Avilés (Asturian and ;) is a town in

Asturias Asturias (; ; ) officially the Principality of Asturias, is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensive with the provinces of Spain, province of Asturias and contains some of the territory t ...

, Spain. Avilés is, along with

Oviedo Oviedo () or Uviéu (Asturian language, Asturian: ) is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain and the administrative and commercial centre of the region. It is also the name of the municipality that contains th ...

and

Gijón Gijón () or () is a city and municipality in north-western Spain. It is the largest city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality by population in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Asturias. It is located on the coa ...

, one of the main cities in the

Principality of Asturias Asturias (; ; ) officially the Principality of Asturias, is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensive with the provinces of Spain, province of Asturias and contains some of the territory t ...

. The town occupies the flattest land in the municipality, partially in a land that belonged to the sea, surrounded by small promontories, all of them having an altitude of less than 140 metres. Situated in the

Avilés estuary Avilés (Asturian and ;) is a town in Asturias, Spain. Avilés is, along with Oviedo and Gijón, one of the main cities in the Principality of Asturias. The town occupies the flattest land in the municipality, partially in a land that belonged ...

, in the Northern Central area of the Asturian coast, west of

Peñas Cape Peñas is a location in the La Paz Department in Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plai ...

, is its national

seaport A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manc ...

. Avilés is mainly an industrial city. It is close to popular beaches like Salinas. It also has important churches like St. Thomas of Canterbury. Avilés has also cultural spaces such as the Palacio Valdés Theatre (in Spanish: ) or the

Oscar Niemeyer International Cultural Centre The Oscar Niemeyer International Cultural Centre (, is a cultural centre located in the city of Avilés, in Spain. It takes its name from its architect and designer, Brazilian Oscar Niemeyer. Built next to the Avilés estuary, its predominantly ...

(in Spanish: ).

History

Toponymy

The existence of the town proper is documented only in the latter

Early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages (historiography), Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th to the 10th century. They marked the start o ...

, although the

etymology Etymology ( ) is the study of the origin and evolution of words—including their constituent units of sound and meaning—across time. In the 21st century a subfield within linguistics, etymology has become a more rigorously scientific study. ...

of the name "Avilés" is likely ancient. It is thought to come from a local

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

landowner or likely a Romanized Germanic warrior who settled there from/to the

Kingdom of the Suebi The Kingdom of the Suebi (), also called the Kingdom of Galicia () or Suebi Kingdom of Galicia (), was a Germanic peoples, Germanic Migration Period, post-Roman kingdom that was one of the first to separate from the Roman Empire. Based in the fo ...

Visigothic Kingdom The Visigothic Kingdom, Visigothic Spain or Kingdom of the Goths () was a Barbarian kingdoms, barbarian kingdom that occupied what is now southwestern France and the Iberian Peninsula from the 5th to the 8th centuries. One of the Germanic people ...

, as much

toponymy Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' ( proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for a proper na ...

in northern Spain shares a Germanic origin named ''Abilius''.

Chronology

Archaeological excavations have shown that the area was already settled in the

upper palaeolithic The Upper Paleolithic (or Upper Palaeolithic) is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age. Very broadly, it dates to between 50,000 and 12,000 years ago (the beginning of the Holocene), according to some theories ...

era. The first well known document is an endowment of two churches by Asturias King Alfonso III, in 905. During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, it was one of the most important ports of the

Biscay Bay Biscay Bay is a local service district in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Origin of Name This name appears as early as 1675 in The English Pilot, a guide to navigation. At the time, Basques were called "Biscayans", and th ...

, trading mainly with French ports, the main trade was salt. At this time, it had two nuclei: a fishermen's district, Sabugo, and the aristocratic centre, La Villa, standing each other across a small water inlet at the site of present-day Avilés' main Park. La Villa was surrounded by strong

walls Walls may refer to: *The plural of wall, a structure * Walls (surname), a list of notable people with the surname Places * Walls, Louisiana, United States * Walls, Mississippi, United States *Walls, Ontario Perry is a township (Canada), ...

, which demonstrated its strategic and commercial importance. On 15 January 1479 the

Catholic Monarchs The Catholic Monarchs were Isabella I of Castile, Queen Isabella I of Crown of Castile, Castile () and Ferdinand II of Aragon, King Ferdinand II of Crown of Aragón, Aragon (), whose marriage and joint rule marked the ''de facto'' unification of ...

granted a free market on each Monday of the year, which still takes place. The importance of the town as a naval centre is supported by the building of ships with wood harvested from nearby forests, and with the participation of local sailors in the conquest of

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

by the Castilian army, which is reflected in Avilés's

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

. It is the birthplace of

Pedro Menéndez de Avilés Pedro Menéndez de Avilés (; ; 15 February 1519 – 17 September 1574) was a Spanish admiral, explorer and conquistador from Avilés, in Asturias, Spain. He is notable for planning the first regular trans-oceanic convoys, which became known as ...

