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The city is located roughly in the centre of the northern half of the Iberian Peninsula'sMeseta Central, at the confluence of thePisuerga andEsgueva rivers 15 km (9.3 mi) before they join theDuero, surrounded bywinegrowing areas. The area was settled in pre-Roman times by the CelticVaccaei people, and then byRomans themselves. The settlement was purportedly founded after 1072, growing in prominence within the context of theCrown of Castile, being endowed withfairs and different institutions such as a collegiate church,University (1241),Royal Court andChancellery and a royal mint.
Theold town is made up of a variety of historic houses, palaces, churches, plazas, avenues and parks, and includes theNational Museum of Sculpture as well as the houses ofZorrilla andCervantes which are open as museums. Notably, the city'sPlaza Mayor was the first of its kind in Spain, dating back to the thirteenth century. It was eventually used as a model for similar plazas such asPlaza Mayor in Madrid.
There is no direct evidence for the origin of the modern name of Valladolid.
It is mentioned asValledolit in thePrimera Crónica General; earlier documented variants includeValledolidi,Valleolide (1092) andValleolit,Valleoleti,Valleoliti (1095).[3][dead link][dubious –discuss]
One widely held etymological theory suggests that the modern nameValladolid derives from theCeltiberian language expressionVallis Tolitum, meaning "valley of waters", referring to the confluence of rivers in the area.[citation needed]
Another theory suggests that the name derives from the Arabic expression (Arabic:بلد الوليد,Balad al-Walid), which is theArabic exonym currently used and means 'city of al-Walid', referring toAl-Walid I.[4][5]
Yet a third claims that it derives fromVallis Olivetum, meaning 'valley of theolives'; however, no olive trees are found in that terrain. Instead, innumerable pine trees abound in the south part of the city. The gastronomy reflects the importance of thepiñón (pine nut) as a local product, rather than olives.
In texts from theMiddle Ages the town is calledVallisoletum, meaning 'sunny valley', and inhabitants are still called todayVallisoletano (male) andVallisoletana (female).
The city is also popularly calledPucela, a nickname whose origin is not clear, but may refer to knights in the service ofJoan of Arc, known asLa Pucelle. Another theory is thatPucela comes from the fact thatPozzolana cement was sold there, the only city in Spain that sold it.
TheVaccaei were aCeltic tribe, the first people documented as a stable presence on the sector of the middle valley of theRiver Duero.
Remains ofCeltiberian and of aRoman 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 apalisade. Proofs of the existence of three ancient lines of walls have been found.
After the Muslim invasion in Spain in 711, the Christian kings moved the population of the Douro basin into more easily defended areas and deliberately created ano man's land as a buffer zone against Muslim encroachment from the south. The area was reconquered by the Christian kingAlfonso I of Asturias who reigned in 739-757, but because the area was close to the frontier, it had a small population until after the Christians had secured the entire Douro basin in thebattle of Simancas, in 939.
Historicist early 20th century mural painting byEugenio Oliva, depicting a meeting of Ansúrez, Eylo and other people in Valladolid
In 1072Alfonso VI of León and Castile gave the Lordship of Valladolid to CountPedro Ansúrez. Entrusted with the repopulation of the area, Ansúrez led the foundation of Valladolid along with his wifeEylo Alfónsez [es].[6] By 1084 the project for the foundation of the settlement was already underway.[7] Ansúrez built a palace (now lost) and La Antigua church.[citation needed] Eylo founded three hospitals and the Churches of San Sebastián and San Nicolás.[8] Both co-founded the church of Santa María.[8] Valladolid was repopulated by people from the lands ofCarrión andSaldaña.[9]
In the 12th and 13th centuries, Valladolid grew rapidly, favoured by the commercial privileges granted by the kingsAlfonso VIII andAlfonso X.[citation needed]
From 1554 to 1559,Joanna of Austria, sister ofPhilip II, served asregent, establishing herself in Valladolid,[11] with the latter becoming the political center of theHispanic Monarchy by that time.[12] She favoured theEbolist Party, one of the two leading factions of the Court of Philip II, in competition with thealbistas.[11] TheReformation took hold in some parts of the city where Protestant circles appeared presumably around the leading figure ofAugustino de Cazalla, an adviser of Joanna.[12] Ensuingautos de fe against the Protestant sects took place in 1559 in Valladolid.[12] A catastrophic fire in 1561 destroyed a portion of the city.[13]
In the midst of the reign ofPhilip III, Valladolid briefly served as the capital of the Hispanic Monarchy between 1601 and 1606 under the auspice of theDuke of Lerma,valido ofPhilip III. Lerma and his network had bought plots in Valladolid before in order to sell those to the Crown.[15] 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.[16][15] 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.[16][15]
The city was again damaged by a flood of the rivers Pisuerga and Esgueva.
