It is believed to have been a port since ancient times, due to its favourable location, and is documented as far back as the 11th century. Much of the old city was lost in theGreat Fire of 1941. The city was then rebuilt realizing Francoist ideals ofsocial segregation.[6] Today, its remaining old town, beach and other attractions are popular with tourists and other visitors and its economy is mainly service based. The port is still very active and a regular ferry service operates to theUnited Kingdom. Fish and seafood dominate the local cuisine. Santander notably houses the headquarters of multinational bankBanco Santander, which was founded there. The city has amild climate typical of the Spanish northern coastline with frequent rainfall and stable temperatures. Cold snaps and heat waves are very rare.
The origin of the earliest human settlements in the current Santander is not easy to establish because there is little written and little archaeological data. However, there would appear to be good practical reasons for ancient settlers to have chosen the north side of the bay, sheltered from it and safer from the storms of theBay of Biscay, on the north side of the promontory ofSomorrostro and along the ancientBecedo estuary. Moreover, the hillside provided good visibility for spotting potential attackers, making this the ideal place for the foundation of a stable settlement, which was to evolve throughout theMiddle Ages.[7]
Although it is mentioned for the first time in 1068, in a draft document made byKing Sancho II, in the 9th centuryAlfonso II the Chaste founded theAbadía de los Cuerpos Santos ("Abbey of the Holy Bodies") in the existing chapel on the hill of Somorrostro, housing as holy relics the heads ofSaint Emeterius andSaint Celedonius and the graves of other unknown martyrs, giving the abbey its name.[8]
During the 12th and 13th centuries the population was contained within the walls of two different pueblas. La Puebla, the older, on the hill overlooking the city facing the bay, included the old castle, the Abbey of the Holy Bodies and the cloister. It had three rows of houses, separated by Rua Carnicerias and Rua Mayor, where the homes of prominent people of the town were, as well as those of the Abbot's canons. Meanwhile, the Puebla Nueva contained the convent of Santa Clara and San Francisco, which gave its name to one of the main streets; other important streets were the Rua de la Sal, The cavalcade Palace, Ribera, Don Gutierre, Puerta de la Sierra, Gallows and the Arcillero Rua. The two pueblas were joined by a bridge over the river that divided Becedo and flowed down to the shipyards, which were ordered by the king to take timber from the Cantabrian forests for shipbuilding. The villa was required to give the monarchy a ship per year.[citation needed]
By the end of the 15th century Santander had a population of about 4,000 or 5,000 inhabitants.[10]
The city owes its existence to the excellent harbour of theBay of Santander. Santander was an important port forCastile in the later Middle Ages, and also for trade with theNew World. It officially became a city in 1755.[11]
Monument in Plaza Machichaco to the victims of the twoCabo Machichaco explosions in 1893 and 1894
On 3 November 1893 a steamship,Cabo Machichaco, caught fire while she was being unloaded at a pier in the heart of the city. A crowd of 2,000 to 3,000 people watched as crew and firefighters fought the fire. About 40 tonnes of dynamite being carried in her forward holds exploded, killing about 590 people, injuring about 2,000, sinking the ship and destroying at least 65 buildings near the harbour.[12]
On 21 March 1894 asalvage diver working to salvage cargo fromCabo Machichaco's wreck accidentally detonated about 11 tonnes of dynamite that were submerged in the after hold of the ship. 18 people were killed and 11 injured.[12]
Santander fell victim to agreat fire in 1941.[13] Fanned by a strong south wind, the fire burned for two days. The fire started in Cádiz Street, next to the harbour, the Cathedral and the medieval quarter.[14] The fire destroyed the Old Town Hall, Jesús de Monasterio and Vargas streets and Atarazanas square buildings. It led to a major change in the architecture of Santander, away from the older small stone and wood buildings with balconies to the enormous blocks of flats built during the reconstruction.[citation needed]
There was only one casualty of the fire, a firefighter from Madrid killed in the line of duty, but thousands of families were left homeless and the city was plunged into chaos. The fire destroyed the greater part of themedieval town centre and gutted the city'sRomanesquecathedral.[15]
The city of Santander has anoceanic climate (Köppen climate classificationCfb), the annual thermal oscillation of the average monthly temperatures reaching around 10 °C (50 °F).[citation needed] Due to the relatively mild winters (with average temperatures staying near 10 °C (50 °F)), it is technically classified as maritime subtropical (Cfbl/Cfbk) by the Trewartha climate classification.
