BASQUE COUNTRY GUIDE APRIL 2017 

 

 Erasmus Student Network Vigo 

Local de asociaciones 3, edificio Miralles, Plaza Miralles,  Campus Universitario Lagoas Marcosende s/n 36310 Vigo 

www.esnvigo.org 1

INDEX

BURGOS

Burgos Cathedral

Burgos Castle

Plaza Mayor

Plaza España

Museum of Human Evolution

BILBAO

Gran Vía

The Old Town

Arriaga Theater

Bilbao-Abando Railway Station

Bilbao Guggenheim Museum

SAN JUAN DE GAZTELUGATXE

GERNIKA-LUMO

Casa de Juntas and Gernika Tree

Santa María’s Church

Euskal Herria Museum

DONOSTIA-SAN SEBASTIÁN

Old Town and the romantic area

Buen Pastor Cathedral

San Vicente’s Church

City Hall

Victoria Eugenia’s Theatre

María Cristina Hotel

La Perla

La Concha promenade

Kursaal Congress Palace

Ondarreta

Erasmus Student Network Vigo

www.esnvigo.org

2

BURGOS Burgos is a Spanish city located in the North of the Iberian Peninsula, capital of its homonymous province. It is in the Autonomous Community de Castilla y León and it is the second most populated city in Castilla y León, right after Valladolid. Burgos is well known for its monuments, amongst which Santa María’s Cathedral stands out. Plus, it is crossed by the Way of St. James, named Heritage of Humanity, and it is 15 kms away from Atapuerca’s archaeological site, worldwide known for its archaeological and paleontological finds it has inside. Amongst these finds, fossils of different species of hominids are of special interest. The privileged geographic location of this city has allowed it to become an important communications hub in the North of Spain, both of national and international routes. It is an industrial city with a strongly developed service sector, being tourism one of the basis of its economy. Burgos was the Spanish capital of gastronomy in 2013 and it has hosted many international events. During the last few years, this city has experienced a significant rise in the investigation field, counting with research centers like CENIEH (National Center of Human Evolution Investigation) or ITCL (Technological Institute of Castilla y León). By the end of this year, Burgos’ Technological Park will start working and it will the biggest technological park in this region. Burgos is a city in which El Cid Campeador, a very important figure during the 11th Century Spanish Reconquest, was particularly active. A statue of him can be found in Mío Cid Square since it is highly related to the history of the city.

Erasmus Student Network Vigo

www.esnvigo.org

3

Burgos Cathedral

Burgos Cathedral started being built in 1221 at the

request of Fernando III, King of Castilla, and was finished in 1765 with the construction of the towers and the dome. The last important works —the Sacristy or Santa Tecla’s Chapel— belong to the 18th Century, when Gothic façades were modified. The style of the cathedral is Gothic, although it has many Renaissance and Baroque decorative elements inside.

The cathedral was declared National Monument in April, 8th 1885 and Heritage of Humanity by Unesco in October, 31st 1984. It is the only Spanish cathedral that has this distinction by Unesco independently, without being joined to the city’s old town.

Burgos Castle Burgos Castle is a fortress located on San Miguel’s hill, 75 m above the city level. It was built in 884, during Reconquest times, by Count Diego Rodríguez Porcelos, although older fortresses already existed.

It was built on the same site in which two defense towers existed —also built on behalf of the same count— considered as the first constructions in the city. As its importance increased, a castle and more complex defensive elements were built. Nowadays it is a public park with streets dedicated to poets. The partial reconstruction of the fortress has allowed its modification as a museum —open to the public in 2003—

Erasmus Student Network Vigo

www.esnvigo.org

4

or as an interpretation centre. Its well and the underground galleries known as Cueva del Moro can also be visited.

Plaza Mayor Mercado Menor Square, known as Plaza Mayor is an irregular polygon shaped construction. First named Mercados Semanales Square, given by the Kings Fernando the Catholic and Carlos I, became the biggest centre of commercial activity in Burgos. Here there was the Carretas Door, through which carriages could get in the markets, distributed under its surrounding arcades.

