24th International Conference on Renewable Energies and Power Quality (ICREPQ'26)

 

Santander-Information

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Santander, the capital of Cantabria, is a major port, with regular ferry crossings to the United Kingdom. Its lively nightlife centres around the Calle Santa Lucía, and in the day visitors can enjoy the beach at El Sardinero, which is popular with surfers. South- west of the town are the Altamira Caves, containing prehistoric paintings believed to be 14,000 years old.

Santander offers a city atmosphere combined with the very essence of Cantabria: beaches, countryside, nature, gastronomy and culture. The city is built around a natural port, which has been used since before the occupation of the Roman Empire. The surrounding countryside is stunning, with wide open verdant areas and beaches, particularly Mataleñas, Sardinero and La Magdalena, where Alfonso XIII had his summer residence. A short distance from the city are the bay's south shore and the coastal strip that stretches to the mouth of the river Pas, boasting some of the region's finest beaches, which are extremely popular in summer, but practically deserted for those who happen to be in the region during the first few days of the beach season (May and June).
The rocky and steep coast to the north of the city has recently been converted into a natural park. During migration season, many bird watchers gather there to observe the migratory birds. Just a few kilometres away is the Dunas Liencres Natural Park, the most extensive dune system in the whole of the Cantabrian coast. To the south of the bay is the Peña Cabarga Park, and from the summit of Peña Cabarga itself you are treated to an impressive view of practically the whole of Cantabria. At the foot of the mountain is the Carbárceno Natural Park, the biggest zoo in Europe, where you can see tigers, elephants, giraffes, hippos and much more. The enclosures are so big it is almost as if the animals were in the wild.
Very little of Santander's old quarter remains; it was destroyed in 1941 in a fire that even consumed the cathedral. The temple, which has now been completely restored, is gothic in style, and characterised by its austerity. It was built on high ground, in a location which was, in antiquity, the port entrance, and was built on the ruins of a pre-Roman settlement, whose remains can still be seen in the Romanesque Chapel of Santo Cristo.

he municipalities that make up this area share a fairly common history: prehistoric man passed through all during the remote past. Famous caves such as Santián and Pendo, in Escobedo, and Juyo and Ruso caves, in Igollo, all in the municipality of Camargo, as well as the Morín (Villanueva de Villaescusa) and Covalejos (Piélagos) caves, have yielded a wealth of important material and artistic remains. The most remarkable of these is the famous "Pendo rod" which is on display in the Museum of Prehistory and Archaeology in Santander.

Odd findings in other caves, which may be ascribed to later periods (from the Neolithic to the second Iron Age), such as the splendid Cabárceno cauldron, prove that groups of people continued to inhabit this area as they adopted common forms of technical progress. However, we currently have little more information, unless we believe the hypothesis that Camarica is equal Camargo, which does not seem very likely. The Zurita Stela (Piélagos), nonetheless, reiterates the presence of Cantabrian peoples around the second century B.C.

The Romans, who placed great value on the geology of the Bay of Santander, also left evidence of their exploitation of the area. Santander, the capital of the province, has yielded remains which are undoubtedly Roman, particularly in San Martín; and it seems that recent excavations in Maliaño have uncovered rooms belonging to some important Roman building.

During the Middle Ages, from the beginning of the Reconquest, these valleys were involved in Alfonso I's repopulation (8th century) which continued into the 9th century. During that century, many churches passed to in Count Gundesindo's repopulation movement, in his interest over the Monastery of San Vicente de Fístoles (Esles). This also happened with the churches of Cabárceno, Penagos, Sobarzo, etc.

From the 10th to 12th centuries, one finds the monastic dominion of the Santillana abbey. Numerous churches and hamlets are mentioned in its cartulary (Camargo, 1025, Arce 981, etc.), and around the capital one detects the rule of the abbot of San Emeterio and San Celedonio in Santander. In the 14th and 16th centuries, the process that led to an increase in the power of the nobility in places where the people basically had a right to elect their own lords, settled on noble families including the houses of la Vega and Mendoza particularly, and on other less powerful ones such as the Ceballos, the Arce family, the Villegas family, etc.. Reminders of this power are the Santander cathedral, the entrance to the church in Camargo, the Velo tower in Arce, the Monte Corbán monastery, etc.. From more modern times (17th-18th centuries), the ancestral homes of Mortera, Muriedas, (there is an ethnographic museum in the Velarde mansion), Arce, Barcenilla, Quijano and Villaescusa, and the churches and Baroque retablos in Renedo, Quijano, Camargo, are outstanding.

