Sightseeing Santander
A popular resort for the upper classes in the 19th century
Jan 15, 2000 - 8:15 AM
Sightseeing Santander
A popular resort for the upper classes in the 19th century
Jan 15, 2000 - 8:15 AM
The Cantabrian capital is a historic port city looking out over a wide bay onto the Cantabrian Sea. It was an important trading route between Spain and the New World countries and is now a major ferry route from the UK to northern Spain.
It was a popular tourist resort for the upper classes in the 19th Century and was later the summer residence of King Alfonso XIII, who spent the hot months in the Magdalena Palace, at the end of the peninsula of the same name. The Royal Palace was built for the King with funds which were donated by the people of Santander. It’s surrounded by extensive gardens with magnificent views over the bay. There is also a small zoo in the grounds.
Santander Cathedral is in the city centre, a monumental complex built on a hill which includes an older church, the 13th Century ‘Iglesia del Cristo’, which is now the crypt. The cathedral suffered serious damage in a fire which broke out in the city in 1941 and has undergone extensive restoration. The tomb of Marcelino Menéndez y Pelayo is here and there are also some Roman ruins. More evidence of Santander’s Roman past can be found in Cantabria’s museum of prehistory and archaeology on Avenida Los Castros, which has a collection of more than 1,200 pieces, ranging from the Upper Paleolithic to the Roman period. Entrance is free.
Many of the city’s monuments were destroyed by the 1941 fire, but there are still some beautiful buildings to be seen as you walk around the old part of town. One is the building which houses the fine arts museum, now known as the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, and the Menéndez y Pelayo library, a collection of more than 40,000 volumes which were donated as a gift to the city by the noted writer. His house, now a museum, is next door.
Cantabria’s maritime museum is housed in a modern building down on the waterfront in the bay of Santander and is a fun visit for all the family. Its 3,000 square metres have been split up into four exhibition areas: sea life, fishermen and fisheries, the history of Cantabria and the sea, and maritime technology. You’ll also often find maritime exhibitions at the Palacete del Embarcadero – Small Palace on the Quay – a beautiful, early 20th Century building at the port. You can catch a boat here across the bay to one of Santander’s numerous beaches.
There are more parks than you can shake a stick at in this northern city. One of the largest, covering 23 hectares in the far north east of Santander, is the Parque de Mataleñas on Cabo Menor. It’s a beautiful, green area which includes a public golf course and a small zoo. Carry on from here and you’ll reach Cabo Mayor, with its lighthouse which was built by royal order in the 19th Century. It’s the oldest lighthouse in Cantabria and offers wonderful views out over the bay.
It was a popular tourist resort for the upper classes in the 19th Century and was later the summer residence of King Alfonso XIII, who spent the hot months in the Magdalena Palace, at the end of the peninsula of the same name. The Royal Palace was built for the King with funds which were donated by the people of Santander. It’s surrounded by extensive gardens with magnificent views over the bay. There is also a small zoo in the grounds.
Santander Cathedral is in the city centre, a monumental complex built on a hill which includes an older church, the 13th Century ‘Iglesia del Cristo’, which is now the crypt. The cathedral suffered serious damage in a fire which broke out in the city in 1941 and has undergone extensive restoration. The tomb of Marcelino Menéndez y Pelayo is here and there are also some Roman ruins. More evidence of Santander’s Roman past can be found in Cantabria’s museum of prehistory and archaeology on Avenida Los Castros, which has a collection of more than 1,200 pieces, ranging from the Upper Paleolithic to the Roman period. Entrance is free.
Santander - Photo sailing.org
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Many of the city’s monuments were destroyed by the 1941 fire, but there are still some beautiful buildings to be seen as you walk around the old part of town. One is the building which houses the fine arts museum, now known as the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, and the Menéndez y Pelayo library, a collection of more than 40,000 volumes which were donated as a gift to the city by the noted writer. His house, now a museum, is next door.
Cantabria’s maritime museum is housed in a modern building down on the waterfront in the bay of Santander and is a fun visit for all the family. Its 3,000 square metres have been split up into four exhibition areas: sea life, fishermen and fisheries, the history of Cantabria and the sea, and maritime technology. You’ll also often find maritime exhibitions at the Palacete del Embarcadero – Small Palace on the Quay – a beautiful, early 20th Century building at the port. You can catch a boat here across the bay to one of Santander’s numerous beaches.
There are more parks than you can shake a stick at in this northern city. One of the largest, covering 23 hectares in the far north east of Santander, is the Parque de Mataleñas on Cabo Menor. It’s a beautiful, green area which includes a public golf course and a small zoo. Carry on from here and you’ll reach Cabo Mayor, with its lighthouse which was built by royal order in the 19th Century. It’s the oldest lighthouse in Cantabria and offers wonderful views out over the bay.
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