With the 1791 reformation it became the definitive administrative center of the city. The Carretas Door and the contiguous wall were demolished and new constructions were built, aligned with the square outline by porticoed façades. This way the road that linked Madrid with France was left out of the wall and by the river and its promenade on the South side, and the commercial area on the North side.

Plaza España The Ensanche —or ‘expansion district’— was created in the early 20th Century. Big avenues were built, by which a big part of the city traffic walks through nowadays. It is the neuralgic centre, since La Paz Avenue, El Cid Avenue and the Catholic Kings Avenue start from it. It is also the main stop of many urban buses lines, distributed around the Dolphins roundabout.

Erasmus Student Network Vigo

www.esnvigo.org

5

Museum of Human Evolution In June, 13th 2010 the Museum of Human Evolution, designed by the architect Juan Navarro Baldeweg, was open. It shows the most important fossils found at the site. The Convent of San Pablo de Burgos, of the Dominican Order and non-existent nowadays, used to be on the land where the museum was built. One can enter the museum through a ramp that can be

accessed from Paseo de Atapuerca, a wide pedestrian area with gardens and trees and which allows to walk directly to Arlanzón River. The museum was integrated in the declaration of Atapuerca Archaeological site as Heritage of Humanity in 2015, when it was declared by UNESCO as “place of unique universal value”. OPENING HOURS: From Tuesday to Friday from 10h to 14.30h and from 16.30h to 20h. Weekend, bank holidays, July and August from 10h to 20h.

General admission: €6. Reduced admission €4: Students with ID, groups of more than 8 people. Free entrance: Youth Card holders (or international equivalents).

Erasmus Student Network Vigo

www.esnvigo.org

6

BILBAO Bilbao is the heart of a large metropolis with more than 1 million inhabitants. It is also the main axis of the socio-economic development in the Bay of Biscay and the key factor of its modernization. The “Seven Streets” of Bilbao were the original streets around which the city was born, along with its wall and its bridge. The port was an essential element in this city which looked onto its square and the bridge that crossed the ría or estuary, enabling merchants to pass and bring riches and fashions from other lands. These “Seven Streets” soon were not enough and the walls were demolished in order to allow the expansion of the town. Bilbao grew into the suburb of Ibeni, with a church and a quay. The Arenal was drained allowing a brighter Bilbao to rise on the land reclaimed from the estuary. In the late 19th century, the city, restricted to the Old Town, had to grow and on the other side of the estuary, the fertile meadows of Abando were waiting to become the new centre of Bilbao. The architects Alzola, Achúcarro y Hoffmeyer made the Ensanche —or ‘expansion district’— possible. The middle-class settled in these new streets , where they built their houses and established their business. Below, we present a list of the different landmarks in this city sorted by areas:

Gran Vía

The Gran Vía de Don Diego López de Haro is the financial and trading hub and includes the BBVA, BBK and Caja Laboral banks, El Corte Inglés shopping centre, the Palacio de la Diputación de Bizkaia (The Biscay Delegation Palace) and the Sota building. The design of this avenue was presented by the architect Achúcaro and the engineers Alzola and Hoffmeyer in 1876. It starts at the Circular Square and ends at the Sagrado Corazón Square, with a width of 50 meters and a length of 1.5 km. Almost in the

Erasmus Student Network Vigo

www.esnvigo.org

8

middle of this avenue we can see the Federico Moyúa Square, the centre of the Ensanche, which also hosts the Chávarri Palace and the Carlton Hotel.

The Old Town The Old Town or “Seven Streets” (Somera, Artecalle, Tendería, Belosticalle, Carnicería Vieja, Barrencalle and Barrencalle Barrena) is the oldest suburb and the original part of Bilbao. It is located in the district of Ibaiondo and hosts the Plaza Nueva and some emblematic buildings such as the Arriaga Theater, the Bidebarrieta Library, La Bolsa (the Stock Exchange), Atxuri Station, the Santiago Cathedral and the churches of San Antón, San

Nicolás and Santos Juanes. Its commercial vigour is reflected in five hundred shops, where the Ribera Market —the largest indoor food market in Europe— stands out.     Most of its narrow streets are pedestrian and also full of bars offering tasty pintxos (Basque for “tapas”) and Basque cuisine.