, a soldier in the army of Felipe II, who explored

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

in the 16th century and founded in 1565 the first successful (continuously populated) European town in what is now the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, San Agustín (now St. Augustine, Florida). St. Augustine and Avilés are now sister cities. Avilés is also the birthplace of

Juan Carreño de Miranda Juan Carreño de Miranda (25 March 1614 — 3 October 1685) was a Spanish painter of the Baroque period. Biography Born in Avilés in Asturias, his father was a painter with the same name, Juan Carreño de Miranda. His family moved to Madrid in ...

, court painter to the king Charles II. The estuary, which had been closed to navigation since the early modern era, was partially drained and cleared in the 19th century. The water inlet dividing the place was covered, so that the two nuclei, Sabugo and La Villa, could be joined together. Then the city began to grow outside the medieval wall, which had been demolished in 1818. In the 20th century, there was an enormous growth in population due to the arrival of several large factories to the town. In 1953 were started the first earthworks for the construction of the factory of ENSIDESA, a large steel mill, currently

Aceralia Aceralia was a large Spanish steel producer formed in 1997 by restructuring of a group formed from earlier mergers of the steel producers ENSIDESA and ''Altos Hornos de Vizcaya''. The company merged into Arcelor in 2001, and became part of ArcelorM ...

(part of

ArcelorMittal ArcelorMittal S.A. is a Luxembourg-based multinational steel manufacturing corporation, headquartered in Luxembourg City. It is ranked second on the list of steel producers behind Baowu, and had an annual crude steel production of 58 millio ...

); other companies in the area are Cristalería Española, which together with ENDASA, currently

Alcoa Alcoa Corporation (an acronym for "Aluminum Company of America") is an American industrial corporation. It is the world's eighth-largest producer of aluminum. Alcoa conducts operations in 10 countries. Alcoa is a major producer of primary alu ...

, transformed Avilés into one of Spain's industrial centres. Nowadays, the city is trying to focus on new industries, particularly cultural tourism, and recover its antique flavour.

Culture

Architecture

Sights include: * St. Thomas of Canterbury church (dating from the 13th century) * Church of

Saint Nicholas of Bari Saint Nicholas of Myra (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Patara in Anatolia (in modern-day Antalya Province, Turkey) dur ...

(12th-13th century), in Romanesque style * , the sole example of civil medieval architecture in the town *

Palacio de Llano Ponte Palacio (''palace'') is a Spanish habitational name. It may have originated from many places in Spain, especially in Galicia and Asturias. Notable people with the surname include: *Agustina Palacio de Libarona (1825–1880), Argentine writer, sto ...

(1700–1706) * , fortified in its north façade against the English pirates * , a 14th-century funerary monument in Romanesque-Gothic transition style * Old church of Sabugo (13th century) * , in Modernist style * Palacio Valdés Theatre, in Neobaroque style

Museums and arts centres

Museum of Avilés Urban History The Museum of Avilés Urban History (''Museo de la Historia Urbana de Avilés'' in Spanish), is located in the medieval town center of Avilés, Asturias. The equipment is specially designed to contextualize the chronology of events that have m ...

* Black Pottery Museum * Alfercam Museum, where visitors can find a combination of world musical instruments and vintage cars. * , including the Bances Candamo public library, art gallery, reading and study areas. * CMAE - - arts and exhibicion centre in ''El Arbolón'' area, not far from the town centre. *

, designed by the Brazilian architect

Oscar Niemeyer Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho (15 December 1907 – 5 December 2012), known as Oscar Niemeyer (), was a Brazilian architect considered to be one of the key figures in the development of modern architecture. Niemeyer was b ...

. It is a magnet for different personalities, including winners of the

Prince of Asturias Awards The Princess of Asturias Awards (, ), formerly the Prince of Asturias Awards from 1981 to 2014 (), are a series of annual prizes awarded in Spain by the Princess of Asturias Foundation (previously the Prince of Asturias Foundation) to individuals ...

, the

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...

, musicians, actors, the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, etc.

Sculptures

Throughout the town there are sculptures in various styles: the set of sculptures in El Muelle park, specially the ''Pedro Menendez'' sculpture and (the seal); the set of sculptures along the

; ''Avilés'' sculpture, and others such as , (The Man who Listens to the Stone), , , etc. CentroNiemeyer1

Feasts and traditions

Some of the most famous are: In autumn: * Feast of the (Autumn). In winter: * The (

Carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...

in Asturian) which includes the ''.'' In spring: * The ; the is a traditional cake—. * Lunch in the street (). *The . In summer: * The

Celsius 232 The degree Celsius is the unit of temperature on the Celsius temperature scale "Celsius temperature scale, also called centigrade temperature scale, scale based on 0 ° for the melting point of water and 100 ° for the boiling point ...

, a terror, fantasy and science fiction literature festival. * The

Interceltic Festival of Avilés The Interceltic Festival of Avilés (FIA) is a summer arts festival held annually in Avilés, and the surrounding area in Asturias, Spain since 1997. The festival is held to promote the cultural traditions, and developments, of the Celtic natio ...

, which takes place in summer, with people coming from all

Celtic nations The Celtic nations or Celtic countries are a cultural area and collection of geographical regions in Northwestern Europe where the Celtic languages and cultural traits have survived. The term ''nation'' is used in its original sense to mean a ...

