedas)
The caves of Monte Castillo are an underground complex of four grottoes near Puente Viesgo. Cuevas de Monte Castillo is an important Paleolithic monument, a UNESCO site. Two caves are open to the public: in one of them, El Castillo, rock carvings of animals that are more than 37,300 years old were found.
Natural Park Dunas de Liencres
The Liencres Dunes are the most important dune complex in northern Spain, covering an area of 195 hectares. The park contains dunes themselves, a pine forest and two beaches: Playa de Canallave and Playa De Valdearenas. Here you can walk along the dunes, watch birds or simply admire the beautiful scenery. There are a couple of restaurants nearby and a large parking lot.
Transport Santander
Bus to the airport (photo: Parlamento de Cantabria Galería Oficial)
From Santander Seve Ballesteros Airport you can take the ALSA S4 bus to the city center. They run every 30 minutes, the first bus from the airport leaves at 06:40, the last at 23:00. The fare is €2.90, travel time is 15 minutes. Alsa buses arrive in the city at the Santander Bus Station (Estación de Autobuses de Santander), next to the Renfe train station.
From Santander Airport you can travel to other cities: Bilbao – €16.1, Irun – €17.27,
Gijon – €17.71, Zaragoza – €29.0. Check the schedule and prices on the website alsa.es.
Hotel Art Santander
We chose an inexpensive designer hotel to stay in Santander. We were attracted by the central location and free parking. The hotel has 2 large garages. The rooms are decorated in an unusual way. There are creepy lamps with a human shadow on the stairs. Paid €54 per night.
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Santander (Spain) is a small town that belongs to the administrative center of Cantabria, its area is 25 hectares, the territory is home to about 180 thousand inhabitants.
Santander on the map of Spain in Russian
Santander is a city in Spain, which is located on the map in the northern part of the country. From the north the city is washed by the waters of the Atlantic, in the south-eastern part there is Santander Bay.
Climate and weather in Santander
Those who like to bask in the hot sun should not consider Santander as a vacation destination, since the oceanic climate has a significant impact on the weather. Here you can observe several weather changes during the day - at first the bright sun can shine, then a strong wind can rise, then the sun will come out again, and then it will pour downpour. It is believed that Santander is the coldest city in Spain, since in winter the weather here can drop to 0 degrees and in mountainous areas reach minus levels.
City view
Winter comes very early - usually in November. At this time, the rainy season begins, which often occurs in the late afternoon and at night, but also occurs during the day. The average air temperature in November is 11 degrees, from December to February – 10–9° C. The water temperature is no more than 10° C.
Spring here is quite cold; air temperatures differ only a couple of degrees from winter ones. In March and April, average air temperatures reach only 15°C; in May it becomes slightly warmer. The water warms up to 16 degrees.
Note! In winter, there are few tourists in the city, hotels are half empty, but this is the best time to go on a trip to the Basque country, since prices for tours are significantly reduced, and there are no such crowds of tourists as in the season.
In June it is still cool, the beach season begins towards the end of the month. Average temperatures from June to August range from 21 to 23 degrees, the ocean warms up towards the end of summer, and the average water temperature is about 20°C. Sweltering heat is rare; usually the thermometer does not exceed 26 degrees.
In autumn, the beach season in Santander lasts until mid-September, when the air temperature stays at around 21–23°C. The ocean is quite warm at this time. From mid-September, the weather begins to worsen - the air temperature drops, the amount of precipitation increases, and those tourists who want to get to know the city better remain at the resort.
Attractions in Santander Spain
Santander in Spain is an interesting town where at any time of the year there is something to do and see. One of the main attractions of the city is the Cathedral, which was built between the 12th and 15th centuries. To the north of the cathedral there is a church built in the neo-Gothic style - the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Not far from the Cathedral there is another attraction - the Town Hall, which very much attracts tourists with its architecture.
Royal Palace
The next attraction is La Magdalena Park with the Royal Palace. The park itself, overgrown with dense greenery, is located on a peninsula. The Royal Palace, located on its territory, looks more like a cozy Spanish villa and is architecturally very beautiful. In summer, you can take a tour of the palace only on Saturday and Sunday; at other times of the year, additionally from Monday to Friday from 10.00 to 18.00. The entrance ticket costs 3 euros*.
