Cantabria
A Brief History of Cantabria.
Human beings have lived in Cantabria since prehistoric times. The cave paintings of Altamira are calculated to be fifteen thousand years old and the existence of settlers in this region is well attested in many other places. Many centuries later the Cantabrians settled there. Their fierce resistance to the Romans resulted in their extermination. During the Middle Ages the inhabitants of the region acted as a rearguard for the Reconquest and were also the founders of the enclaves that would later become Castile.
Together with Asturias, the region was the last one to be dominated by the Romans, whose influence was very superficial and restricted almost entirely to the area of the cities they founded.
After the year 409, with the vanishing of Roman power in the Peninsula, Cantabria recovered its independence, which was to last until 574 with the coming of the Visigoths, who created the Duchy of Cantabria. This name showed it to be a geographical area with an identity of its own, although, after a period of confusion, it finally disappeared during the Middle Ages when the eastern part was absorbed into Castile and the western part in Asturias.
Thesetting up of the province of Santander, which took place in 1833 as a part of the territorial reform of Spain, gave Cantabria an administrative centre for the firt time in its history. This gave rise to a series of initiatives throughout the 19th century.
About the Capital of Cantabria: Santander.
SANTANDER is the capital of Cantabria. Located on a beautiful bay and flanked by enormous beaches, the city, well-designed and elegant, suffered considerable damage during the great fire of 1941.
However, today, after careful reconstruction, it can be seen to have recovered all its former charm.
The beautiful La Magdalena Palace is the annual site of one of the most important international summer university programs in the world.
Its museum houses a valuable collection of paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries.
Cantabria tourism and travel information
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Places To Visit: Cantabria areas
The most emblematic places of Cantabria geography. Discover them with us.
Trasmiera
Well preserved coastal area where the cliffs, headlands and wonderful fine sand beaches invite to the stroll, to the sport and to the leisure to everyone who wants to discover and enjoy this green and blue atmosphere.
Eastern Coast
Besides its many beaches and historical sailor villages which keep an important inheritance from the medieval times, it has places of big interest and landscape beauty, as the Santoña and Noja marsh natural reserve.
Saja-Nansa
It gives shelter to authentic ecological jewels; oak trees, beechwoods,…and flowing waters. Forest quality and diversity guarantee habitats to an exceptional fauna in the Saja National Reserve.
All over the area we find wealthy wholes of popular architecture of the baroque period: emblazoned casonas and sunny spots.
Western Coast
Cliffs and creeks follow one another extending inlands by a smooth relief carpeted by the medow.
The limestone forms appear well represented, being compulsory to name Altamira Caves, internationally known.
Soba
It is place at the eastern mountain of Cantabria, with a beautiful and contrasted lanscape, it keeps beautiful holm-oak woods, beech trees and geomorphological spaces (a wealthy subterranean inheritage with hollows and catalogued caves which often have archaeological interest)
Campoo
Its diversity of ecosystems is extraordinary, it is in Campoo where the waters that flow into the three seas of the Iberian Peninsula rise and run.
Its monuments, archaeological rests, customs and traditions are enough reasons to admire its art and remember Cantabria history.
Pas
It is one of the most interesting areas under the ethnographic point of view.
The singular landscape of its small basins where meadows, cattle and typical huts are the joining elements, which reflect spotlessly the traditional use that its inhabitants have always made of the mountain
Liébana
Inside a mediterranea microclimate, and surrounding by summits of 2.600m, we find wood of thousand colours, where the bear still live in, as well as the wild boar, the roe deer and the capercaillie. Extraordinary ecological values that have justified its inclusion in the Picos de Europa National Park
Besaya
This vegetal mosaic, included in the Saja-Besaja Natural Park, gives shelter to a varied fauna of species as the roe deer, the foxy, the marte, the rider…
The big round stelas, decorated with astral symbols, demonstrate the pre-roman built-up areas
Santander
Beaches, cliffs, and the wonderful bay are the values of this natural spectacle called Santander.
We must also emphasize its cultural offer, its services and equipment, characteristic of any modern city. The capital is the perfect base to know the misteries of the rest of the Cantabrian region.
The greatest attractions in Cantabria are its contrasts: green valleys, towering peaks, and blue waters. The coastal scenery is lovely, often lined with fine beaches, little resorts and picturesque fishing villages. There is one world that revolves around agriculture and cattle-raising, the other centres around fishing.
The coats of arms displayed on the stately homes are reminders of a proud past, while in the valleys, enclosed between mountains, rural life goes on as usual.
The coastal fringe of Cantabria from east to west is dotted with historical and tourist towns such as Castro Urdiales, Laredo, Noja and in the centre, Santander, with its lovely beaches and splendid bay. Further along towns such as Comillas, San Vicente de la Barquera and Santillana del Mar are particularly worth visiting. Inland, the Liébana valley with Potes and Mogrovejo, and Cabuérniga valley, where we find Carmona and Bárcena Mayor are a pleasure to visit.
Monumental Cities and Towns
Santander – the capital of Cantabria features the beautiful Magdalena Palace, the Paseo de Pereda walkway and the Romanesque and Gothic Cathedral.
Santillana del Mar – Truely a national monument with fine stone buildings and houses from the 15th and 16th centuries. Also the Collegiate Church, the most important example of Romanesque in Cantabria. Nearby are the Altamira Caves with museum and visitor centre.
Potes – Delightful market town near the Picos de Europa National Park. See also the Monastery of Santo Toribio de Liebana and the Infantado Tower.
Barcena Mayor – The peaceful hamlet of Barcena Mayor, declared a site of historic and artistic interest in 1979, represents a noteworthy example of the conservation of the rural world of Cantabria.
History and Geography
Archaeological remains from the Late Palaeolithic found in different parts of the region, including Altamira and Puente Viesgo among others, are evidence of human presence in prehistoric times. The region has been known as Cantabria since antiquity, as far back as 200 BC. The 17th and 18th centuries were times of great commercial expansion characterised by heavy emigration to the New World. Nowadays, the tourism industry, including the hotel and restaurant business, as well as other service sectors, are the main pillars of the Cantabrian economy.
The region of Cantabria is located in northern Spain amid the majestic mountains and sea that bear its name. This land of extraordinary physical variety can be divided into three areas: the coastal fringe, the valleys and the high mountains. Covering an area of 5,290 square kilometres (2,063 square miles), Cantabria is administratively an Autonomous Community consisting of a single province. Its population is a little more than half a million. Winters are warm, and in the summer, temperatures rarely exceed 25º C. (77º F).
Cuisine
Cantabria is the land of fresh products of the best quality and variety, thanks to its excellent geographical conditions: sea, mountains, rivers and forests. In the mountain areas enjoy a typical cocido montañes; a bean stew made with meat and cabbage. In the Liébana valley, chickpeas are used instead of beans. Along the coast, delicious stews are made with tuna, potatoes, onion, peppers and tomato. Fish include hake, turbot, tuna and sardines. Shellfish specialities include spider crab, clams, and small shore crabs.
Festivals
February – Carnival in Santoña.
April – La Folia in San Vicente de la Barquera.
August – Day of Cantabria in Cabezón del Sal, International Festival of Santander with music and dance from around the world. And Batalla de Flores (Battle of the Flowers) in Laredo (last Sunday in August).