The maximum temperature reached in Santander Airport was 37.8 °C (100 °F) on 27 June 2009, and the minimum temperature −5.4 °C (22 °F) on 21 January 1957. The highest maximum daytime average for a month was in August 2003, with 27.1 °C (80.8 °F).[17] Warm months (mean above 22 °C (72 °F)) are however rare. The highest temperature recorded in downtown is 40.2 °C (104.4 °F) in August 1940.[18]
Sunshine hours are very low by comparison with the rest of mainland and southern Spain. Even compared with other areas of northern Spain, such asGalicia, which have many more hours of sunshine in coastal cities such asVigo orPontevedra. With annual averages of approximately 1650 hours of sunshine, Santander's southern areas are about as sunny asLondon andParis, and quite a bit less sunny than most of England's south coastal regions. The area closer to the coast has higher sunshine time but lower summer afternoon temperatures.
Climate data for Santander, downtown, 64 m (1991–2020), extremes since 1877
The bars and restaurants of the old town are popular with tourists, as well as theEl Sardinero beach a couple of kilometres away.[23]
TheCathedral of Santander: The lower temple, called "cripta del Cristo" was built around 1200 on other earlierRoman buildings. It is 31 metres (102 ft) long and 18 metres (59 ft) wide, organised into three naves. Its style is a transition fromRomanesque toGothic.[24]
The Lighthouse of Cabo Mayor presides over the entrance to the Bay of Santander.[25]
Parque de la Vaguada de las Llamas is one of the largest parks in northern Spain, covering 11 hectares (27 acres) of the city.[26]
Santander is pilot for asmart city. It is embedded with 12,000 sensors.[27][28]
Building ofBank of Santander, where it originated and where it has its registered office.
As a service centre at the regional level, Santander contains important public institutions and private organisations with a large number of employees, includingMarqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, theUniversity of Cantabria andGrupo Santander. Activities related to culture, leisure andtourism are an important part of the city's economy, and the regional and municipal authorities look to augment the summer tourist trade with additional offerings, including conventions, conferences,cultural festivals and cruises.Banco Santander, Spain's largest bank and corporation, has had its legal headquarters located in the city since its foundation.
Santander has a great tradition and cultural activity, with events that play an important role in cultural and social life of the city. UIMP is a major international summer university and organizes largefestivals ofmusic anddance. TheFestival Internacional de Santander (FIS), Festival Internacional de Música de Órgano (FiMÓC), Encuentro de Música y Academia and thePaloma O'Shea International Piano Competition are main cultural events.
Domingo Sarrey (born 1948), a visual artist and video artist.
José Antonio Rodríguez Vega (1957–2002), nicknamedEl Mataviejas (The Old Lady Killer), was a Spanish serial killer who raped and killed at least 16 elderly women in and around Santander between August 1987 and April 1988
Paco San José (born 1958), Cantabrian music composer
Álvaro Longoria (born 1968), a film director, executive producer and actor
Francisco "Paco" Gento López (21 October 1933 - 18 January 2022), nicknamed Paco, was a Spanish footballer, or soccer player, who made 437 appearances between Racing Santander and Real Madrid and scored a total of 129 goals in his professional career. He played for the National Spanish team in 43 matches, scoring 5 goals.
Marcos Alonso Imaz (1933–2012), nicknamed Marquitos, was a Spanish footballer, 272 pro appearances
José Pérez Francés (1936–2021), a Spanish former professional road racing cyclist
^Ringrose, David R. (2005).Toward a contemporary city: Santander, 1755–1910. Ed. Universidad de Cantabria. p. 7.ISBN9788481029772.
^abJar Torre, Luis (November 2009)."Un Desastre a la Española".Revista General de Marina (in Spanish). Retrieved14 September 2022 – via páginas personales de Juan Manuel Grijalvo.
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