From 1950 onwards Valladolid became an important industrial centre.[17] This was the context in which companies such as ENDASA (1950),FASA (1954), TECNAUTO (1956) andSAVA (1957) were created.[18] The city was declared as aPolo de Desarrollo Industrial ("Pole for Industrial Development") in 1964.[18] During the 1960 and early 1970s the city attracted many immigrants, chiefly coming from the province of Valladolid and neighbouring provinces.[18] The city started to expand across the western bank of the Pisuerga in the early 1960s.[19]
25 June 2024, the church de la Vera Cruz built in 1581 broke down, causing dust to encircle the whole city. This accident was supposedly due to renovation works.[22]
The earliest documented presence of aJewish community in Valladoilid dates to 1221. In 1288,Sancho IV prohibited Jews from acquiring land in Valladolid and the surrounding area. In 1322, Christians were prohibited from being treated by Jewish doctors, and could not attend Jewish or Muslim weddings. Furthermore, Jews were barred from positions of public office. In the early 15th century, the Laws of Valladolid were passed with anti-Jewish legislation. These laws stripped the Jews of Valladolid of their autonomy, which included the right to have their own court system. Additionally, Jews and Moors were prohibited from leaving Castille. In 1432, however, officials in Valladolid met with Don AbrahamBenveniste in theJewish quarter of the city, and agreed to restore Jewish autonomy.Converso poetJuan de Valladolid wrote poems criticizing treatment of Jews in Valladolid.[23] Jewish life in Valladolid was nonexistent in the 16th century, after theexpulsion of the Jews.
Valladolid is located at roughly 735 metres above sea level, at the centre of theMeseta Norte,[24] theplateau drained by theDuero river basin covering a major part of the Northwest of theIberian Peninsula. The primitive urban core was builtex novo in the 11th century on a small elevation near the confluence of theEsgueva with thePisuerga,[3] on the left-bank of the latter 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 (5,129hectares, hosting thePrison of Villanubla [es]) and El Rebollar (400 hectares).[25]
The city of Valladolid experiences a continentalizedhot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen:Csa;Trewartha:Doak) with influences of acold semi-arid climate (Köppen:BSk;Trewartha:BSak). 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.[26] 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-roundprecipitation. Average annual precipitation is 433 mm (17.0 in) and the average annual relative humidity is 64%.
Valladolid is amunicipality, the basic local administrative division in Spain. TheAyuntamiento de Valladolid is the body charged with the municipal government and administration.[35] The Plenary of theayuntamiento is formed by 27 elected municipal councillors, who in turn invest themayor. The last municipal election took place on 26 May 2019. Since 2015,Óscar Puente (PSOE) serves as Mayor. He renewed his spell for a second mandate following the 2019 election.[36]
After new neighbourhoods developed in recent decades, likeCovaresa, the high prices in the municipality led young people to buy properties in towns around the city, due to which the population has fallen in Valladolid but is growing fast in other peri-urban areas (for example,Arroyo de la Encomienda orZaratán).
As of 2024, the foreign-born population of the city is 33,307, equal to 11.1% of the total population.[1]
Valladolid is a major economic center in Spain. Theautomotive industry is one of the major motors of the city's economy since the founding ofFASA-Renault in 1953 for the assembling ofRenault branded vehicles, which would later becomeRenault España. Four years later, in 1957,Sava was founded and started producing commercial vehicles. Sava would later be absorbed byPegaso and since 1990 by the Italian truck manufacturerIveco. Together with the French tire manufacturerMichelin, Renault and Iveco form the most important industrial companies of the city.
Besides the automotive and automotive auxiliary industries, other important industrial sectors arefood processing (with local companies like Acor and Queserías Entrepinares and facilities of multinationals likeCadbury,Lactalis or Lesaffre),metallurgy (Lingotes Especiales, Saeta die Casting...), chemical and printing. In total 22 013 people were employed in 2007 in industrial workplaces, representing 14.0% of total workers.[39]
The main economic sector of Valladolid in terms of employment is however the service sector, which employs 111,988 people, representing 74.2% of Valladolid workers affiliated to Social Security.
