Torrelavega

Torrelavega is a city in the Autonomous Community of Cantabria in northern Spain. It is an industrial and economic center of the region and county town of the district Besaya. About ten percent of Cantabrians live in Santander.

Torrelavega is surrounded by the municipalities Cartes, Los Corrales de Buelna, Cieza, Arenas de Iguña, Barcena de Pie de Concha, Molledo, Anievas and San Felices de Buelna, it is eight kilometers from the coast and 27.5 km from the provincial capital of Santander removed. The city is located at the edge of a mountain range. The municipality is located 12-606 meters above sea level. The rivers Saja and Besaya flow together in the city.

In the area lying north of Santillana del Mar, Suances and Polanco, south of Los Corrales de Buelna and San Felices de Buelna, east: Piélagos and Puente Viesgo and west: Reocín and Cartes.

History

From the prehistoric occupation of the region bear witness to several caves with rock paintings from antiquity, which Puente Viesgo is the best known. You are at the Dobra - peak, which is also the highest point of the city area is (606 m above sea level).

Torrelavega was the end of the 13th century by I. Garcilaso de la Vega, the elder, Adelantado Mayor of the Castilian Kingdom, on behalf of Alfonso XI. founded.

The name stems from the contraction of " Torre de la Vega ". This Tower ( Torre ) or castle was Leonor de la Vega, daughter of Garcilaso II de la Vega, the younger, and mother of Íñigo López de Mendoza, Marqués de Santillana, build to secure the privileges and tax collection in the sway of the family.

In the Middle Ages Torrelavega was a trading center and trade center, were traded in the products from Castile and from overseas for import and export. The industrialization of the city, however, has completely lost its role as a trading city.

Torrelavega is an example of the emergence of a social focal point due to urban planning mistake. For the employees of the mines and processing plants huge working-class neighborhood were built for the wedding of mining. Due to rising costs for raw materials and cheap competition from Asia, most mines were closed. On the economic restructuring of the region you successfully campaigned with the help of EU funding for modern service industries and high-tech industry. However, the qualified staff for these new, well-paying jobs could not be recruited from the group of former miners and industrial workers. These were usually on site no longer work and have to leave the city partially. The vacant new dwellings were occupied mostly by immigrants from Latin America and Eastern Europe, but find it difficult to integrate into society, while the material in a better situation have left the city and settle in new housing developments outside the city. This Torrelavega is both a prosperous regional economic engine that provides jobs for a considerable part of the region, on the other hand there is an inner-city social focus with a population that is not integrated into the local labor market.

Economy

Torrelavega is to Santander the second largest economic center of the autonomous community of Cantabria. Furthermore Torrelavega congress and trade fair city.

The county Besaya is one of three industrial sites in Cantabria. International industrial groups like esco, Solvay, Sniace and Firestone are represented here and attract many workers from the environment. By 2003, zinc was promoted. 2003 9.47% of GDP in Santander Cantabria were generated, which depends only on the provincial capital of Santander ( 39.18 %) was exceeded and 0.6 % more than in 2000 (then 8.87% ) reached.

Since the city is surrounded by large chemical plants instead of fields and also the service sector plays an important role in agriculture in Santander is virtually not present. The city is only home for the National Cattle Market Torrelavega, one of four livestock wholesale markets of Spain, acquire breeding and slaughter cattle in the butchers and farmers.

Traffic

The city is served by two highways. The A67 runs from Santander to Palencia. The A8 leads east over Bilbao and San Sebastian to France and west to Asturias and Galicia soon also. The Santander airport is about 25 km away. The city is served by two different railway companies (RENFE and feve ), whose stations are far apart in different districts, and is integrated into the S -Bahn network of Santander. A bus station provides bus services to remote various Spanish cities.

Attractions

Even if the city is not far from the sea, is an industrial city that is completely uninteresting for a leisure traveler to visit and therefore is not mentioned in some guidebooks. However, there are a few old churches and industrial plants that are under monument protection.

Natural Resources

• On the Dobra - mountain one has a good view of the city in 200 m height.

• The park Viesca on the banks of the river Besaya serves as Nacherholungsgebiet, also the park Manuel Barquín and Pedrosa serve as green lungs in the city.

• The rivers Saja Besaya and flow together in this city and run by a dune landscape in the Cantabrian Sea. The river Besaya one of the largest rivers in Cantabria and rises in the Campoo region in Reinosa.

• Flora and Fauna

Since the city is located on a river delta and is not far from the coast, here many seabird species are at home, are a hygiene problem. This problem tries to fix a systematic planting of trees and technical features intended to attract these birds to other places.

Culture

In mid-August town celebrates the feast in honor of the Virgen Grande with a beautiful floral gala and a carriage procession.

Educational institutions

In Torrelavega there is the law school of the University of Cantabria (Campus de la sección de Relaciones de la Facultad de Derecho Laborales de Cantabria ) and a School of Mines. Next there is a language school, are offered in the courses for French, English and German. Furthermore, there is a conservatory of music.

Gastronomy

Torrelavega is known for polkas, a puff pastry cake with a sweet cream.

Sports

• Volleyball

• Cycling

• Football

• Basketball

Personalities

• Alfonso de Galarreta ( bishop of the Society of St. Pius X. )
• José Luis Hidalgo ( Poet)
• Herminio Alcalde del Río ( archaeologist )
• Daniel Sordo ( rally driver )
• Fermín Trueba Pérez ( cyclist )