There is another excursion place in Santander that offers a beautiful view of the city and Santander Bay - the Mirador Rio de la Pila observation deck. You can get to the site by funicular, which operates from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. A very steep street leads to the funicular, and to make it easier to get to it, the city authorities installed escalators that go directly to the funicular.
If you want to feel like you are on the edge of the Earth, then a must-visit is the Cabo Menor lighthouse, which is located at the end of Sardinero beach. This place offers a beautiful view. Currently, the lighthouse is not used for its intended purpose; now it houses a museum of the Spanish artist Eduard Sanz.
Famous landmarks in Santander include the Pereda Gardens and the Santander Bank building, located on one of the main streets of the city, Paseo de Pereda. The gardens are a small park that was created in honor of the famous Spanish writer José Maria de Pereda. There is also a monument erected in honor of the writer.
The bank is an architecturally magnificent five-story building with an arch in the middle, decorated with openwork balconies and beautiful statues in the neo-Gothic style.
Interesting to know! Banco Santander is one of the largest Spanish banks and is one of the most influential players in the global financial market. The bank's headquarters are located in Santander. Of those wishing to study at the University of Brighton in the UK, the bank provides several master's students with a scholarship of 5,000 euros.
The symbol of Santander is the Palace of Festivals of Cantabria, built in the 80s of the 20th century; now this place is the main concert venue of the city.
The city has a huge number of museums - the Maritime Museum, the Museum of Spanish Painting of the 15th–20th centuries and Ancient Archeology, the Ethnographic Museum of Velarde.
Important! All of the museums listed above have free admission.
Beaches and resort of Santander
Santander, like many cities in Spain, is famous for its beautiful sandy, golden beaches. The most famous are the central beach of El Sardinero and the ancient La Magdalena. The first beach is wide with a sandy shore with a gentle slope to the water (next to it is the small Concha Beach), a huge number of tourists come here every year to go surfing. The second beach is located in a bay in the royal park, and there is also another beach here - Playa de Bikinis, near which you can often see divers diving into the water. In the western part of the city, not far from the Menor lighthouse, is the secluded beach of Playa de Mataleñas. Opposite Mount Pena Gabarda in a picturesque bay is Los Peligros beach.
Beach in Santander
Note! There are a large number of schools for teaching surfers in Santander; the cost of training will depend on the number of lessons and equipment that students want to rent.
When going to Santander for the first time, it would be a good idea to listen to the advice of experienced tourists:
- When vacationing in Santander, if you do not plan to travel outside the city, you should not rent a car, since most of the attractions here are within walking distance of each other.
- Smokers should remember that in Spain smoking is allowed only in special places, otherwise you will face a fine.
- Choosing a place in Santander where you can have lunch or dinner is not so easy, since there are a huge number of establishments dedicated to dining. Therefore, if you want to try delicacies, then you should visit the El Serbal restaurant, where dinner will cost around 70 euros*. If you want to save money, it is better to go to the La Sole restaurant - it has a fairly rich menu and is relatively cheap compared to other restaurants.
Santander is a wonderful beautiful city in northern Spain, with its own history, architectural and natural attractions. If you want to feel the truly Spanish spirit, then this is one of those towns that will help you do it.
*Prices are current as of August 2018.
A city with a thousand-year history on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean.
Cathedral
The founders of Santander in Spain are considered to be the Romans, who built a port here at the beginning of the 1st century AD. Nothing more was known about the harbor until the 9th century, when the Asturian king Alfonso II ordered the foundation of the Abbey of the Holy Corps on the territory of what is now Spanish Santander. The relics of Saints Emeterius and Celedonius, who suffered in the struggle for the Christian faith, were transferred to it. According to legend, when the boat with the relics moored to the shore of Spanish Santander, the rocks moved apart by themselves, and the shrines found refuge near the Somorrostro hill. On this hill the construction of the current Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary began, Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Santander
The Cathedral is one of the main attractions of Santander, miraculously preserved to this day. The fact is that most of Santander's attractions were destroyed by an explosion on board the ship Cabo Machichaco at the end of the 19th century. It was carrying 51 tons of dynamite. Everything that survived the explosion in Spanish Santander was burned in a fire. In February 1941, the fire burned for two days and destroyed 37 medieval streets with ancient buildings. As a result, Santander in Spain was almost completely rebuilt. The Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary took 10 years to restore.
Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Another of the Christian shrines of Santander in Spain is the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús was built in 1890 according to the design of the architect José Maria Basterra in the form of a Latin cross. The temple vaults are supported by 12 pillars, equal to the number of apostles, and at the entrance, next to the tower, there is a monument to the Sacred Heart - Sagrado de Corazón. Thanks to its original exterior and frescoes, the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is one of the main attractions of Santander, a favorite wedding venue for newlyweds and a constant subject for photos in Santander.
Beaches of Santander in Spain
Simultaneously with the construction of the Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, a tourist boom begins in Spanish Santander. Travelers from all over the world are attracted not only by the sights of Santander, but also by its natural landscapes. In the bay of the same name there are practically no waves or wind. Taking advantage of this geographical advantage, local authorities created 12 pristine sandy beaches within the Spanish Santander. The most popular of them today are El Sardinero, Las Mataleñas, Virgen del Mar and Los Peligros. The latter is especially good for diving enthusiasts.
Santander Casino in Spain
The El Sardinero beach area in Spanish Santander has gradually turned into the tourist center of the city, acquiring hotels, restaurants and gambling houses. To this day, the largest casino in Cantabria remains El Gran Casino Sardinero, which opened in 1916 in Piazza Italia. In the Art Nouveau building, built by architect Eloy Martinez del Valle, they not only played roulette, but also danced, staged musicals and opera performances. During the Franco dictatorship, this Santander landmark housed a cinema. And after the restoration of the monarchy, El Gran Casino Sardinero returned to its former status.
Royal Palace on the Magdalena Peninsula
The monarchs chose Santander in Spain and made it their summer residence. By order of King Alfonso XIII, a palace of the same name was built on the Magdalena Peninsula (La Magdalena) in 1912. The eclectic building is reminiscent of similar structures in England during the time of Queen Victoria. After the 1931 revolution it was transferred to the university. Today, three caravels are exhibited in the palace park and there is a mini-zoo with seals, sea lions and penguins. The peninsula offers an unparalleled view of the Faro de Cabo Mayor lighthouse, built back in 1839. It houses an art museum. And the lighthouse itself is one of the main attributes of all Santander postcard photos.
Not only the La Magdalena peninsula, but also the many kilometers of Santander promenade in Spain offer tourists long walks. The Palace of Festivals of Cantabria, Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria, is worthy of attention. Built in 1990, the Santander landmark still causes a lot of controversy. For some residents of the kingdom, the Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria resembles a dog lying with its paws up. Others are outraged by the gigantic size and lack of natural light inside the building. Still others are puzzled by the strange passage to the stalls under the stage and the insufficient space between the rows of seats. The dissatisfaction is aggravated by the exceeded construction budget. Last year, visitors to the Idealista portal included the Palace in the list of the 13 ugliest buildings in Spain.
Pereda Street and Park
Next to the Palace of Festivals is the campus of the University of Cantabria, one of the youngest universities in Spain. 13 thousand students study here in 14 areas, including schools of marine research, medicine and environmental engineering. Just behind the university is the Royal Nautical Club of Santander in Spain, where one of the most picturesque streets of the city, Paceo de Pereda, begins. Among the main attractions of Santander on this street are a small park named after the Spanish writer José Maria de Pereda - Jardines de Pereda, and the majestic building of the Santander bank in the neoclassical style.
Santander, Spain's mild oceanic climate attracts visitors all year round. The average air temperature here in winter reaches 13 degrees, in summer – 23 degrees. Getting to Santander in Spain is easy. The city has its own airport, railway and bus stations, and a seaport, from where there is a constant ferry connection with British Plymouth. The exciting journey from Santander in Spain to England takes exactly 24 hours.
