Vitoria - Gasteiz

Vitoria-Gasteiz, capital of the Basque Country and the province of Alava. The city looks out over the perfect circular plains from their very heart and the horizon formed by the surrounding mountains seems to enfold the city in a protective embrace. It was gothic and Renaissance, Baroque, neo-classical and Romanesque. Today the city is adapting to new times with audacious suburbs. City planning has been a constant over the centuries from the first Medieval expansion at the beginning of the XIII century to the modern suburbs and parks.

Located on a steep hill to enhance its defence, the Medieval Quarter of Vitoria-Gasteiz has been declared a Historical Monument. Gathered around the Gothic Cathedral of Santa María, the parallel streets, all named after medieval guilds, are linked together by perpendicular side-streets which lead from the bottom of the hill to the top.

To enter the Cathedral of Santa María marks the start of a fascinating journey back in time and history set in the stone of the Old Quarter. A walk through history in which the visitor has the unique chance to see first hand the archaeological and restoration work in a 13th century Gothic temple, complex in structure and rich in relics of the past. The Cathedral of Santa María is now a fountain of History, Architecture, Archaeology, Culture and Art.

In the second half of the 20th century the city quadrupled in size. This growth has taken place in an orderly fashion, with each new area including parks, day centres, sports installations and cultural centres for the inhabitants, as well as other facilities.

ARTIUM, Museum of Contemporary Art, is another of the jewels of Vitoria-Gasteiz and was founded with a view to popularising contemporary art through its Permanent Collection, itinerant exhibitions and parallel activities related to the world of creative action and thought.