Valladolid (Spanish: [baʎaðoˈlið] ⓘ) is a province of northwest Spain, in the central part of the autonomous community of Castile and León.

From a national point of view it connects Madrid with the north of Spain, from Vigo in Galicia to San Sebastián in the Basque Country, and from an international point of view, it is on the shortest land route connecting Porto in the north of Portugal with Hendaye in the south of France.

The province of Valladolid was established as such by the Royal Decree of 29 September 1833 driven by the minister Javier de Burgos, being attached to the historic region of Old Castile.

The first stable population that settled in the present province were the pre-Roman Vaccaei people (Spanish name: vacceos, the area that they inhabited is called "Región Vaccea") who belonged to a very advanced culture when the rest of the Celtic peoples arrived in the peninsula from the north of Europe (there is evidence that indicates that they also occupied territories corresponding to other provinces).

By then, it was already defined for the chronicles as a region "free and discovered" and "an open country, wheat fields, deforested land" and the vacceos were involved in livestock farming and especially agriculture (cereals).

Later, during the Reconquista, this area was the subject of battles between the Muslims and the Christian Kingdom of León in the first half of the eleventh century.

In fact, cities such as Medina del Campo or Valladolid became important administrative centers Castilians and also experienced an economic boom (mesta, fairs ... ).

Had a great importance in the Discovery of the Americas in 1492 (Christopher Columbus will end up living the last years of his life until his death in 1506 in Valladolid) and the subsequent colonization with explorers such as Juan Ponce de León -discoverer of the Florida (United States)-.

A further exodus occurred with the arrival of democracy in Spain (early 1980s), when the province was made part of the new autonomous community of Castile and Leon.

The province of Valladolid covers an area of 8,110 km2 (3,130 sq mi),4 is located in the center of the Meseta Central, a plateau in the middle of the northern half of the Iberian Peninsula and is characterized by its uniform terrain (777 metres on average with a maximum difference in altitude of 300 metres),[3] making it the most geographically homogeneous province in Spain.

It is similar to the typical Mediterranean but with characteristics of continental climates, of more extreme temperatures, although it does not go to be as different as to be classified separately.

In addition this climate does not receive the influence of the sea, that is why the temperatures are the most extreme of Spain, with a lot of heat summers and winters quite cold with a swing of 18.5 Cº.

Rainfall follows a very similar pattern to that of the typical Mediterranean climate, reaching between 400 and 600 mm, with a peak during Spring and Autumn.

The strongest wind gust recorded was 133 km/h on January 24, 1971, while the maximum accumulated precipitation in a single day was 90.8 l/m² on December 5, 1951.

Agriculture dedicated to the cultivation of cereals (wheat and barley), legumes, sugar beets, alfalfa, vegetables and vines.

Intense industrial activity especially concentrated in the capital, derived from agriculture (pasta, flour, chocolate, sugar, etc.

In addition to the capital city Valladolid, stand out the populations of Medina del Campo, Peñafiel, Tordesillas, Tudela de Duero, Laguna de Duero, Íscar, Olmedo and Pedrajas de San Esteban (this last, due to its large production of pine nut) The top 10 companies by economic billing in 2013 were: Renault-España, Michelin, Iveco, El Árbol, Aquagest (Grupo Agbar), Lauki (Lactalis), Begar, ACOR, Grupo Norte and Queserías Entrepinares.

From the national point of view, is the track that connects Madrid with all the north of Spain, from Vigo (Galicia) until San Sebastián (Basque Country).

Has travel to destinations such as Alicante, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca, Gran Canaria, Tenerife South, Lanzarote, Valencia, Malaga.

In the case of the churches and monasteries are wide variety of architectural styles, including the preromanesque, romanesque, gothic, renaissance and baroque.

Some of the most important are The Provincial government is developing a program called "Cultural Travel" with the intention of bringing the population not only of Valladolid but of all Spain the rich collection of the historical province and the rich cultural heritage of the province of Valladolid to know and be able to learn, to understand, appreciate and enjoy this legacy (castles, palaces, churches, museums, gastronomy...).

Religious devotion, art, colour and music combine in acts to commemorate the death of Jesus Christ: the processions.

Members of the different Easter brotherhoods, dressed in their characteristic robes, parade through the streets carrying religious statues (pasos) to the sound of drums and music – scenes of sober beauty.

The museum exposes many national sculptures, and some in Europe, as well as some paintings, ranging from the 13th to 19th centuries of Iberian Peninsula and the former territorial areas linked to Spain (Latin America, Flanders and Italy).

Painters are present as Bononi, Rubens, Zurbarán, Ribalta or Melendez, but the center of your collection corresponds to sculptures dating back from the 15th to 17th centuries.

There are numerous restaurants that specialize in lechazo and feature hornos de leña (wood-fired ovens or wooden stoves), in which the lamb is roasted.

In fact, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, during their retreat in the monastery of Yuste, made him get the bread in Valladolid and during the 16th century the master bakers members were financially supported by the Crown.

It is a thin crust of bread and lightly toast, miga very white and compact with a fine texture and distinctive flavor.

Traditionally it is made by hand, with an amassed slow fermentation and a prolonged, finished cooking in the wood-fired oven.

Valladolid is also known as a national center for rugby, with two of the top teams of the league División de Honor de Rugby: CR El Salvador and Valladolid RAC, which between the two have won twenty-one National League Championships, fourteen King's Cups and fourteen Spanish Supercups.