Erasmus Student Network Vigo

www.esnvigo.org

9

Arriaga Theater

The Arriaga Theater —the oldest theatre in Bilbao— is located next to the bridge which connects the Old Town with the Ensanche. This theatre has been named after the composer Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga, also known as the “Spanish Mozart”, who died at 19.

The Arriaga Theatre was built in a neo-baroque style between 1886 and 1890 by the architect Joaquín Rucoba. At the time, it was equipped with the latest technologies and considered as one of the most important theatres in Spain. After undergoing a fire in 1914, the theatre was re-inaugurated in 1919 and remained a first class theatre for many years.

The Arriaga Theatre was completely refurbished in the 80s; however, it still retains some of the original pieces of furniture and carpets. Although the Arriaga Theatre is still used nowadays, much of the theatre life of the city has been transferred to the recently-built Euskalduna Conference Centre.

Bilbao-Abando Railway Station

The Abando Indalecio Prieto station is a monumental railway terminal station built in a classicist style and inaugurated by RENFE in 1948. This station was built by Alfonso Fungairiño and had an outstanding polychromatic stained glass window made by the Unión de Artistas Vidrieros de Irún —a historical company of skilled craftsmen specialized in stained glass manufacturing—.

Erasmus Student Network Vigo

www.esnvigo.org

10

Bilbao Guggenheim Museum The Bilbao Guggenheim Museum was designed by the American architect Frank Gehry. It represents a magnificent example of the most avant-garde architecture in the 20th century.

The Bilbao Guggenheim Museum was constructed between October 1993 and October 1997. The site chosen for the construction was a quay, then used as a harbour and also as an industrial site. In this way, the city retrieved the Nervión estuary and redeveloped it, transforming it into a scenario for cultural and leisure activities. The building has an innovative design across

its 24,000 m2, 11,000 m2 of which belong to the exhibition space. Gehry created an impressive sculptural structure that is integrated perfectly in the urban fabric of Bilbao and its surroundings. OPENING HOURS Tuesday to Sunday: from 10h to 20h ADMISSION Adults: €11 Retirees, students (up to 26 years old): €6.5Bono Artean (combined pass to visit the Guggenheim Museum and the Fine Arts Museum): €14

The Alhóndiga

The Alhóndiga is one of the most representative buildings in Bilbao. It is a cultural and leisure hall offering a wide range of activities: exhibitions, concerts, lectures, cinema, activities for children, gym, swimming pool, library, bar, restaurant, etc.

Erasmus Student Network Vigo

www.esnvigo.org

11

Originally a wine warehouse, its 43,000 m2 were left unused in 1970, owing to the construction of a new warehouse. The building kept declining until a plan for its restoration was approved in the late 90s. The French designer Philippe Starck planned every detail in the huge complex. Nowadays, only the original façade from the early 19th century remains.

The classical style of the exterior contrasts with the brand new interior, which exemplifies Bilbao’s modern side. If there is something to highlight, that is the set of 43 columns inside the building, each one of them with a unique style. Another singular feature of the Alhóndiga is its swimming pool, which has a glass bottom which can be seen from the ground floor.

Bilbao Fine Arts Museum

The Bilbao Fine Arts Museum, nowadays overshadowed by the Guggenheim museum, houses an impressive art collection. More than 10,000 works of art created from the 13th century up to nowadays by Spanish, Belgian, Italian, Dutch and —many of them— by Basque artists.

This museum is located in the Doña Casilda Iturrizar park, in the Abando district. The former Fine Arts Museum was annexed to the modern Fine Arts Museum in 1945. In this year, the “old” building of the current complex was built in a neoclassic style. As years went by, the building became too small, so in 1970 the construction of the “new” building was completed. This second building presents influences from Mies van der Rohe’s architectural style and contrasts with the former one, creating an interesting architectural blend.

Erasmus Student Network Vigo

www.esnvigo.org

12

OPENING HOURS Tuesday to Sunday: 10h to 20h

ADMISSION Adults: €6 Retirees, students (up to 25 years old): €4.5 Bono Artean (combined pass to visit the Guggenheim Museum and the Fine Arts Museum): €14

Bilbao City Hall

Joaquín Rucoba constructed this building over the San Agustín Monastery in 1892. The building is inspired in the French architecture of that time and features a set of columns crowned by beautiful capitals over the main entrance. The building is the fourth city hall in the city, as the first two, located in the old town, were damaged by floods.

