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| City Map |
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| The Weather |
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| Santiago de Compostela: |
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COMPOSTELA, Congress Town
Santiago de Compostela is a monumental city, centred on the tomb of St. James the Greater, which has been shaped through the centuries. The result is an extraordinary, harmonious architectural site that has been declared a World Heritage City
by UNESCO. Considered one of Christendom’s three spiritual centres, along with Rome and Jerusalem, the city has been a religious pilgrimage destination since the Middle Ages. This phenomenon gave rise to the Way of St. James and, according to many scholars, the idea of Europe.
Santiago is now the capital of Galicia –where its executive (Xunta) and legislative (Parliament) authority is based- with close to 100,000 inhabitants and 1.3 million m2 of green spaces. It is located in the geographical centre of Galicia and is easily accessible by road, train and plane. Only 35 km from the sea, its privileged location means that it is close to both the Rías Altas and Rías Baixas coastlines. Via the Atlantic Motorway, Santiago is 40 minutes away from A Coruña and Ferrol, 30 minutes from Pontevedra, 50 minutes from Vigo and an hour from Ourense and Lugo. It has an Atlantic climate with mild temperatures.
Galicia is Santiago and vice versa –because of its capital and Jacobean role, its territorial centrality, its strategic location on the Atlantic axis (linked by the motorway of the same name), its complementary relationship with A Coruña and Vigo, its international airport and, in short, because Santiago is a political, social, economic and cultural reference point for Galicia as a whole.
Architecture, culture, knowledge and communication go hand in hand. A singular example is the City of Culture , (under construction), which involves an enormous infrastructure (designed by the famous American architect Peter Eisenman) made up of six buildings: Music Theatre, New Technologies, History Museum, Library and Newspaper and Periodicals Library, John Hejduk Towers (reception, information and exhibition) and Central Services. Another immediate project is the Image City,
, located near Galician Television and Galician Radio. In fact, almost all of the audiovisual media is based in Santiago. It is also worth highlighting the Health Campus, which will be located in the surroundings of the modern University Clinical Hospital.
The old town, whose Special Plan includes the classification of 2,700 buildings, is one the largest and best-preserved in Europe, having been awarded significant international prizes in the field of rehabilitation. The Cathedral, Pazo de Raxoi, Colexio de San Xerome and Hostal de los Reyes Católicos make up the spectacular Plaza del Obradoiro, a synthesis and symbol of spirituality, civil authority, higher education and tourist excellence. And in the surrounding area: squares, streets and fountains, churches and convents, parks and viewpoints; but also countless traditional and old-style cafés and clubs that coexist with modern shops and cultural facilities. Furthermore, 30,000 university students fill and colour spaces and times.
Due to Santiago’s fame in recent years and its revitalised pilgrimage route, thousands of travellers and tourists visit the city throughout the year. It is therefore normal to see and hear street artists in its paved streets, arcades and below the Arco de Palacio: gaiteiros (bagpipe players), guitarists, members of university “tuna” groups and mimes liven up and add colour to a city where the present and past merge together. To talk about Compostela is to talk about a city that has grown, to a large extent, in line with its university students, its configuration and development as the capital of Galicia and the consolidation of its quality professional services. To talk about Santiago is to talk about the ideal city for holding professional meetings and congresses. Therefore, choosing Santiago de Compostela is guaranteeing an event’s success.
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