Valladolid

Satellite view of Valladolid

Valladolid is located at roughly 735 metres above sea level, at the centre of the Meseta Norte,[7] the plateau drained by the Duero river basin covering a major part of the Northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. The primitive urban core was built ex novo in the 11th century on a small elevation near the confluence of the Esgueva with the Pisuerga,[4] on the left-bank of the later river. The city of Valladolid currently lies on both banks of the Pisuerga, a major right-bank tributary of the Douro.

Besides the main territory on which the city lies, the municipality also includes two exclaves: Navabuena (5,129 hectares, hosting the Prison of Villanubla) and El Rebollar (400 hectares).[8]

Winter in the city gardens of Campo Grande.

The city of Valladolid experiences a continentalized hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Csa) with influences of a cold semi-arid climate (BSk). Valladolid's climate features cool and windy winters due to altitude and the inland location of the city. Fog is very typical in the morning during winter.[9] Winters experience occasional snow and low temperatures below freezing during cold fronts. Valladolid's climate is influenced by the distance from the sea and its higher altitude.

Valladolid is drier than Spain's northern coastal regions, although there is year-round precipitation. Average annual precipitation is 433 mm (17.0 in) and the average annual relative humidity is 64%. In winter, temperatures very often (almost every second day) drop below freezing, often reaching temperatures as low as −5 °C (23 °F), and snowfall is common, while the summer months see average high temperatures of 30 °C (86 °F). The lowest recorded temperature in Valladolid was −18.8 °C (−1.8 °F) and the hottest 40.2 °C (104.4 °F) on 19 July 1995. Summer daytime temperatures are hot, but nighttime temperatures are relatively cool.

The Vaccaei were a Celtic tribe, the first people documented as a stable presence on the sector of the middle valley of the River Duero.

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. Proofs of the existence of three ancient lines of walls have been found.

During the time of Muslim rule in Spain, the Christian kings moved the population of this region north into more easily defended areas and deliberately created a no man's land as a buffer zone against further Moorish conquests. The area was captured from the Moors in the 10th century.

Historicist early 20th century mural painting by Eugenio Oliva depicting a meeting of Ansúrez, Eylo and other people in Valladolid

In 1072 Alfonso VI of León and Castile gifted the Lordship of Valladolid to Count Pedro Ansúrez. Entrusted with the repopulation of the area, Ansúrez led the foundation of Valladolid along his wife Eylo Alfónsez.[14] By 1084 the project for the foundation of the settlement was already underway.[15] Ansúrez built a palace (now lost) and La Antigua church. Eylo founded three hospitals and the Churches of San Sebastián and San Nicolás.[16] Both co-founded the church of Santa María.[16] Valladolid was repopulated by people from the lands of Carrión and Saldaña.[17]

In the 12th and 13th centuries, Valladolid grew rapidly, favoured by the commercial privileges granted by the kings Alfonso VIII and Alfonso X.

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. In 1506, Christopher Columbus died in Valladolid "still convinced that he had reached the Indies"[18] in a house that is now a museum dedicated to him.

From 1554 to 1559, Joanna of Austria, sister of Philip II, served as regent, establishing herself in Valladolid,[19] with the latter becoming the political center of the Hispanic Monarchy by that time.[20] She favoured the Ebolist Party, one of the two leading factions of the Court of Philip II, in competition with the albistas.[19] The Reformation took some hold in the city appearing some Protestant circles presumably around the leading figure of Augustino de Cazalla, an adviser of Joanna.[20] Ensuing autos de fe against the Protestant sects took place in 1559 in Valladolid.[20] A catastrophic fire in 1561 destroyed a portion of the city.[21]

During 1550-1551 the town held the first moral debate in European history to discuss the rights and treatment of the indigenous people by conquerors. See Valladolid debate.

Vallisoletum, 1574, by Braun and Hogenberg.

Valladolid was granted the status of city in 1596, also becoming a bishopric.[22]

In the midst of the reign of Philip III, Valladolid briefly served as the capital of the Hispanic Monarchy between 1601 and 1606 under the auspice of the Duke of Lerma, valido of Philip III. Lerma and his network had bought plots in Valladolid before in order to sell those to the Crown.[23] Promoted by Lerma, the decision on moving the capital from Madrid to Valladolid has been portrayed as case of a (double) real estate speculative scheme, as Lerma had bought housing in Madrid as the prices plummeted when the capital was moved from the city .[24][23] After a plague in Valladolid, Lerma suggested the King to go back to Madrid, earning a hefty profit when the Royal Court returned and prices went up again.[24][23]

The city was again damaged by a flood of the rivers Pisuerga and Esgueva.

The Paseo de Zorrilla in the 1970s.