The construction sector employed 15,493 people in 2007, representing 10.3% of total workers.
Finally, agriculture is a tiny sector in the city which only employs 2,355 people (1.5% of the total). The predominant crops are wheat,barley andsugar beet.
Top 10 companies by turnover in 2013 in € million were:Renault (4 596),Michelin (2 670),Iveco (1 600), the Valladolid-based supermarket chainGrupo El Árbol (849), cheese processingQueserías Entrepinares (204), sugar processingAcor (201), service groupGrupo Norte (174), automobile auxiliary companyFaurecia-Asientos de Castilla y León (143), Sada (129) and Hipereco (108).[40]
Education management and policing in Valladolid depends on the Ministry of Education of theGovernment of Castile and León, the department responsible for the education at the regional level, both at the university and non-university level.
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 andSegovia). 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.
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.
The monumentalPlaza Mayor, considered the first in its genre in Spain, was projected byFrancisco de Salamanca [es] by 1561–62, following the great fire of 1561.[46] The porticoed plaza distinctly employs stone columns with wooden footings and lintels.[47] The design of the façades of theplaza served as template for a number of buildings in nearby streets.[48]
The unfinishedCathedral of Valladolid, initially projected byJuan de Herrera in the 16th century (intending to follow aMannerist style) experienced protracted building works owing to financial problems and its main body was not opened until 1668. Decades later, in 1730,Alberto de Churriguera [es] finished the work on the main front.
TheTeatro Lope de Vega is a theater built in the classical style in 1861 and now very run-down. There has been recent controversy over whether the city should pay to restore it.[49] TheCampo Grande, a large public park located in the heart of the city, dates back to 1787. ArchitectModesto Coloma Palenzuela [es] left a key imprint in the city's outline,[50] authoring many housing projects in the late 19th to early 20th century,[51] with a good number of his buildings still standing.[50] Standout examples ofEclectic architecture from the late 19th and early 20th century in the city include theneoplateresqueCity Hall [es], thecavalry academy [es],Palace of Correos y Telégrafos [es] (defaced in a revamp undergone in the 1960s),[52] and theneobaroque new building for the university.[53]
Urbantransit system was based on theValladolid 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.
Valladolid-Campo Grande railway station is integrated into the Spanish high-speed networkAVE. TheMadrid–Valladolid high-speed rail line was inaugurated on 22 December 2007. The line links both cities, crossing theSierra de Guadarrama throughthe 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 withMadrid, which can be reached in 56 minutes.
The airport serving the city is not located within the municipal limits, but inVillanubla. The airport has connections toBarcelona,Málaga, and theCanary Islands.
Spanish is the only official language throughout the city. Valladolid stands out for having been the residence of the author ofDon Quixote,Miguel de Cervantes, as well as authors such asJosé Zorrilla orMiguel Delibes and the thrust of itsUniversity. The province stands out for receiving a significant number of people who want to learn the Spanish language (Language tourism).
Holy Week ("Semana Santa" in Spanish) holds one of the best known Catholic traditions in Valladolid. TheGood 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 theVirgen 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.
The city is also host to one of the foremost (and oldest) international film festivals, theSemana 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[specify], that the official state bodies gave the go-ahead to certain films which Francisco Franco's regime considered out of line with their ideology.[citation needed]
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 ofStanley Kubrick'sA Clockwork Orange at the 1975 festival is still recalled as a landmark.[citation needed]
The roastedlechazo (unweaned lamb) is a staple of the provincial cuisine.Hermanos Sastre wine cellar
Although an inland province, fish is commonly consumed, some brought from theCantabrian Sea. Fish like red bream andhake 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 famouspata 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 OriginCigales are very good. White wines fromRueda and red wines fromRibera del Duero are known for their quality.
Rugby union is a very popular sport in Valladolid.VRAC andCR El Salvador, with 37 and 28 titles respectively, have dominated Spanish rugby for the last decades. They play their matches atEstadio Pepe Rojo.
^Morelia had been namedValladolid before Mexican independence in 1820; it was renamed in 1828 after the independence leaderJosé María Morelos, born in the city in 1765.[57]
^Castilla y León Económica, no. 211, February 2013
^"AccueilArchived 17 January 2016 at theWayback Machine"/"InicioArchived 1 March 2016 at theWayback Machine." Lycée Français de Castilla y León. Retrieved on 13 February 2015. "Avenida de Prado Boyal, n° 28 47140 – Laguna de Duero Valladolid (ESPAÑA)"
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