Plaza de la Virgen Blanca

Plaza de la Virgen Blanca is the central square of Vitoria-Gasteiz, the capital of the Basque Country. It lies at the foot of the medieval old town on the hill, where the Gothic quarter ends and the nineteenth-century city expands, so it feels like a hinge between two eras. The square is a wide, open space shaped like a rough rectangle, with a pedestrian surface in front of wide arcaded buildings. Cafes and terraces line the edge, and the central monument gives it a focal point.

That monument, a tall stone and bronze composition, commemorates the Battle of Vitoria in 1813, when allied forces under the Duke of Wellington defeated the French army of Joseph Bonaparte and effectively ended French control in Spain. The sculpture, erected in 1917, shows allegorical figures and lists the units involved, and it has become a favourite meeting spot for locals. The buildings around the square include balconied townhouses with glassed galleries that are typical of Vitoria, and the Church of San Miguel on its north side overlooks the plaza from a high stone stairway.

The square is the stage of Vitoria's main summer festival, the fiestas of the Virgen Blanca, celebrated in the first days of August. On the evening of 4 August, a figure named Celedón, in a traditional costume with an umbrella, is lowered from the church balcony to start the party, and thousands of people in white shirts and red neckerchiefs fill the plaza. The rest of the year the square hosts concerts, markets and small gatherings, and it is one of the main venues for civic life.

From the plaza you can walk through the arcaded Arquillos to the neoclassical Plaza de España, known locally as the Plaza Nueva, or climb the old streets toward the Santa Maria Cathedral and the museums of the old town. The Basque Museum of Contemporary Art, Artium, lies a little to the south, and the green ring that surrounds Vitoria, the Vitoria-Gasteiz Green Belt, begins within a short walk of the centre.

The square suits anyone who wants to get a feel for everyday Basque city life. It is free and open at all hours, and the best time to enjoy it is in the late afternoon, when the terraces fill, or during the August fiestas for a more exuberant experience.