Vitoria-Gasteiz: why you should visit and get to know the Basque Country’s green capital
Vitoria-Gasteiz: why you should visit and get to know the Basque Country’s green capital
Vitoria-Gasteiz, in addition to being the capital of the Basque Country and seat of the Parliament and the Basque Government, is also known as the green capital of the region – this is attested to by the numerous international awards with which it has been recognized: European Green Capital 2012, Global Green City 2019, and the Biosphere Responsible Tourism Certification. Vitoria-Gasteiz defends the importance of conserving nature and its ecosystem services (clean water production, climate regulation by forests, and pollination) as the foundation for health, the economy, and quality of life. Thus, the capital has 42 m2 of green areas per inhabitant, 171 km of bike lanes, and a Green Belt that surrounds the city: a set of parks which has its origin in an environmental restoration project that started in 1993 and which transformed the degraded outskirts into a natural environment with high ecological value and the main recreational area of the city.
In the Green Belt, the Ataria Interpretation Center can be found, a space conceived to help visitors understand the importance of the ecosystem formed in the Salburua Wetlands, where 200 animal species coexist (amphibians, coots, ducks, storks, and even the European mink, which is in critical danger of extinction). Ataria has spaces for environmental awareness, children’s areas, and exhibition halls for immersion in Salburua’s natural wealth.
Just 3 km from Ataria is the Medieval Quarter of Vitoria-Gasteiz, the oldest area of the city. Also called the “Almendra Medieval” (“Medieval Almond,” due to its shape), the area invites you to stroll through the city’s history discovering civil buildings, palaces, tower houses, and beautiful temples featuring Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical art.
In the heart of the medieval quarter, we come across a space where the Fournier Playing Card Museum and the Álava Archeology Museum coexist: it is the complex called Bibat (which means “two in one” in Basque). The first museum is located in the Renaissance Bendaña Palace and offers a historical, technical, and thematic journey through the evolution of playing cards from the fifteenth century to the present day. It invites visitors to browse the old machinery used by Heraclio Fournier, creator of the Spanish-suited deck. The Álava Archeology Museum, a newly created building designed by architect Patxi Mangado, is an institution dedicated to the conservation, cataloging, and dissemination of the archaeological heritage of the province. Its permanent exhibition showcases around 1,500 pieces from the history of the area – from Prehistory to the Middle Ages.
The Green Belt, Ataria, the Medieval Quarter, and the Bibat complex are just a fraction of everything that Vitoria-Gasteiz has to offer; a must-see for anyone traveling to the Basque Country, a region whose richness lies precisely in the contrasts between its three main cities and the rural areas that surround them.
Vitoria-Gasteiz