The exterior of the building, richly ornamented, is crowned by a clock tower. Two Italian marble sculptures representing law and justice flank the main entrance to the building. It is said that the fifth step of the stairs is related to the official altitude of Bilbao, at 8,804 metres above sea level.

Santiago Cathedral

The Santiago Cathedral in Bilbao is consecrated to the apostle St. James the Great (Santiago in Spanish), who has been the official patron saint of the city since 1643. The cathedral was built in a Gothic style in the 15th century, though the tower and the façade are neogothic. It was renovated in various occasions, the last one being in the year 2000.

Erasmus Student Network Vigo

www.esnvigo.org

13

The cathedral has 26 altars and it is a pilgrimage site. Some of its particularly beautiful features are the small Gothic cloister and La Puerta del Ángel —Spanish for “Gate of the Angel”— together with its tower. The gate, also known as Puerta de los Peregrinos —Spanish for “Gate of the Pilgrims”—, is an example of the Flamboyant architectural style.

Campos Elíseos Theatre

The Campos Elíseos Theatre (literally translated the Champs-Elysées Theatre), when seen from the outside, looks like a building from the south of Spain, or even like one from the Middle East. It was designed by the local architect Alfredo Acebal, in cooperation with the French decorator Jean Batiste Darroguy, and opened to the public in 1902.

The theatre was really successful during its first years. However, in the second half of the 20th century it didn’t enjoy the same situation.

An ETA —acronym for a separatist group in northern Spain— attack destroyed a part of the interior in 1978. In 1991, the Bilbao council acquired the the theatre and the renovation works began. The main façade was refurbished in 1997 and the interior was too, but some years later. The renovation works finished in 2010 and the theatre was re-inaugurated. Nowadays, it is the

most technologically advanced theatre in Spain, as well as being home to a centre for training in arts and technology. The theatre is run by the SGAE —the Spanish Society of Authors and Publishers—, and this society is the one organizing the productions and events which take place there.

Erasmus Student Network Vigo

www.esnvigo.org

14

Deusto University

This university was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1886. It is located by the Bilbao estuary, in front of the Euskalduna Conference Centre and the Guggenheim Museum. The Universidad Literaria —Spanish for “literary university”—, created by the Cubas Marquis and José María Basterra, is the main building and the oldest one in the architectonic ensemble. It was given the distinction “Monumento Histórico” —Spanish for “historic monument”— in 2002. Its façade is neoclassic and the building has different special features, such as the main stairs, the Paraninfo hall, its Gothic chapel and the library. A modern building was annexed to this one and the 100-year-old building, a work of César Sans Gironella, was inaugurated in 1989. La Comercial —something like “the trade faculty”—, the first faculty to offer Economic Sciences and Business degrees in Spain, has a magnificent large and beautiful façade. It was built in 1921 and the inside is separated into two cloisters. The modern ESIDE, a building for Engineering studies, was annexed to the rear part of the faculty in 1996. Apart from the historic buildings, there is a recently built library at the other side of the estuary, next to the Guggenheim museum. This avant-garde building, a work of Rafael Moneo, is linked to the university by the Pedro Arrupe passage —an enchanting walk between history and knowledge.

Vizcaya suspension bridge The Vizcaya bridge is the first suspension bridge in the world to have a bridge-shuttle. In the late 19th century, the Bilbao estuary enjoyed a period of an extraordinary economic activity. This economic boom was a result of the Industrial Revolution, being related to the massive mining of a precious iron vein stretching for over 25 kilometres in the Vizcaya mines. The bridge was inaugurated in July, 28th 1893 and was designed to link Portugalete and Getxo, two banks of the Nervión river. Its construction facilitated the

Erasmus Student Network Vigo

www.esnvigo.org

15

communication between the two little towns with big tourism rates in order not to hamper the navigation in the harbour, one of the most active inland harbours in Europe.