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Santander is a city in Spain, the administrative center of the autonomous community of Cantabria. The municipality is part of the district (comarca) of Santander. Headquarters of Santander Bank. Population - 179.9 thousand inhabitants (2011). Santander is located on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and, like a typical seaside city, stretches along the coast. After a catastrophic fire in 1941, which lasted two days, the city center underwent reconstruction.
Information
- A country
- Community
- Square: 34 km²
- Center height: 15 m
- Population: 179,921 people (2011)
- Timezone: UTC+1, summer UTC+2
- Telephone code: +34 942
- Postal codes: 39001–39012
Some historians (for example, Joaquin Echegaray (Spanish) Russian) believe that on the site of modern Santander there could be a Roman port Portus Victoriae Iuliobrigensium (Spanish) Russian. , first mentioned during the Cantabrian War in 26 AD.
Although the city was first mentioned in 1068 during the reign of Sancho II, an important event for the history of Santander is the founding in the ninth century by Alfonso II of the Abbey of the Holy Bodies (Spanish: Abadía de los Cuerpos Santos), where the relics of Saints Emeterius and Celedonius were transferred. According to legend, Saints Emeterius and Celedonius were beheaded for refusing to renounce the Christian faith during the great persecution under Emperor Diocletian. Later, their heads were placed in a stone boat to preserve the relics from the advancing Muslim Arabs, and when the boat approached Santander, surrounded by rocks, they miraculously separated, and the relics found their new refuge at Somorrostro Hill. According to philologists, the name of the city itself comes from the Latin name of the place “Portus Sanctorum Emeterii et Celedonii”, which later changed into the modern “Santander” (Sancti Emetherii→Sancti Emderii→Sanct Endere→San Andero→Santendere→Santanderio→Santander). Today, both saints are considered patrons of the city and their heads are depicted on the coat of arms.
On July 11, 1187, King Alfonso VIII appointed the Abbot of the Holy Corps as lord of the city, and also gave him special rights and benefits to facilitate trade, shipping, fishing, etc.
In 1248, the inhabitants of Santander took part in the siege of Seville, receiving as a reward from the king a coat of arms depicting the Torre del Oro (Golden Tower) and the Guadalquivir River. In the 13th century, Santander became part of the Brotherhood of the Sea (Spanish: Hermandad de las Marismas).
The events of 1497 turned out to be catastrophic for the city, when the fleet of Margaret of Austria arrived from Flanders, and with it the plague. After the epidemic, the city was depopulated - out of eight thousand, only 2,000 people survived, 6,000 died.
In the 18th century, Santander begins to recover from past crises. An important event was the opening in 1753 of the road connecting industrial Burgos with the city (Spanish: Camino de Reinosa), especially after 1765, when trade relations were established between Santander and the American colonies.
On December 12, 1754, the Diocese of Santander was formed, and in 1755 Ferdinand VI granted Santander city status.
At the beginning of the 19th century, rapid economic development allowed the city to occupy a dominant position in the region - in 1801 it became the capital of the maritime province of the same name (Spanish Provincia Marítima de Santander), and in 1833 - the Province of Santander (Spanish Provincia de Santander), which existed until 1981 (in 1982 the Autonomous Community of Cantabria was formed).
In 1893, an explosion occurred on the ship Cabo Machichaco (Spanish: Cabo Machichaco), which was carrying 51 tons of dynamite. As a result, 590 people were killed and approximately 2,000 more were wounded. The port and nearby streets were badly damaged by the explosion and subsequent fire.
In the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries, the city experienced a rise in tourism. Santander becomes the favorite resort of the Spanish King Alfonso XIII. La Magdalena Palace was built for the king and his family in 1912. An important attraction of the city is the beaches of El Sardinero, with casinos, hotels, parks and squares built around it.
The city's economic growth, associated with the development of tourism and trade at the beginning of the 20th century, was interrupted by the 1930s - the Great Depression and political instability (the monarchy was overthrown in 1931) slowed down the city's development.
In October 1934, in Santander, as in many cities in Spain, there were unrest associated with the inclusion of three representatives from the SEDA in the government.
