The 19th Century

In addition to the interventions aimed at enhancing the urban fabric, two public operations took place in Santiago during the 19th century and had a strong impact on its appearance: the construction of the Market, or Plaza de Abastos, and the Alameda park. The city walls were also eliminated during this century.


The 20th Century

The most ambitious project during the first half of the 20th century, and the one that had the greatest impact on the modern city’s still embryonic urban fabric, was the Students’ Residence, which gave rise to the South Campus. The city’s building activity was centred on this campus during the sixties and seventies, a time marked by real-estate tensions and speculations that resulted in the present-day “Ensanche” (urban expansion area).

A decisive historical event for the city of Santiago was the creation, in 1980, of the Autonomous Region of Galicia and its designation as the seat of the Xunta de Galicia (Galician Government) and different regional institutions, thereby becoming Galicia’s political and administrative capital. Furthermore, Compostela experienced a strong impulse as a cultural, commercial and services city, redefining the role of the city and its infrastructures.

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The 19th and 20th Centuries