(

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, Galicia,

). * Feast of

Saint Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; ; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a theologian and philosopher of Berbers, Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia (Roman province), Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced th ...

(Avilés'

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

). * rock festival.

Festivals

, which takes place in summer, with people coming from all

(

, Galicia,

). * Avilés International Cinema and Architecture Festival * Beer Festival * Avilés Acción Film Festival, an international short film festival. * organized from Sol Street. * ''

IndieGo Alley Festival The IndieGo Alley Festival (read: ''Indie-go Alley Festival'') is a non-profit internacional film and music festival that takes places in Asturias since 2012. History The name of the festival comes from the words "indie" and the colour of the n ...

'', International Creative Commons film and music festival (live music, videoclips, experimental cinema and short films) organized in Palacio Valdés street. It takes place for one evening.

Climate

The area experiences an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

, warm summers with both overcast and sunny days. In winter the weather is moderate, with significant rains and wind, although sometimes the cold climate of Asturias results in snowfall at sea level. The temperature is rarely below zero or over . Summer highs are exceptionally low by Spanish standards due its heavy maritime features and northerly position in the country.

Politics

The first mayor of Avilés, after the Spanish Transition, was Manuel Ponga Santamarta ( FSA-PSOE) (1979–1983) (1983–1987) (1987–1988), then Santiago Jesús Rodríguez Vega ( FSA-PSOE) (1988–1991) (1991–1995) (1999–2003) (2003–2007), Agustín Gonzalez Sánchez ( PP) (1995–1999), Pilar Varela Díaz (FSA-PSOE) (2007–2011) (2011–2015), and the current one María Virtudes Monteserín Rodríguez ( FSA-PSOE) (2015–2019) (2019–2023).

Economy

The Port of Avilés is a

port facility A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manches ...

in Avilés. It handles bulk, breakbulk, liquid bulk and has facilities for

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

and leisure craft.

Parishes

*Avilés *

La Madalena de Corros La Madalena de Corros (Spanish: ''Corros'') is one of six parishes (administrative divisions) in Avilés, a municipality within the province and autonomous community of Asturias, in northern Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a coun ...

San Cristóbal de Entreviñas San Cristóbal de Entreviñas is a municipality located in the province of Zamora, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, ...

San Xuan de Nieva San Xuan de Nieva (Spanish: ''Laviana'') is one of six parishes (administrative divisions) in Avilés, a municipality within the province and autonomous community of Asturias, in northern Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a countr ...

* Miranda *

Valliniello Valliniello, also known as Navarro and officially named as Valliniello / Navarro, is one of six Parish (administrative division), parishes (administrative divisions) in Avilés, a Municipalities of Spain, municipality within the province and aut ...

Notable people

* Horacio Álvarez (1881–1936), politician, lawyer and journalist *

Kily Álvarez David 'Kily' Álvarez Aguirre (born 5 February 1984) is a former professional footballer who played as either a right-back or a right midfielder. Born in Spain, he played for the Equatorial Guinea national football team, Equatorial Guinea natio ...

(born 1984), footballer * Sergio Álvarez (born 1992), footballer * Iván Candela (born 1978), retired footballer *

(1614–1685), painter * Yago Lamela (1977–2014), athlete *

(1519–1574), admiral, explorer and first governor of Florida *

Esteban de las Alas Esteban de las Alas (died 1577) was a Spanish naval officer who served as interim governor of Spanish Florida, La Florida from October 1567 to August 1570, in the absence of official governor Pedro Menéndez de Avilés. He was also governor of the ...

, governor of Florida (in the absence of Avilés) and Santa Elena * Juan Treviño de Guillamas (d. before 1636), governor of Spanish Florida (1613–1618) and Venezuela (1621–1623).

Twin towns – sister cities

Saint-Nazaire Saint-Nazaire (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Loire-Atlantique Departments of France, department in western France, in traditional Brittany. The town has a major harbour on the right bank of the Loire estuary, near the Atlantic Oc ...

, France *

St. Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; ; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced the development of Western philosop ...

, United States

References

Bibliography

* ''Paseo ilustrado por el casco histórico de Avilés'', Concejalía de Turismo, Ayuntamiento de Avilés, del Río, Alberto * ''Avilés'', Ediciones: Mases, Ovies Ruiz, José Ramón * ''Asturias a través de sus concejos'', Ediciones: Prensa Asturiana S.A. * ''Heráldica Institucional y Vexilología del Principado de Asturias'', Ediciones: Principado de Asturias, Panizo Gómez, Eduardo * ''Avilés, una historia de mil años'', Ediciones Azuzel, Juan Carlos de la Madrid * ''Avilés, su fe y sus obras'', author's edition, Ángel Garralda García * ''Gran Enciclopedia Asturiana'', Silverio Cañada, Several authors

External links

Municipality of AvilésAvifoto - pictures of the city
requires flash)
Oscar Niemeyer International Cultural Centre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aviles Municipalities in Asturias Port cities and towns on the Spanish Atlantic coast *