The capital, Santander, has some interesting historical buildings: the Crypt of Christ (13th century), the Pronillo palace (16th-17th century), the church of La Compañía (16th-17th century), etc. antabria has a rich early history and it was here that one of the most important sites of prehistoric art was found: Altamira. This cave is considered by experts to be the Sistine Chapel of Prehistory.

PREHISTORY

The paintings of Altamira in Cantabria predate the great art of the oriental civilizations (Egypt, Mesopotamia, etc) by almost 10,000 years and give modern man the first evidence of the ingenuity of the species.

The magnificent artistic expression of cave painting is found on the walls of caves and archaeological sites and appears in Europe in the mid-Palaeolithic period onwards. In the depths of this region the painting reached its peak of universal expression.

As well as Altamira, the marvels preserved in the caves of Puente Viesgo, El Pendo or La Gama are also worthy of note.

With the improvement in climate and the introduction of the domestication of animals, Neolithic and bronze and iron age shepherds started colonising the region's high pasture lands when the ice retreated. Remains of their utensils and pottery can be found there, along with funeral barrows and mysterious stone alignments and idols.

LANDMARKS OF THE PERIOD

The Caves of Altamira - Palaeolithic Cave of El Pendo - Palaeolithic Caves of El Castillo - Lower Palaeolithic: Neanderthal handmade stone tools: 120,000 B.C. First signs of prehistoric art: 80,000 B.C. Bison and other animals painted in the polychrome chamber of the Altamira cave: 14,000 B.C. First Neolithic remains: pottery:3,500 B.C. Megaliths: 3,000 B.C. First signs of metalworking: 2,000 B.C. Presence of worked iron: 800 B.C.

CANTABRIANS

One century followed another and in the first millennium B.C. we find a people who the Romans unified under the name "Cantabrians". These were primitive tribal groups, who had already entered the Iron Age and who dared to confront the imposing force of the Roman legions, making their subjection enormously difficult. The Cantabrian villages or settlements (settlements at Bernorio and Celada Marlantes, detected and analysed by archaeologists) were fortified with stone walls and well-defended gates. The fierce resistance against the invaders shocked the ancient world, to such an extent that the Cantabrians are mentioned in the historical and literary texts of the classical authors more frequently and intensely than any other Hispanic people. The steles of Zurita, Barros and Lombera, now in the Museum of Prehistory, remain as relics of the Cantabrians.

LANDMARKS OF THE PERIOD

Stele of Barros - 3rd Century B.C. The site of Flavióbriga - Romanisation. Wave of Goidelic Celtic peoples with antenna-hilted iron daggers: 600 B.C. Arrival of Brythonic Celts with long swords: 300 B.C. Cato mentions Cantabria for the first time: 195 B.C. The Cantabrians support the Vacceos against the Roman:151 B.C. Cantabrians are among the defenders of Calahorra: -71 B.C. Cantabrians join Pompeii against Caesar in Lerica:-49 B.C.

The difference in culture and technology between the two opponents inevitably led to the surrender of the indigenous peoples and their absorption into Roman civilisation. Many young Cantabrians joined the victor's army and Cantabria first became a part of the large province of Tarraconensis and later the Conventus Cluniensis.

The continued presence of the invader, over four long centuries, during which these coastal and mountain people remained under Roman rule, undoubtedly contributed to the transformation of ancient and peculiar Cantabrian ways of life.

The process of Romanisation of Cantabria was complete by the 4th century A.D. Remains of this new status quo include the Roman ruins at Julióbriga and Camesa-Rebolledo, the materials that have appeared in Castro, Urdiales, Santoña and Santander and the road structures that are still visible along some of their sections.

A unique example of the degree to which Romanisation occurred is the famous plate from Otañes, a magnificent piece of gold and silverwork that was found in this mountain village and which is evidence of the "internationalisation" of Roman culture.