The shuttle works 24 hours, 365 days a year, with a transfer frequency of 8 minutes and a fare duration of 1.5 minutes. Using the shuttle saves a journey by road of almost 20 km, so it is still a widely used means of transport to go from Guecho to Portugalete or the other way round.

Erasmus Student Network Vigo

www.esnvigo.org

16

SAN JUAN DE GAZTELUGATXE San Juan de Gaztelugatxe is a mysterious and impressive islet located between the towns of Bakio and Bermeo, attached to the mainland by a stone bridge, One should go up 231 steps in order to reach the peak. On the top there is a hermitage whose origins apparently trace back to the 10th century. On one end, the sea has sculpted perfect tunnels on the rocks. The whole area is a protected biotype,

The legend says that San Juan landed on Bermeo and it took him only three steps to arrive at Gaztelugatxe, leaving three footprints on his way. The first footprint was on the Old Town of Bermeo, the second was on the neighbourhood of Arene and the third was on the last flight of stairs leading to the top of this beautiful place.

San Juan de Gaztelugatxe is accompanied by many legends and traditions. For example, when you arrived to the top, you must ring the bell three times and ask for a wish. And those who suffer from callus put their feet into the holes of the rocks on the climb. Also, women with fertility problems go to the hermitage. Even fishermen and sailors respect these traditions; boats that leave Bermeo make turns to port and starboard sides so the saint gives them good luck on their way out to the sea.

Erasmus Student Network Vigo

www.esnvigo.org

17

GERNIKA-LUMO

History tells us that Count Tello passed a decree on April 28 1366 by which the district of Gernika was separated from the parish of Lumo and granted its own town charter. The new town stood on the crossroads where the road from Bermeo to Durango met the road from Bilbao to Lekeitio. The 16th, 17th and 18th centuries were marked by continual disputes over demarcation and jurisdiction between Gernika and the neighbouring parishes of Lumo and Ajangiz. In 1575 Lumo won a crucial lawsuit that resulted in the limits of Gernika being reduced to just 5 streets. This enabled Lumo to claim the revenue from the fairs in the area, though they were still considered as being held in Gernika. These confrontations finally came to an end on January 8, 1882 when the town and the parish were merged into a single municipality under the name Gernika-Lumo. Gernika-Lumo is worldwide known largely because of the unfortunate attack it suffered in April 1937, a terrible bombing by German and Italian troops that killed so many people in Gernika. During the attack a minimum of 31 tons of bombs were dropped over the village. Its urban centre, which was less than 1 km2, was completely destroyed. Thel 85,22% of the buildings -a total of 271- were totally ruined. The Government of Euskadi registered 1.654 deaths.

Erasmus Student Network Vigo

www.esnvigo.org

18

What happened that Monday inspired the painter Picasso, from Málaga, when he immortalized such horrifying moment in its famous painting “Guernica”, which we can see in the Reina Sofía museum. A replica of this painting can be found in front of the town hall, in Fueros Square and its aim is to spread the culture of peace and inform about the bombing. Luckily, Gernika-Lumo is also known for many other reasons, much more positive and pleasant. One of its big attractions is the Casa de Juntas and the Gernika Tree, symbol of Basque freedom. Gernika-Lumo has been for centuries the meeting point of the villages in Bizkaia. Around the 14th Century meetings under this tree, which gave way to a group of laws with the citizens representation system, are documented for the first time.

Casa de Juntas and Gernika Tree La Casa de Juntas, in Guernica, is a monumental complex with political elements. In it we can see the Gernika Tree, an oak tree under which the manor’s charters were sworn and under which the Lehendakari of the Basque Government swears in. This building, built in the 19th century, has Santa María’s Church as the central building, nowadays the headquarters of the Juntas Generales de Vizcaya, the highest institutional body of the province.

Santa María’s Church Santa María’s Church is located in the urban centre of the town, near Casa de Juntas. This religious building, which started being built in 1418 is famous for combining different styles such as Gothic and Renaissance. The bombing affected the parish house specially, since the parish archives disappeared.

Erasmus Student Network Vigo

www.esnvigo.org

19

The beautiful temple, of carved stone and masonry, has three naves, finished off with apses and covered with Gothic tracery vaulting. It has eight elegant classic columns of Jonic style. It also has an excellent Walckler organ from 1889 and a beautiful bell tower made by Manuel Capelastegui.