From 1950 onwards Valladolid became an important industrial centre.[25] This was the context in which companies such as ENDASA (1950), FASA (1954), TECNAUTO (1956) and SAVA (1957) were created.[26] The city was declared as a Polo de Desarrollo Industrial ("Pole for Industrial Development") in 1964.[26] During the 1960 and early 1970s the city attracted many immigrants, chiefly coming from the province of Valladolid and neighbouring provinces.[26] The city started to expand across the western bank of the Pisuerga in the early 1960s.[27]

In the context of the fraught process for the creation of the autonomous community of Castile and León (completed in 1983), Valladolid vied for the condition of regional capital, competing with other cities, most notably creating a sense of antagonism with Burgos.[28] Although the capital was not explicitly enshrined in the region's statute of autonomy from 1983,[29] Valladolid was designated in 1987 as the de jure seat of the executive and legislative institutions (the Junta of Castile and León and the Cortes of Castile and León).[29]

The Palacio de Santa Cruz houses the UVA's rectorate.

The University of Valladolid (UVA) was founded in 1241 by Alfonso VIII of Castille. It is one of the oldest universities in the world. It has four campuses around the city (Huerta del Rey, Centro, Río Esgueva and Miguel Delibes) as well as another three campuses scattered around the wider region of Castile and León (Palencia, Soria and Segovia). Spread over 25 colleges and their associated centers, about 2000 teachers give classes to more than 23,800 students enrolled in 2011.

It also features the 25 centers, a number of administrative buildings such as the Palacio de Santa Cruz, where the rector, and the Museum of the University of Valladolid (MUVa), The House of Students, featuring the other administrative services mainly related to international relations, or CTI (Center for Information Technology), both located in the basement of the University Residence Alfonso VIII, next to the old Faculty of Science.

UEMC University

The Miguel de Cervantes European University (Universidad Europea Miguel de Cervantes; UEMC) is a private university with roughly 1,500 students. It is spread over three faculties: Social Sciences, Law and Economics, Health and the Polytechnic School. It has later expanded its campus with a new facility doubling the area devoted to teaching and research. It also has a dental clinic and a library.

Lycée Français de Castilla y León, a French international school, is near Valladolid, in Laguna de Duero.[32] San Juán Bautista de La Salle School, a High Private College in Valladolid. Integral and Superior Education. Integrates Kindergarten, Primary School and High School.[33]

Urban transit system was based on the Valladolid tram network from 1881 to 1933. A public urban bus system started in 1928, managed by different private tenders until 1982, when the service was taken over by the municipality. Today the public company AUVASA operates the network, with 22 regular lines and 5 late night lines.

Avant train stationed at Valladolid-Campo Grande.

Valladolid-Campo Grande railway station is integrated into the Spanish high-speed network AVE. The Madrid–Valladolid high-speed rail line was inaugurated on 22 December 2007. The line links both cities, crossing the Sierra de Guadarrama through the namesake tunnel, the fourth longest train tunnel in Europe. Valladolid will become the hub for all AVE lines connecting the north and north-west of Spain with the rest of the country. Trainsets used on this line include S-114 (max speed 250 km/h (155 mph)), S-130 (Patito, max speed 250 km/h (155 mph)) and the S102 (Pato, max speed 320 km/h or 199 mph). This line connects the city with Madrid, which can be reached in 56 minutes.

Several highways connect the city to the rest of the country.

The airport serving the city is not located within the municipal limits, but in Villanubla. The airport has connections to Barcelona, Málaga, and the Canary Islands.

Casa de Cervantes ("Cervantes' House").

Spanish is the only official language throughout the city. Valladolid stands out for having been the residence of the author of Don Quixote, Miguel de Cervantes, as well as authors such as José Zorrilla or Miguel Delibes and the thrust of its University. The province stands out for receiving a significant number of people who want to learn the Spanish language (Language tourism).

Holy Week procession in the city

Holy Week ("Semana Santa" in Spanish) holds 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 in Valladolid. Religious devotion, art, colour and music combine in acts to commemorate the resurrection 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.

Calderón Theatre is the festival headquarters

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. Valladolid, through various loopholes in state censorship, was able to present films that would otherwise have been impossible to see in Spain. An award or an enthusiastic reception from the audience and the critics meant, on numerous occasions, that the official state bodies gave the go-ahead to certain films which Francisco Franco's regime considered out of line with their ideology.

Even after the death of Franco in 1975, Valladolid continued to be the "testing ground" for films which had been banned. For example, the premiere in Spain of Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange at the 1975 festival is still recalled as a landmark.

The roasted lechazo (unweaned lamb) is a staple of the provincial cuisine.

Hermanos Sastre wine cellar

Although an inland province, fish is commonly consumed, some 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 foot) 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.

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.

Valladolid is twinned with:[50]

Valladolid cooperates with:[50][52]