LANDMARKS OF THE PERIOD

The Site of Pico del Castillo - Romanisation : Founding of Julióbriga (along with Reinosa) and its Victory Gate (Santander): 29/19 B.C. The start of road building, linking the Cantabrian coast with the central meseta: 12 Strabo describes the way of life of the Cantabrians: 8 Vespasian founds the Flavióbriga colony (Castro Urdiales): 69/79 First dated Cantabro-Roman steles: 200 Franks attack the coast; the ports are fortified: 260

VISIGOTHS

With the dismantling of the Roman Empire and the extensive depopulation of the ports and cities in the 4th and 5th centuries A.D., the harsh, wooded landscape became home for a large part of the population. The Visigoths repeatedly tried to subject the newly independent Cantabrians, but their assaults and acts of punishment were unsuccessful.

From Tierra de Campos, ascetic monks began another more peaceful form of invasion, the christianising missions, led by St. Toribio and St. Millán.

The Romanising and religious acculturation culminated in 711 with the Arab invasion of the peninsula, an event that forced the Hispano-Roman population to fall back to the northern mountains.

During the last centuries of the first Christian millennium, the mountain society expanded into new settlements that moved down from the mountains and into the valleys, around numerous small monasteries and churches.

Widespread grazing ended with increasingly extensive agrarian exploitation, producing such large surpluses that it enabled the beautiful Mozarabic and Romanesque temples to be built, of which there are numerous examples.

LANDMARKS OF THE PERIOD

Monastery of Santo Toribio of Liébana - Late Middle Ages (13th to 15th Centuries)
Cruel attack on the Cantabrian coast by Herulian barbarians. Visigoth missionaries preach in Cantabria. Bishop Toribo of Palencia founds the monastery of San Martín of Liébana: 456
Leovigild attacks Cantabria and destroys the town of Amaya: 574
Marrano goes on a pilgrimage to the tomb of Saint Martin of Tours: 580
Dedication in the cave church of Saint Martín of Villaren, Campoo. Containment attacks by the Visigoths: 587
Arab invasion of the peninsula. Tarik conquers Amaya: 712

At the beginning of the 8th century, when Tarik and Muza had defeated Visigoth power and monarchy with unusual speed and the Arab armies had reached the foot of our highest mountains, history once again placed Cantabria at the centre of events.

A new resistance to the invading power developed in the form of groups of native Cantabro-Romans, Visigoth leaders and numerous other peoples who were able to unite and found the Asturian-Cantabrian monarchy (King Alfonso I, son of the Duke of Cantabria, was the son-in-law of don Pelayo). This monarchy would take up the struggle to recover and repopulate the lost lands and fields.

Alfonso I managed to settle numerous Christians, who had been under Arab rule on the Meseta, in these mountainous regions. This strengthened the population of Asturias and Cantabria. Then, in the 8th and 9th centuries, the same king and his successor Alfonso II crossed the mountains and contained the Muslim advance. Thus the Asturian-Cantabrian monarchy started the grand campaign to reunite Spain once again as under the Visigoths.

The first half of the 9th century saw intense emigration from the northern valleys. People were now unafraid of Muslim attacks and went in search of the high Ebro and the Duero valley, where more promising agricultural land was to be found.

These repopulating immigrants from the north of Castille and Leon were known as "foramontanos" (people from over the mountains). The route that crosses Cabuérniga and Campoo de Suso is also known as "The Route of the Foramontanos". It was used by the famous settlers from Brañosera, the town that obtained in 824 what is considered to be the oldest municipal charter in Spain. At the end of the reign of Alfonso III (866-910), the Christian frontier had been established along the Duero.

In the 8th century, the numerous refugees who arrived in Cantabria, and Liébana in particular, brought with them Latin and Hispano-Visigoth culture. Christianity was definitively established and the "Lignum Crucis" relic (considered to be the largest remaining fragment of the Cross of Christ) was brought from Astorga. Within this cultural framework, so different from that of native Cantabrians, appeared the figure of Beato of Liébana, one of the most important figures of the period, due to his confrontation with Elipando, the Archbishop of Toledo, not to mention the fact that he was the first person to suggest that St. James the Apostle had travelled to Spain. Thanks to Beato, Cantabria gained worldwide fame.