Euskal Herria Museum The baroque palace of Alegría is nowadays the Euskal Herria Museum. Here the History of the Basque Country can be learned through its culture and traditions, such as the Gernika Tree. The museum is divided in four floors. The ground floor is dedicated to the fields of Physical Environment and Geography. The first floor is dedicated to History and political events. The second floor is about cultural fields like sport, folklore, feasts, music, dance, different beliefs and myths. On the third floor there are temporary exhibitions.

Erasmus Student Network Vigo

www.esnvigo.org

20

DONOSTIA-SAN SEBASTIÁN San Sebastián, one of the most beautiful cities in Europe is located an hour’s drive from Bilbao. The walk along La Concha —”the shell”— beach, from where Santa Clara island can be contemplated, proves its beauty. The elegance of this city —in the pure Belle Époque style— coexists with the maritime character of its old port or Puerto Viejo. The elegant Ondarreta district is also worth visiting, as is visiting Peine de los Vientos —’Wind Comb’— the best-known work by Eduardo Chillida. In addition, we can also visit the Old Town where we can enjoy the pintxo bars. The city has been declared European Capital of Culture 2016.

Old Town and the romantic area The Old Town is located at the foot of the Urgull hill, with the port on the seaside and the Urumea River and the Gros neighbourhood on the West side. Walking around the Old Town means getting to know the real social centre of Donostia. Its cobbled streets like August 31st Street —which commemorates the fire that took place there in 1813— are full of bars where we can all enjoy the best pintxos in town. Its representative buildings such as Santa María del Coro’s Basilica, and San Vicente’s Church have a great appeal and interest. The heart of the Old Town is the Constitución Square. The central building in this square was the Donostia /San Sebastián City Hall until the 40s. The balconies of its colourful buildings still retain the numbers that belong to the times when it was used as a bullring. Nowadays this is a very lively place and the scenario for most important local events such as the Tamborrada, a drum festival.

Erasmus Student Network Vigo

www.esnvigo.org

21

Buen Pastor Cathedral This cathedral, that was built in the 19th century and inaugurated in 1897, has an ogival style inspired by the medieval churches in Germany and France. Such inspiration is clearly visible in its sharp spire at the top of the building, which makes it the tallest building in Donostia / San Sebastián. On the main façade, the work La Cruz de la Paz by Eduardo Chillida stands out. With its 1,915 m2 is the largest church in the whole town. The cathedral was built with slate and stone from the Igueldo mountain park

San Vicente’s Church Located right in Parte Vieja, San Vivente’s Church is the oldest temple of the city. Built during the first half of the 16th Century with Gothic style, it hides one of the best Romanic altarpieces by Ambrosio de Bengoechea and Juan de Iriarte. The French Cavaille-Coll organ, from 1868, and its impressive stained glass also stand out. On its side façade we can see the sculpture La Piedad, work of Jorge Oteiza.

Erasmus Student Network Vigo

www.esnvigo.org

22

City Hall Since its inauguration in July 1897, the current Donostia /San Sebastián City Hall used to be the city’s Gran casino until 1924 when gambling was prohibited. Where the plenary room is now, its Dance Room and roulettes used to entertain politicians, writers and artists from the Belle Époque .

The building became the City Hall in January 1947, changing its location from Plaza de la Constitución. Right in La Concha Bay, with the the vibrant atmosphere of the Old Town just behind the building and the tranquility from the nearby Alderdi Eder gardens, the City Hall is a place always worth a visit.

Victoria Eugenia’s Theatre With a typical design of the Belle Époque, the Victoria Eugenia’s Theatre celebrated its first centenary in 2012. Located right in the city centre, near the Kursaal and by the Urumea River, the sandstone and Plateresque style building with shapes of Renaissance was created by the architect Francisco de Urcola in 1912. On the building’s façade and over the Doric columns, four sculptural groups which represent opera, tragedy, comedy and drama stand out.

It was the main headquarters of the Festival of Cinema until 1999, year of the Kursaal’s opening and when the theater was closed for its restoration. It was reopened in March 2007.

