Valladolid

Valladolid is a city in north-central Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the autonomous community of Castile and León, as well as the capital of its own province. It lies in the Meseta Norte plateau at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, a short way before they join the Duero, among winegrowing country, and had 299,816 residents in 2024, making it the most populated municipality in the region. The Vaccaei lived in the area in ancient times; in 1072 Alfonso VI gave the lordship to Count Pedro Ansúrez, who led the repopulation of the settlement with his wife Eylo Alfónsez. The University of Valladolid dates from 1241, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon married in the city in 1469, Christopher Columbus died there in 1506, and between 1601 and 1606 it briefly served as capital of the Hispanic Monarchy. In the twentieth century the economy was reshaped by the automotive industry, beginning with the founding of FASA-Renault in 1953. The city is known for its Holy Week processions and the Valladolid International Film Festival, Seminci.