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Basque Country Information: Guipuzkoa Information - SAN SEBASTIAN Information

«A city of eye-catching beauty, Donostia-San Sebastian aims to rid itself of nostalgia for a past when it was royalty's chosen summer home and the "in" place with high society, preferring to remain, thanks to its projects, its pedestrian precincts and its outstanding cultural activities, "simply human"».

Bella Easo, Perla del Oceano, incomparable setting... The expressions of admiration for this city which has a strong power of attraction dating back to the 19th century are often cliches, or at worst downright bad taste. This said, every new visitor to Donostia-San Sebastian falls under its spell, frequently going on to declare that this is one of the most beautiful places in the world.
Neither the Donostiarras, as the locals are called, nor visitors ever tire of the fabulous views offered by La Concha Bay, around which sits the city, serene and elegant. The La Concha and Ondarreta promenades are lined with a pleasureful combination of buildings and their colours, the gentle shades of the beaches, the reflections of the sea and the vegetation on the three surrounding hills: Mount Urgull, standing behind the Parte Vieja, and the Castillo de la Mota bearing the mammoth statue of Christ on its summit; to the west, Mount Igeldo; and, right in the middle of the bay, Santa Clara Island, to which there is a ferry service from the harbour. Both hills, to which we must add mount Ulia at the far end of the Zurriola Beach, are exceptional vantage points from which to enjoy a view of the city's roof tops of Donostia-San Sebastian. Mount Urgull is a natural fortress which has served throughout history for military purposes before becoming a city park rapidly accessed from the Parte Vieja. Igeldo is well known for its views and quaint attraction park, aged and charming like the funicular railway that runs to and from Ondarreta.

The city so loved by today's visitor is relatively new. The original consisted of two tiny centres: a fishing harbour next to a walled area known as the Parte Vieja, and an agricultural enclave on the area now occupied by the neighbourhood of Antiguo. The river Urumea had not yet been channelled and the beach promenades had not yet been built, meaning that the rest of what is now Donostia-San Sebastian was nothing but marshes and sandbanks. The walled area, packed with houses, formerly of wood and later of stone, has always had a tendency towards disaster. It has been destroyed 12 times by the same number of fires since the 13th century. The last and most dramatic of these took place on 31st August 1813. Donostia-San Sebastian, a fortress several times occupied by the French army, was under siege by Napoleonic soldiers when it was attacked by the AngloPortuguese allied troops. What was meant to be an action to free the city turned into terrible pillaging and burning that razed the entire city to the ground, with the exception of the two churches and a row of houses known since then as the Calle 31 de Agosto. Throughout the 19th century, the new Donostia suffered a period of relative decline finally brought to an end when the doctor treating Queen Isabel 1I recommended that she bathe in the Bay of Biscay to improve her skin problem. She chose San Sebastian. For more than two decades until her exile, the Queen was faithful to her summer rendezvous with the city, a habit likewise adopted by her courtiers.

In 1863, Isabel 1I fulfilled an old dream on ordering demolition of the walls preventing the expansion of an enclave restricted to the Parte Vieja. No longer walled in, San Sebastian spread over the reclaimed marshes in the shape of a suburb, designed by Antonio Cortazar, comprising regular streets and stately buildings. Development of the new centre was rounded off with the construction of highly symbolic buildings such as the Gran Casino, now home of the Town Hall.
Gambling and the summer court - the Queen Regent Mar[a Cristina continued the tradition - gave rise to what was to become known as the Belle Epoque, a period starti ng towards the end of the 19th and tapering out over the first two decades of the 20th century, during which San Sebastian became European high society's favourite meeting place. But the prohibition of gambling and the Civil War soon put paid to this splendid golden age.

CULTURAL CAPITAL

The capital of Gipuzkoa is today a city dedicated to services with somewhere around 180,000 inhabitants. While Bilbao bears the greatest financial weight and Vitoria-Gasteiz covers the principal administrative aspects, Donostia-San Sebastian receives more tourists, offers more culture and holds more conventions than the other two. Tourism in this province doesn't suffer from the overcrowding of other areas. Here visitors do the same as the locals: they go for walks, bathe in the sea and wander round the lively bars. For those looking for a bit of luxury, the city offers a number of choices, starting with its world-famous restaurants and continuing with its new casino, the Zubieta racecourse or its spa complex.

One everyday luxury is the never-ending selection of cultural activities, a long-standing tradition which is somewhat unusual for a city of this size. In addition to top-line events (the International Film Festival, Musical Fortnight, Jazz Festival) the capital of San Sebastian offers other interesting rendezvous (Summer Courses, Fantasy and Horror Film Festival, Maiatza Dantzan, Advertising Festival, Theatre Festival), including a number of more localised weekly activities at the cultural centres in the different neighbourhoods. Although since 1912 all of the most important events on the local cultural agenda have taken place in the magnificent Teatro Victoria Eugenia, this building has now passed on part of its protagonism to the Kursaal Centre, housed in the two glass cubes designed by Rafael Moneo which stand proudly beside the Zurriola Beach on the other side of the river Urumea.

They constitute the main headquarters of two of the events that revolt this peaceful Cantabrian place: the International Film Festival and the Quincena Musical (Musical Fortnight), and are now also the chosen setting for an enormous number of conventions. The Kursaal, the bullring and leisure centre of Illumbe, the amusing and instructive Miramon Kutxa Science Hall, and Oteiza's "Construccion Vacia" ("Empty Construction") sculpture, located in the Paseo Nuevo (New Avenue) are new in the eyes of those who haven't visited Donostia-San Sebastian for years now.

TAKING A STROLL

The heart of the capital is the fairly recently pedestrianalised Parte Vieja, a succession of
shops, bars and restaurants where locals and visitors of all classes, ages and styles rub elbows. Noone can resist the pleasure of a few little drinks and hors d'oeuvres (respectively known as txikiteo and pintxos). The Parte Vieja has three buildings of historical interest: San Vicente church, a solid 16th century Gothic construction; the San Telmo Museum, a one-time Dominican convent now undergoing renovation; and the basilica of Santa Maria del Coro. This area is likewise home of the remodelled Mercado de La Bretxa and the Plaza de la Constitucion. The shelter of the harbour is shared by fishing and leisure vessels alike. Following the quay round to the end past a series of typical restaurants will bring us out at the Aquarium. The panoramic glass-covered tunnel running beneath the oceanarium is the most outstanding feature of a visit full of surprises.

Taking a stroll is one of the favourite local pastimes, and helps visitors to fully enjoy the city. Those wanting to go a bit further can follow the coastline via the over 7 km of maritime promenade without having to cross one single road. The two most classical stretches of this walk are the Paseo Nuevo and the Paseo de La Concha. The former makes its way round Mount Urgull, and offers its most spectacular image during the September and October storms, when the waves come high over the sea wall. The peculiar tamarind trees, although correctly named tamarisk, and the classic railing lining the promenade are the most characteristic features of the Paseo de La Concha, which continues as far as the gardens and Paseo de Ondarreta. This promenade is rounded off with Eduardo Chillida's Peine de los Vientos (The Windcomb) sculpture. At the point where these two promenades meet, standing in beautiful gardens, is the English style Palacio de Miramar commissioned by Queen Maria Cristina. The Palacio de Aiete and Cristina Enea Park are other breaths of fresh air. Passersby can also decide to follow the river Urumea, stroll around the centre's pedestrian precincts with their many shops, the Plaza de Gipuzkoa or the renovated Boulevard, standing between the Parte Vieja and the new centre of this refined, moderate and cosmopolitan city.

	More San Sebastian and Guipuzkoa Information
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