Portals of Vitoria-Gasteiz

Vitoria-Gasteiz (Spanish: [biˈtoɾja ɣasˈtejθ, -ɣasˈtejs]; Basque: [bitoɾja ɣas̺teis̻]), also alternatively spelled as Vittoria in older English-language sources, is the seat of government and the capital city of the Basque Country and of the province of Álava in northern Spain. It holds the autonomous community's House of Parliament, the headquarters of the Government, and the Lehendakari's (Prime Minister's) official residency. The municipality—which comprises not only the city but also the mainly agricultural lands of 63 villages around—is the largest in the Basque Country, with a total area of 276.81 square kilometres (106.88 sq mi), and it has a population of 253,093 (January 2021). The dwellers of Vitoria-Gasteiz are called vitorianos or gasteiztarrak, while traditionally they are dubbed babazorros (Basque for 'bean sacks'). Vitoria-Gasteiz is a dynamic city with strengths in healthcare, aeronautics, the automotive industry, and viticulture. It is consistently ranked as one of the 5 best places to live in Spain, ranking highly in quality of life and business opportunities, it is the first Spanish municipality to be awarded the title of European Green Capital (in 2012) and it has been also recognized by the UN with the Global Green City Award (in 2019). The old town has some of the best preserved medieval streets and plazas in the region and it is one of very few cities with two cathedrals. The city also holds well known festivals such as the Azkena rock festival, FesTVal, Vitoria-Gasteiz jazz festival, and the Virgen Blanca Festivities. Vitoria-Gasteiz's vicinity is home to acclaimed wineries such as Ysios, designed by world-renowned architect Santiago Calatrava, and Marqués de Riscal, by Frank Gehry. Relevant heritage sites including the Neolithic remains of Aizkomendi, Sorginetxe and La chabola de la Hechicera; Iron Age remains such as the settlements of Lastra and Buradón; antique remains such as the settlement of La Hoya and the salt valley of Añana; and several medieval fortresses including the Tower of Mendoza and the Tower of Varona. Ludwig van Beethoven dedicated his Opus 91, often called the "Battle of Vitoria" or "Wellington's Victory", to one of the most famous events of the Napoleonic Wars: the Battle of Vitoria, in which a Spanish, Portuguese and British army under the command of General the Duke of Wellington broke the French army and nearly captured the puppet king Joseph Bonaparte. It was a pivotal point in the Peninsular War, and a precursor to the expulsion of the French army from Spain. A memorial statue can be seen today in Virgen Blanca Square.

The Museum of Contemporary Art of the Basque Country-Artium Museoa is a contemporary art museum located in Vitoria-Gasteiz, the capital of the province of Álava in northern Spain. Designed by the architect José Luis Caton, it is owned by the Provincial Council of Álava and opened 26 April 2002 and its director is Daniel Castillejo. The Museum was a created by the initiative of the Provincial Council of Alava, which is the owner of most of the works that are in the museum, and it's the owner of the building too. The aim of this museum is to develop the critical view of the society and to make Alava be associated with art and culture. The Museum has three tools: firstly, there's the collection of contemporary art, secondly, the temporary exhibitions and finally an intensive programme of educational and cultural activities, in which there's the option of groups of schools to go to the museum as an educational activity. The museum holds works by numerous artists, including Miquel Barceló, Joseph Beuys, Joan Brossa, Juan Francisco Casas, Jake and Dinos Chapman, Eduardo Chillida, Salvador Dalí, Óscar Domínguez, Manolo Millares, Joan Miró, Juan Muñoz, Jorge Oteiza, Pablo Palazuelo, Pablo Picasso, Antonio Saura, Antoni Tàpies, Juan Uslé, and Darío Villalba. It also includes a library and documentation center, both of which are open to the public. The Artium is one of the symbols of Vitoria-Gasteiz and it represents one of the fundamental assets of the art scene in Spain.

The Vitoria-Gasteiz Jazz Festival has been celebrated annually in July since 1977, in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.

The sequoia of Vitoria-Gasteiz was an individual sequoia tree located in Vitoria-Gasteiz, the capital city of the Basque Country, Spain. It was declared a singular tree by the Basque Government in 1995 and died in 2014.

