Vitoria-Gasteiz

Vitoria-Gasteiz is the caipital ceety o the province o Álava an o the autonomous commonty o the Basque Kintra in northren Spain. The ceety o Vitoria lairgely maintains it's medieval traces in the auld toun an it haulds the Hoose o Pairlament, heidquarters o the govrenent an the Lehendakari's offeecial residency. The ceety haes a population o 242,084 fowk (2014) an is the seicont lairgest ceety in the autonomous commonty. The dwellers o the ceety are cried Vitorianos or Gasteiztarras, while tradeetionally they are dubbit Babazorros (Basque for 'bean eaters').

Vitoria is a multicultural ceety wi strenths in the airts, commerce, eddication, halthcare, research, airchitectural conservation, oenology an gastronomy.

 History 
In the year 581 the Visigoth king Liuvigild foondit the ceety o Victoriacum, tryin tae emulate the Roman foondations, as a celebration o the victory against the Vascones near wha is assumit tae be the hill occupee'd bi the primitive veelage o Gasteiz. This housomeivver is no sufficiently pruiven, an some historians an experts believe that Victoriacum wis locatit no on the steid o present-day Vitoria-Gasteiz but nearbi, probably at the fuit o Munt Gorbea whaur thare is a veelage cried Vitoriano.

In the year 1181, Sancho VI the Wise, Keeng o Navarre foondit the toun o Nueva Victoria as a defensive ootpost on tap o a hill at the steid o the previous dounset o Gasteiz. In 1200, the toun wis captured bi the troops o Alfonso VIII o Castile, who annexed the toun tae the Kinrick o Castile. The toun wis progressively enlairgit an in 1431 it wis grantit the title o Ceety bi Keeng Juan II o Castile. In 1463, it wis ane o the five foondin villas o the Britherhuid o Álava alangside Sajazarra, Miranda de Ebro, Pancorbo an Salvatierra.

The Battle o Vitoria o the Peninsular War occurred near Vitoria-Gasteiz alang the river Zadorra on 21 Juin 1813. An allee'd Breetish, Portuguese, an Spaingie airmy unner General the Marquess o Wellington brak the French airmy unner Joseph Bonaparte an Marshal Jean-Baptiste Jourdan. The victory assured the eventual end o French control in Spain. Thare is a monument commemoratin this battle in the main square o the ceety kent as the Monument tae Unthirldom - Monumento a la Independencia.

When news came tae Vienna in late Julie o that year, Johann Nepomuk Mälzel commissioned Ludwig van Beethoven tae compone a symphony, the op. 91 Wellingtons Sieg oder die Schlacht bei Vittoria or Siegessymphonie.

Wirk began on Institute for Middle Education in 1843, wi clesses beginnin durin the 1853-54 academic year. It is nou the current heidquarters o the Basque Pairlament an umwhile the convent o Santa Clara. The Free Varsity open in the wak o the revolution o 1868. The Varsity operatit frae 1869, tae juist prior tae the 1873-1874 term, lairgely acause o the seicont Carlist War. Chief academics wur Ricardo Becerro de Bengoa, Julián Apraiz, Federico Baraibar, an so on. This latter, great Hellenist (1851–1918), wis amang the first teachers o Basque in Vitoria-Gasteiz an aw as a aff-seellabus subject.

Durin the Spaingie transeetion tae democracy, the Kirk o St. Francis o Assisi wis the scene o the Mairch 3 Killin o 1976 efter clashes atween polis an strikin wirkers. Unner the orders o Interior Meenister Manuel Fraga, the polis stormit on a shootin spree intae a packit kirk intae which demonstrators haed retreatit, resultin in five deid an ower 100 woondit.

On 20 Mey 1980, bi decision o the Basque Pairlament, Vitoria-Gasteiz became the caipital o the Basque Kintra.

