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 http://www.gamesa.es/en  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:

## References

## Freemit airtins

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