Valladolid (Spanish: [baʎaðoˈlið] ⓘ) is a municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the autonomous community of Castile and León.

[2] The city is located roughly in the centre of the northern half of the Iberian Peninsula's Meseta Central, at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers 15 km (9.3 mi) before they join the Duero, surrounded by winegrowing areas.

Among the events that are held each year in the city are the famous Holy Week, the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championships, and the Valladolid International Film Festival (Seminci).

It is mentioned as Valledolit in the Primera Crónica General; earlier documented variants include Valledolidi, Valleolide (1092) and Valleolit, Valleoleti, Valleoliti (1095).

[4][dead link‍][dubious – discuss] One widely held etymological theory suggests that the modern name Valladolid derives from the Celtiberian language expression Vallis Tolitum, meaning "valley of waters", referring to the confluence of rivers in the area.

The city is also popularly called Pucela, a nickname whose origin is not clear, but may refer to knights in the service of Joan of Arc, known as La Pucelle.

Valladolid is located at roughly 735 metres above sea level, at the centre of the Meseta Norte,[7] the plateau drained by the Duero river basin covering a major part of the Northwest of the Iberian Peninsula.

The primitive urban core was built ex novo in the 11th century on a small elevation near the confluence of the Esgueva with the Pisuerga,[4] on the left-bank of the latter river.

The nucleus of the city was originally located in the area of the current San Miguel y el Rosarillo square and was surrounded by a palisade.

[citation needed] In 1506, Christopher Columbus died in Valladolid "still convinced that he had reached the Indies"[22] in a house that is now a museum dedicated to him.

From 1554 to 1559, Joanna of Austria, sister of Philip II, served as regent, establishing herself in Valladolid,[23] with the latter becoming the political center of the Hispanic Monarchy by that time.

[23] The Reformation took hold in some parts of the city where Protestant circles appeared presumably around the leading figure of Augustino de Cazalla, an adviser of Joanna.

[28][27] After a plague in Valladolid, Lerma suggested the King to go back to Madrid, earning a hefty profit when the royal court returned and prices went up again.

[31] In the context of the fraught process for the creation of the autonomous community of Castile and León (completed in 1983), Valladolid vied for the condition of regional capital, competing with other cities, most notably creating a sense of antagonism with Burgos.

[33] 25 June 2024, the church de la Vera Cruz built in 1581 broke down, causing dust to encircle the whole city.

It also features the 25 centers, a number of administrative buildings such as the Palacio de Santa Cruz, where the rector, and the Museum of the University of Valladolid (MUVa), The House of Students, featuring the other administrative services mainly related to international relations, or CTI (Center for Information Technology), both located in the basement of the University Residence Alfonso VIII, next to the old Faculty of Science.

[39] 12th century romanesque architecture is present in the belltowers of the churches of Santa María La Antigua and San Martín [es].

[41] The late 15th century Palace of Santa Cruz (current seat of the rectorate of the University of Valladolid) has been noted as a pioneer example of Renaissance art in Spain.

[42] The monumental Plaza Mayor, considered the first in its genre in Spain, was projected by Francisco de Salamanca [es] by 1561–62, following the great fire of 1561.

[45] The unfinished Cathedral of Valladolid, initially projected by Juan de Herrera in the 16th century (intending to follow a Mannerist style) experienced protracted building works owing to financial problems and its main body was not opened until 1668.

Architect Modesto Coloma Palenzuela [es] left a key imprint in the city's outline,[47] authoring many housing projects in the late 19th to early 20th century,[48] with a good number of his buildings still standing.

[50] The Francoist dictatorship left an example of "Imperial Architecture" of neo-herrerian (or escurialense) style in the building for the Seminario Menor, clearly influenced by the Spanish capital's Ministry of the Air.

The automotive industry is one of the major motors of the city's economy since the founding of FASA-Renault in 1953 for the assembling of Renault-branded vehicles, which would later become Renault España.

Top 10 companies by turnover in 2013 in € million were: Renault (4 596), Michelin (2 670), IVECO (1 600), the Valladolid-based supermarket chain Grupo El Árbol (849), cheese processing Queserías Entrepinares (204), sugar processing Acor (201), service group Grupo Norte (174), automobile auxiliary company Faurecia-Asientos de Castilla y León (143), Sada (129) and Hipereco (108).

In the afternoon, thousands of people take part in the Passion Procession, comprising 31 pasos (religious statues), most of which date from the 16th and 17th centuries.

The last statue in the procession is the Virgen de las Angustias, and her return to the church is one of the most emotional moments of the celebrations, with the Salve Popular sung in her honour.

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.

An award or an enthusiastic reception from the audience and the critics meant, on numerous occasions[specify], that the official state bodies gave the go-ahead to certain films which Francisco Franco's regime considered out of line with their ideology.

Players who went on to play for the Spain national football team include Fernando Hierro, José Luis Caminero and Rubén Baraja.

The municipally-owned stadium where Real Valladolid play their home matches, the Estadio Nuevo José Zorrilla, was built as a venue for the 1982 FIFA World Cup[56] and in preparation staged the 1982 Copa del Rey Final.