Erasmus Student Network Vigo

www.esnvigo.org

23

María Cristina Hotel This hotel was designed by Charles Mewes —the designer of the Ritz hotel in Madrid and Paris—. The location of the hotel next to the Urumea river and overlooking the sea made this hotel the favourite of the aristocracy during the Belle Époque. The original floor plan of the building had an L shape. During the 50s of the 20th century, a wing was added to the building: in this way, the building acquired its current U shape. After the Civil War and the post-war period, the five-star hotel regained its splendour with the creation of the San Sebastián International Film Festival. Since then, the hotel hosts the stars participating every year in a new edition of the festival. In fact, the proximity of the hotel to the Victoria Eugenia Theatre made it possible for the stars to move from one to the other on a red carpet. In 2012, the hotel’s interior was completely renovated, although the façade was maintained. The hotel has hosted prominent figures such as Leon Trotsky, Mata Hari, Maurice Ravel, Coco Chanel, Audrey Hepburn, Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg and Mick Jagger.

La Perla The history of La Perla spa dates back to the early 20th century, when Queen María Cristina established the summer house of the Royal Family in the city. A wooden spa was created for the aristocracy. In 1912, this spa was replaced for a new one —considered as one of the most beautiful ones in the world.

Erasmus Student Network Vigo

www.esnvigo.org

24

In 1961, Aurelio and Andrés Sabadell Martínez undertook the transformation of the spa in a party hall. On February 1991, La Perla closed. However, in 1993 Joaquín Zubiría reconstructed the building, which started to be used again as a thalassotherapy centre and party hall.

La Concha promenade La Concha promenade is, no doubt, one of the most characteristic symbols of Donostia/San Sebastián. It is a seaside promenade bordering the renowned La Concha bay and, as the name points out, it has a shell shape. On the bay there are two beaches —Ondarreta and La Concha— and an island —the Santa Clara island. You can enjoy La Concha promenade either on foot or bicycle. It doesn’t only have a matchless view of the sea, but also stretches along emblematic buildings such as the London Hotel, the Miramar palace or the thalassotherapy centre La Perla.

Kursaal Congress Palace This palace was designed by Rafael Moneo, in the shape of two translucent glass cubes looking just like “two beached rocks”, in an attempt to show the harmony between the natural and the artificial. The building has been awarded the Mies van der Rohe EU Prize for Contemporary

Architecture, the most important prize in Europe. This award was granted owing to the “exceptional nature” of the project and its “innovation”.

Erasmus Student Network Vigo

www.esnvigo.org

25

This congress palace hosts festivals, congresses and different kinds of fairs.

Ondarreta In this area, located between the Igueldo mountain park and the gardens of the Miramar palace, there is a magnificent beach. The Ondarreta beach has over 500 metres long and a 100-metres wide sand area to lay in the sun. The gardens located next to this beach are also an incredible space to rest in the shade and enjoy the environment.

The Igueldo mountain park offers an impressive bird’s-eye view of La Concha bay. The hill can be accessed from the occidental end of the bay by funicular. In the western end of the beach, at the end of the promenade, there is a set of sculptures by Eduardo Chillida —sculptor— and Luis Peña Ganchegui —architect— called El Peine del Viento. These sculptures are the perfect example of natural beauty, showing the blend between the bravery of the sea and the strength of iron structures. In the other end of Ondarreta beach, on the rocky projection known as Pico del Loro, you can find the Miramar gardens, with a magnificent overlook to La Concha bay. The Miramar gardens are dominated by a magnificent Palace —the former summer Royal Palace—, inspired in English country houses. These gardens go down a slope to the sea, among gravel paths and flowery fields. El Antiguo —literally “the antique”— neighbourhood surrounds the Ondarreta beach and there are several areas with pintxos bars in it. In these bars, pintxo-pote is

Erasmus Student Network Vigo

www.esnvigo.org

26

celebrated. And what is this? Well, it is an initiative created by bars and restaurants which consists on offering a combination of a pintxo and a pote —the word that people in San Sebastián use to refer to a drink, which can be anything from a beer to a glass of wine—. Pintxo-pote is celebrated certain days of the week and for two or three hours.

Erasmus Student Network Vigo

www.esnvigo.org

27