Vitoria-Gasteiz

Vitoria-Gasteiz is the capital city of the Basque Country and of the province of Alava in northern Spain, and the seat of the autonomous community's parliament, government headquarters and the Lehendakari's official residence. Its municipality covers about 277 square kilometres, taking in the city and some 63 mostly agricultural villages, which makes it the largest municipality in the Basque Country; it had a population of 260,402 in 2025, making it the second most populous city in the Basque Country and the 17th largest in Spain. The settlement traces to the Navarrese town of Nova Victoria, founded in 1181 on the hill of the older village of Gasteiz, and it later passed to Castile, which granted it a city charter in 1431. The Battle of Vitoria of 21 June 1813, in which Wellington defeated the army of Joseph Bonaparte, was fought nearby. The old town keeps medieval streets and two cathedrals, and the city was named European Green Capital in 2012. It has an oceanic climate and an economy built on health care, aeronautics, the automotive industry and viticulture.