LANDMARKS OF THE PERIOD

The Collegiate Church of Santa Cruz of Castañeda - High Middle Ages (9th to 12th Centuries)
The Church of Santa Maria of Piasca - High Middle Ages (9th to 12th Centuries)
The Hermitage of San Román of Moroso - High Middle Ages (9th to 12th Centuries)
Beato of Liébana, author of Commentaries on the Apocalypse composes a liturgical hymn defending the preaching of St. James in Spain: 783
Route of the Foramontanos for the repopulation of Castille: 850
The Mozarab temple of Santa María of Lebeña is built: 920
Romanesque churches are built throughout the region: 1110
The old abbey of St. Emeterio of Santander is promoted to the rank of collegiate church by King Alfonso VII: 1132
Alfonso VIII grants municipal charters to the port towns of Castro Urdiales, Santander, Laredo and S. Vicente de la Barquera
: 1173/1210
Roy García of Santander, commanding a fleet from the Cantabrian Sea, reconquers Cartagena: 1245
The intervention of the Cantabrian armada, commanded by Ramón Bonifaz, is decisive in the conquest of Seville: 1248
The brotherhood of Cantabrian and Basque ports of the Navy of Castille is founded, with its capital in Castro Urdiales: 1296

Starting in Liébana, (more densely populated and closer to the Asturian coast), the feudal system gradually began to develop. This was a period in which the Church was particularly powerful, as it owned large tracts of land and was involved in widespread colonisation, wielding immense ideological influence. This was the period of the splendour of the monasteries. In Liébana, of the 20 monasteries to be founded during the Repopulation, 2 are of particular note: San Martín of Turieno (St. Toribio from the 12th century onwards) and Santa María de Piasca in Liébana. The possessions of these two monasteries extended throughout Liébana, Asturias and the north of Leon and Palencia.

In Asturias de Santillana the major power was the monastery of Santa Juliana, from which the town of Santillana, previously known as Planes, took its name. It would keep its independence as an abbey up to the end of the middle ages.

Campoo was controlled by three major monasteries: San Pedro of Cervatos, San Martín of Elines and Santa María de Aguilar of Campoo. During this period the economic system changed, with agriculture gaining importance over animal husbandry.

LANDMARKS OF THE PERIOD

Collegiate Church of Sta. Juliana and Cloister - High Middle Ages Church of Sta Maria of Lebeña - High Middle Ages San Juan of Socueva - High Middle Ages (9th to 12th Centuries)

THE FOUR COASTAL TOWNS 11TH AND 12TH CENTURIES

By the 12th century, Cantabria was dominated by the large monasteries and a few nobles, with part of the peasantry free and the other part under feudal regime. Politically, Liébana was incorporated into the kingdom of Castille. Alfonso VIII consolidated the monarchy, strengthened the economy and developed a strong navy.

He also halted the growth of the power of the nobility by creating municipalities, where Councils were strengthened, feudal dependency was abolished, the middle classes were recognised and the inhabitants were granted privileges. Towns with municipal charters enjoyed strong economic, demographic and urban growth.

Thus, in 1163 the municipal charter was granted to Castro Urdiales and in 1187 to Santander, in 1200 to Laredo and in 1210 to San Vicente de la Barquera. Castro, Laredo and San Vicente de la Barquera were free towns, where a leader had authority over the town and surrounding land.

In the following centuries, the economies of the so-called four coastal towns (Castro, Laredo, Santander and San Vicente de la Barquera) grew at a steady rate: they exported to the north of Europe and later to the Castillian Mediterranean plains; fishing increased; trade with Castille grew and the towns become major shipyards.

