| Santander History History of Santander, Cantabria, Spain, Europe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Santander History Though Santander was established as far back as the time of the Roman empire it was a slow starter in terms of size and influence. Under the Romans it was known as Portus Victoriae Iullobrigensium and did not acquire it's current title until the 3rd century BC; supposedly from the martyr St. Emeterio whose head was said to have been brought to the town. It was not until the middle of the 13th century that Santander got a step up; being awarded it's own coat of arms as recognition for the part it played in the re-capture of Seville from the Moors. But it's national significance did not show itself until the later part of the middle-ages, when it acted as a major port for Spain's monopoly on trade with the Americas. This role as an oceanic port shaped Santander, encouraging population growth and seeing it officially become a city in 1755. The building of the Magdalena Palace as a holiday home for the Spanish royal family brought further recognition. Sadly the city of Santander suffered a great fire in the year if 1941. This saw many of it's oldest buildings destroyed as the historic quarter was engulfed. Though the fire took only one life literally thousands were left homeless and it was a major event in the city's history. Today Santander remains an important Spanish port city. Its population is rising with figures in 2005 up to almost 184,000 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the autonomous region of Cantabria and as such acts as it's administrative centre.
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