Vitoria

Vitoria, or Gasteiz, rises on a hill in the plain of Álava. In 1181 Sancho the Wise of Navarre granted a charter to the older village and named the fortified town Nueva Vitoria. Roads linking the interior of the peninsula to France met here, encouraging trade beyond the walls. The town grew under Castilian rule and received the title of city in 1431. During the Peninsular War, the countryside around Vitoria became a battlefield: on 21 June 1813 Wellington’s allied army defeated French forces near the Zadorra, forcing Joseph Bonaparte to flee towards France.