LANDMARKS OF THE PERIOD

Church of Santa María of Bareyo - High Middle Ages
Church of Santa Maria of Piasca - High Middle Ages
Parish Church of San Cosme y Damián - High Middle Ages (9th to 12th Centuries): 1132
The old abbey of St. Emeterio of Santander is promoted to the rank of collegiate church by King Alfonso VII: 1173/1210.
Alfonso VIII grants municipal charters to the port towns of Castro Urdiales, Santander, Laredo and S. Vicente de la Barquera
Roy García of Santander, commanding a fleet from the Cantabrian Sea, reconquers Cartagena: 1245
The intervention of the Cantabrian armada, commanded by Ramón Bonifaz, is decisive in the conquest of Seville:1248
The brotherhood of Cantabrian and Basque ports of the Navy of Castille is founded, with its capital in Castro Urdiales: 1296
Santoña was the birthplace of Juan de la Cosa, who was the owner of the ship the Santa María, which would lead the discovery of America (1492), and author of the first mapamundi to show the New World: 1460
Cantabrian and Basque ships halt the southern advance of the Hanseatic fleets after inflicting a major defeat at the battle of la Rochelle:1472
Pope Julius II issues a Bull granting the right of indulgence to Santo Toribio of Liébana, consolidating an old tradition of pilgrimage to this sanctuary: 1512

The naval power of the coastal towns was not evident in the 13th century alone. During the 14th century the "Brotherhood of the Four Towns" continued to develop. Throughout the century, the towns of Biscay received their municipal charters and started competing strongly with the Cantabrians. This union started attacking the English coasts together with the Flemish fleets.

In 1350, a naval battle involving 50 allied ships took place off the coast of Winchelsea. Edward II of England would later pact with the Cantabrian and Basque ports to stop interference with English maritime trade. This was not the only incident with the English. After the marriage between the daughters of Pedro I and the sons of Edward III, Edward claimed the Crown of Castille for one of his sons. The Kingdom of Castille refused and sent 12 Brotherhood galleys to take La Rochelle on the French coast, an expedition that ended in victory. When the English seemed to be preparing a counter-attack against Santander, the Castillian fleet once again set sail and was once again victorious.

LINEAGES AND CONFLICT 14TH AND 15TH CENTURIES
Whereas the Early Middle Ages were characterised by the power of the monasteries, the Late Middle Ages saw the rise in power of the lay nobility. The power of the monasteries waned, continuing only in Santillana and Santander.

The main lay authority in Cantabria was La Vega, whose centre was at the site of the same name, where there was a defensive tower. This would later develop into the modern town of Torrelavega.

In 1466 Enrique IV gave the town of Santander to the second Marquis of Santillana, Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, who, when met with the resistance of the inhabitants, tried to take the town by force. The people of Santander, supported by other peoples of Trasmiera, repelled the attack and Enrique IV was forced to give Santander the title of "Noble and Loyal".

This was a period of alliances and treachery until, at the end of the 15th century, the Catholic Kings intervened to put an end to the atmosphere of war, demolishing numerous towers.

CARLOS V AND THE COASTAL TOWNS 15TH TO 17TH CENTURIES

The ports of Cantabria, in particular Laredo and Santander, played an important role in the imperial politics of Carlos V and Felipe II, as they were the points of departure for their travels to the north of Europe and, above all, the base for fleets and armadas, leading to a major development in naval construction. Curiously, the remains of the Invincible Spanish Armada arrived at the port of Santander after the disaster. Despite all this, the Four Coastal Towns underwent a deep crisis in the 16th century, caused by their competitors, the Maritime Consulates, fires and plague. All this reduced the population of the Four Towns considerably. On 26th September 1556, Emperor Carlos V arrived in Laredo aboard the "Espíritu Santo", accompanied by a fleet of 56 ships. After reigning for 40 years, during which time Spain had become the leading world power, Carlos V died on 21st September 1558.

LANDMARKS OF THE PERIOD

Infantado Tower - Late Middle Ages (13th to 15th Centuries)
Agüero Castle - Late Middle Ages (13th to 15th Centuries)
Historic Site of Cartes - Late Middle Ages
Merino Tower - Late Middle Ages (13th to 15th Centuries):
Carlos V returns from Germany after being elected Emperor, disembarks in Santander, administers bloody justice and obtains the largest bronze artillery convoy ever seen in Spain: 1522
Carlos V disembarks in Laredo on his way to Yuste, after abdicating in favour of his son: 1556
Felipe II returns to the peninsula via Laredo, never to return: 1559
After more than one hundred years of disputes, the province of Nueve Valles is created after regaining free status: 1587
The remains of the Great Armada, which had sailed against England, docks in Santander. The hospitals that are set up manage to save most of the injured and sick: 1688
The Plague penetrates Spain via Santander, producing the biggest demographic crisis in Spain in the modern period: 1596
The full French fleet takes Laredo and sets fire to Santoña: 1639
Evading the enemy, the Fleet of the Indias docks in Santander loaded with treasures and goods:1658