In 1936, civil war began in Spain. At first, Santander remained in the hands of the Republicans, only after the fall of Bilbao and Brunete did the nationalists begin to seize Cantabria. During the multi-day battle for Cantabria, August 26, 1937 
Santander fell, and many of the captured Republican soldiers were later executed. Subsequently, an equestrian statue of Franco was installed in the main square, dismantled in 2008. In 1941, a fire occurred in Santander that lasted 2 days: February 15 and 16. During these two days, almost the entire historical part of the city burned down. A strong south wind, as well as mostly wooden houses, did not allow this fire to be extinguished. The fire killed one person, firefighter Julián Sánchez García. The fire destroyed the medieval part of the city (37 streets, an area of 14 hectares), about 10% of the inhabitants lost their homes (approximately 10 thousand out of 101,793 inhabitants in 1940), and 7,000 were unemployed. The city almost completely changed its appearance and from 1941 to 1950 a full-scale reconstruction of the residential areas of Santander took place. In 1980, the port of Santander was moved from the city center closer to the airport, to the border with the municipality of Camargo.
Population
The population of the city in 2011 was 179,921 people (183,955 in 2006). Since the 90s, a trend towards a decrease in population has been visible: a decrease in the birth rate and an increase in mortality. The average age of the population in 1996 was 40 years. Santander is one of the safest cities in Spain, as the crime rate in 2007 was one of the lowest in the country (36.2 offenses per 1000 inhabitants).
Culture
Santander is home to many interesting museums and exhibition centers:
- Maritime Museum of Cantabria (Spanish: Museo Marítimo del Cantábrico)
- Museum of Contemporary Art of Santander and Cantabria (Spanish: Museo de Arte Moderno y Contemporáneo de Santander y Cantabria)
- Museum of Prehistory and Archeology of Cantabria (Spanish: Museo de Prehistoria y Arqueología de Cantabria)
- Santander Bullfighting Museum (Spanish: Museo Taurino de Santander)
- Palace of Festivals of Cantabria (Spanish: Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria)
- Palace of Congresses and Exhibitions of Santander (Spanish: Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos de Santander)
- Regional Cinematheque of Cantabria (Spanish: Filmoteca Regional de Cantabria)
The city hosts summer courses from the International University of Menendez y Pelayo and the Santander Music Festival.
Parks and beaches
Santander is famous for its beaches and parks. On the La Magdalena peninsula, around the royal palace, there is a park of the same name (Spanish: Parque de la Magdalena), which, along with the palace, is the main attraction of the city. The park contains a pond and the buildings of the Royal Mews. On May 11, 2007, the Parque Atlántico de las Llamas, located behind the Sports Palace, was opened.
Other parks and gardens include the Piquío Gardens (Spanish: Jardines de Piquío), located in the tourist area of El Sardinero, among the famous beaches; Doctor Morales Park (Spanish Parque del Doctor Morales), popularly called the “Cow Park”, as there is a monument to a cow on its territory; Gonzalez-Mesones Park, named after one of the mayors of Santander, and others.
Santander has 12 city beaches, including the most famous First and Second beaches of El Sardinero
- Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary XIII-XIV centuries, consisting of two parts: the lower church and the upper. The cathedral houses the relics of Saints Emeterius and Celedonius
- Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Royal Palace of La Magdalena 1912, summer residence of King Alfonso XIII, under whom Santander became a popular resort
- El Sardinero area, which is the tourist center of the city, with casinos, restaurants and hotels, in addition, in this part of Santander there are a number of major cultural and sports facilities of the city, such as the Palace of Congresses and Exhibitions, El Sardinero Stadium and the Sports Palace
- El Grand Casino Sardinero- the largest casino in Cantabria, opened in 1916. Architect Eloy Marines del Valle
- Faro de Cabo Mayor- lighthouse on Cape Mayor, built on August 15, 1839
- Royal Hotel- a beautiful five-story building built in 1917 according to the design of Gonzalez Riancho
- Paseo de Pereda- one of the main streets of the city, runs along the coast from Alfonso XIII street to Castelar street. The main attractions are the Pereda Gardens and the Santander Bank building.
Virtual tour to Santander (video)
Source. wikipedia.org
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