 Climate 

 Economy an demographics 
The economy o Vitoria-Gasteiz is diverse, an mony manufacturin companies hae operations thare, includin Mercedes-Benz, Michelin, Gamesa   an Heraclio Fournier, the latter bein heidquairtered thare. The ceety haes been rankit seicont in staundart o livin amang aw ceeties in Spain, an first as tae green auries an cultural places per caipita.

 Cultur 
 Muisic 
Vitoria-Gasteiz hosts twa annual internaitional muisic festivals:
 The  International Vitoria-Gasteiz Jazz Festival, frae the 12t tae the 18t o Julie (the 2009 Edition).
 The Azkena Rock Festival, in late August an early September.

 Local festivities 
The Andre Maria Zuriaren jaiak festival is celebratit ivery year frae the 4t tae the 9t o August in honour o the patron saunt o the ceety, an features a programme o special events, activities an free open-air concerts.

 Varsities 
The leeberal airts section o the Varsity o the Basque Kintra is based in the sooth pairt o the ceety. Focusin on history an linguistics, the Álava campus is hame o the Faculty o Pharmacy, as well as some ither technical, teachin an business relatit degrees an aa.

Its oreegins date back frae 1847 when the first Escuela Normal de Maestros de Álava wis established.  A whole ither nummer o colleges an faculties wur adoptit in 1978 bi the emergin Varsity o the Basque Kintra.

Transport
Bi road: Vitoria is connectit baith wi the rest o the Basque caipital an wi Madrid, acause the ceety is a step on the N-1/A-1. Thare are twa motorweys in the municipality an a futur motorwey service: The N-1 Madrid-Irun, the N-620 Vitoria-Altube an its connection wi the AP-68 Logroño-Bilbao, an as o the end o 2009, the new AP-1 atween Vitoria an Eibar, an attempt tae alleviate the problems caused bi congestit traffec on the N-1/A-1.

Bi rail: The Madrid-Irun in Vitoria is ane o its maist important stops. Hauf a dozen trains each day linkin the ceety wi the Spaingie caipital, heichlichtin the service Alvia (At 10.09 in the fore-nuin), which, via Valladolid, uisses the infrastructur o the AVE tae arrive in 3 oors 43 minutes tae Madrid. Thare are great connections wi Castile an León, Galicie, Catalonie, Alicante, Asturias, Lisbon an Paris an aw. Amang the deficits wirth heichlichtin are the lack o rail services connectin wi Andalusie (nane) an the lack o a rail link wi Bilbao. In 2013 a heich-speed line is expectit tae inaugurate tae connect Vitoria wi Madrid, Bilbao an San Sebastián amang ither ceeties.

Bi air: The ceety is servit bi Vitoria Airport.

Sports
Deportivo Alavés, fitbaw team currently playin in the Segunda División B. Hame matches are played in the Estadio Mendizorrotza.
Baskonia (forby kent as Caja Laboral), Basketbaw team in the ACB. They play in the Fernando Buesa Arena.
Inigo Calderon, fitbaa player currently playin for Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. (Championship, Ingland).
Almudena Cid, rhythmic gymnast nou retired, 8 times naitional champion, she teuk pairt at 4 oleempic feenals at Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 an Beijing 2008, she teuk pairt in 9 warld championships an 12 European championships an aa.

Internaitional relations

Twin touns – Sister ceeties
Vitoria-Gasteiz is twinned wi:
 Anaheim, Unitit States
 Angoulême, Fraunce
 Cogo, Equatorial Guinea
 Lagouira, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic Ibagué, Colombie
 Kutaisi, Georgie
 Victoria, Unitit States
 Vitória, Brazil

 References 

Freemit airtins

 Offeecial wab steid o Vitoria-Gasteiz
 Vitoria-Gasteiz in the Auñamendi Basque Encyclopedia (Euskomedia Fundazioa)


Category:Municipalities in Álava
Category:Populatit places in Álava
Category:1181 establishments
Category:Populatit places established in the 12t hunderyear
Category:Gothic ceeties an touns