Conservatorio Jesús Guridi is a music academy in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. It is called Jesús Guridi due to the famous Basque musician who was born in Vitoria-Gasteiz (Vitoria, Spain, 25 September 1886 – Madrid, 7 April 1961). The conservatory is located in Vitoria-Gasteiz, capital of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country. With a population of 220.000 citizens, the city has a very big cultural dynamism and a particular interest at the moment of offering different artistic and cultural activities. That is why the city contains a large number of museums and a complete programming of cultural events during the whole year, organized by the public institutions and the private leadership. Actually Jesús Guridi music conservatory occupies a very important place in the cultural life of the city.

The Convento de las Brígidas (Basque: Brigiden komentua) is a former Bridgettine convent in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country, Spain. The convent, whose current building dates from the early 20th century, has been vacant since 2007.

The Cathedral of María Inmaculada de Vitoria (Basque: Maria Sortzez Garbiaren katedrala, Spanish: Catedral de María Inmaculada de Vitoria, usually known as "The new Cathedral" (Basque: Katedral Berria, Spanish: Catedral Nueva) is a Neogothic-style, Roman Catholic cathedral located in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque country, Spain. It was built in the first half of the 20th century.

The General Assembly of Álava (in Basque: Arabako Batzar Nagusiak, in Spanish: Juntas Generales de Álava) is the parliament of Álava, a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country. The General Assembly is integrated by 51 members for a period of four years. The General Assembly meets at the Province Palace in Vitoria-Gasteiz.

The Church of San Pedro Apóstol (Spanish: Iglesia de San Pedro Apóstol, Basque: San Pedro eliza) is a medieval church located in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. It was built in the late 13th and early 14th centuries as a fortress church due to its location next to the city walls. The construction of the current tower started in 1708, while the southern portico (designed by Fausto Íñiguez de Betolaza in Gothic Revival style) was added in 1897.It was declared a national monument in 1931 and is currently classed as a Bien de Interés Cultural.

The Museum of Fine Arts of Álava (Spanish: Museo de Bellas Artes de Álava, Basque: Arabako Arte Ederren Museoa) is located in Vitoria-Gasteiz, the capital of the Basque Country, Spain. The museum is dedicated to Spanish art from the 18th to the 20th century, and particularly to Basque art from the 1850–1950 period. Opened in 1942, it is located at the Augustin Zulueta Palace.

The Augustin Zulueta Palace (Spanish: Palacio Augustín Zulueta) is a palace located in Vitoria-Gazteiz, Álava, Spain, in Fray Francisco promenade, 8. The palace was built in 1912 by the architects Julián de Apraiz and Javier Luque, designers of the New Cathedral of Vitoria-Gazteiz. They followed the taste of the wealthy families of that time. It was Don Ricardo de Augustin, developer of many other buildings, who ordered its construction. The palace currently houses the Museum of Fine Arts of Álava (Museo de Bellas Artes de Álava). The museum is devoted to Spanish art from the 17th to the 20th centuries, as well as Basque art from 1850 to 1950. It was declared Bien de Interés Cultural in 1962.

The Basque Parliament (Basque: Eusko Legebiltzarra, Spanish: Parlamento Vasco) is the legislative body of the Basque Autonomous Community of Spain and the elected assembly to which the Basque Government is responsible. The Parliament meets in the Basque capital, Vitoria-Gasteiz, although the first session of the modern assembly, as constituted by the Statute of Autonomy of the Basque Country, was held in Guernica – the symbolic centre of Basque freedoms – on 31 March 1980. Later in 1980 it started meeting at the premises of the Council of Álava. In 1982, it got its own site in a former high school. The symbol of the Parliament is an oaken sculpture by Nestor Basterretxea representing a stylized tree, an allusion to the tradition of Basque political assemblies meeting under a tree, as in Guernica. It is composed of seventy-five deputies representing citizens from the three provinces of the Basque autonomous community. Each province (Álava, Gipuzkoa and Biscay) elects the same number of deputies, despite their having very different levels of population. This was chosen to earn support from Álava and Navarre, less populated territories. Still, Navarre did not join the autonomous community. The elections are held using closed list proportional representation with seats allocated on a Provincial basis using the D'Hondt method of allocation. To qualify for seats in a particular province, electoral lists must receive at least 3% of the votes cast in that province, including votes "en blanco" for "none of the above." From 1984 to 2001, the election threshold was 5% in each province. Sessions of the Basque Parliament are conducted in both Basque and Spanish, with translation services. The Parliament consists of 75 deputies elected by universal adult suffrage under a system of proportional representation.