Unlike the rest of Spain, most of the population of Cantabria entered the modern period under the statute of nobility, i.e. belonging to blood nobility, with all the advantages and exemptions that this implied.

FROM THE ENLIGHTENMENT TO TRADE

During the 17th century, the terrible century of iron, Spain was faced with growing competition from other emerging maritime powers. In this tremendous struggle of men and resources, Cantabria was at the forefront. During this century and the next, the construction of galleons, frigates and warships for the Fleet of the Indias and the Ocean Armada was unceasing, both in the Guarnizo and Colindres shipyards. The national factory of cast iron cannons was established in Liérganes and La Cavada, and the charcoal made from the oaks of La Montaña fed the first blast furnaces in the country.

During the Age of Enlightenment, councils, valleys and court nobles worked to unite the land through the creation of the province of Cantabria, while the Crown chose Santander as its strategic northern port.

Once the disastrous war of independence (1808-14) had ended, Santander became the leading port in Spain, thanks to the export of Castillian flour to the Americas and the import and redistribution throughout Europe of goods from the colonies. The heat of overseas trade led to the founding of factories, the building of new roads and, later, the railways. Many inventions of the 19th century entered Spain through Santander, while the region had the highest levels of literacy in the country and its capital reached unprecedented levels of cultural development.

THE 20TH CENTURY

The loss of the American and Pacific colonies in 1898 seemed to represent a severe blow to Santander and its province. However, the repatriation of capital and foreign investment gave a further boost to both industrialisation and cattle farming. New chemical, iron and steel, and food factories, an increase in financial institutions and the effort of workers formed the basis for a development that did not slow down until the 60's.

The royal family's summer residence in the Palace of the Magdalena and the acts of patricians such as the Marquises of Comillas, Manzanedo and Valdecilla provided significant investment in health, cultural and sporting infrastructure. The mountainous region became fashionable, to such an extent that some elements of its traditional architecture were incorporated into the so-called regionalist style that predominated throughout the country.

One February day, at the height of the Second World War, the region was hit by a hurricane, leading to a fierce fire in Santander that destroyed the whole of the historic town centre.

The will of the majority, channelled through the town councils, led to the acceptance by the Spanish parliament of the creation of the Autonomous Community of Cantabria in 1981

LANDMARKS OF THE PERIOD

Capricho by Gaudí - 19th Century
Palace of Sobrellano - 19th Century
Paseo de Pereda or Dock - 19th Century
The Library and Museum House of Menéndez Pelayo - 20th Century
Palace of the Magdalena - 20th Century.
The Four Coastal Towns and Trasmiera win their dispute with the Royal Chancellery and maintain their franchise on imports:1726
The road between the port of Santander and the Canal of Castille is finished, the first to be franchised by the State:1752
The delegates meeting at the Puente San Miguel Council House create the province of Cantabria, recognised by the Crown the following year: 1777
The Bank of Santander is founded: 1857
Santander rises up against Isabel II in the "Glorious Revolution": 1868
Marcelina Sanz de Sautuola and his daughter discover the paintings in the caves of Altamira: 1879
The dynamite being transported by the steam ship Cabo Machichaco explodes in the port of Santander, killing 600 people and injuring 1,000: 1893
The royal family starts spending the summer in the Palace of the Magdalena: 1913
The museum of prehistory is inaugurated in Santander: 1928
The Valdecilla Health Centre opens, financed by Ramón Pelayo: 1929
The Republican government founds the International Summer University, with its headquarters in Santander: 1932
A fire started by a hurricane destroys the whole of Santander's historic old town: 1941
The University of Cantabria is founded:1972
Cantabria gains the status of pre-autonomous region: 1978