Laredo () is a town in the autonomous community of

Cantabria Cantabria (, ; ) is an autonomous community and Provinces of Spain, province in northern Spain with Santander, Cantabria, Santander as its capital city. It is called a , a Nationalities and regions of Spain, historic community, in its current ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. According to the 2008

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

( INE), the municipality has a population of 12,648 inhabitants. In addition to Laredo, the municipality includes the villages of La Arenosa, El Callejo, Las Cárcobas, Las Casillas, La Pesquera, Tarrueza and Villante. Except from the last two, the other villages had been physically integrated into Laredo. Located between the cities of Santander and

Bilbao Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...

, Laredo is known in the region and nationally for "''La Salvé''", its 5 km long beach (7 km at

high tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables ...

) and for the historic part of town dating back to

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 ...

times. Its festivities in August are also well known due to the main event that occurs every year on the last Friday of August, known as la ''batalla de flores'' (the battle of the flowers), during which large floats entirely covered with flowers and petals are paraded along the central streets. In Laredo (and many other cities in Spain) it is tradition for a group of men to parade a giant

sardine Sardine and pilchard are common names for various species of small, oily forage fish in the herring suborder Clupeoidei. The term "sardine" was first used in English during the early 15th century; a somewhat dubious etymology says it com ...

through town at the end of

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 ...

. At the end of this ritual, called '' Entierro de la Sardina'' ("

burial Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

of the sardine"), the sardine is burned on the beach after a fireworks display. This town gave its name to the twin cities of Laredo and

Nuevo Laredo Nuevo Laredo () is a city in the Municipality of Nuevo Laredo in the Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Tamaulipas. The city lies on the banks of the Rio Grande, across from Laredo, Texas, Laredo, United States. The 2010 census popula ...

on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Economy

Economically, Laredo is based on fishing and the service sector and tourism. Laredo is considered one of the main resorts on the Cantabrian coast. The local industry is based on the processing of fishery products, especially anchovies, and family businesses. In Laredo, whose average income level is amongst the fifteen highest in Cantabria, the service sector employs over half the population (51.2%). Laredo Regional Hospital in Laredo serves the surrounding region.

Transport

Laredo is connected to Spanish transportation hubs Bilbao and Santander via ''Automoviles Luarca, S.A.''. Bilbao is an hour to the east of Laredo, while Santander lies 40 minutes west. Madrid is a 5-hour bus journey away.

People from Laredo

* Bernardino de Escalante (1537-circa 1605), 16th-century writer. * José Emilio Amavisca (1971–), retired footballer. *

Ignacio Rodríguez Ortiz Ignacio is a male Spanish name originating in the Latin name "Ignatius" from ''ignis'' "fire". This was the name of several saints, including the third bishop of Antioch (who was thrown to wild beasts by emperor Trajan) and Saint Ignatius of Loy ...

(1982–), footballer.

Twin towns – Sister cities

Cenon Cenon (; Gascon language, Gascon: ''Senon'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, department of Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. It is a suburb of the city of Bordeaux, and is adjacent to it on the ea ...

, France (''since 1988'') * Dakhla, Sahrawi Republic (''since 16 December 2011'') * Laredo, United StatesLaredo, Spain
Laredotexas.gov *

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Gallery

File:Antiguopuertolaredo.jpg, "''El Canto''", old port of Laredo (1883-2006) File:Puerto de Laredo - Mayo 2009.jpg, Works on the new port of Laredo, May 2009 File:Murallalaredo.jpg, Medieval walls (13th century) at the "''Puebla Vieja''" of Laredo File:Iglesialaredo.jpg, "''Santa María de la Asunción''" church (13th century-17th century) at the "''Puebla Vieja''" of Laredo File:Interioriglesialaredo.jpg, "''Santa María de la Asunción''" interior File:S.MartinLaredo.jpg, "''San Martín y Santa Catalina''" church (13th century) File:VPLaredo2004m.jpg, Beach Volleyball Spanish Championship 2004 in "''La Salvé''" beach, Laredo File:Laredo Regaton.jpg, "''El Regatón''" beach File:Antiguoayuntamiento.jpg, Old town hall (1561-2008) File:Ayuntamientolaredo.jpg, New town hall File:Drvelasco.jpg, Former Dr. Velasco school, nowadays used as

cultural center A cultural center or cultural centre is an organization, building or complex that promotes culture and arts. Cultural centers can be neighborhood community arts organizations, private facilities, government-sponsored, or activist-run. Africa * ...

, and in summer as cinema and main location of the

University of Cantabria The University of Cantabria (UC) () is a public university located in Santander, Torrelavega and Comillas in Cantabria, Spain. It was founded in 1972 and comprises 15 schools and colleges. It was selected as Campus of International Ex ...

summer courses File:Batalladeflores.jpg, The Battle of Flowers festival File:Parquelaredo.jpg, 3 Laredos Park File:Historialaredo.jpg, Laredo's "''El Ensanche''" and "''La Salvé''" beach in the 1950s

References

External links

''Ayuntamiento de Laredo''''Nostalgias Pejinas''
– Cantabria 102 Municipios
Pictures of Laredo
{{authority control Municipalities in Cantabria Port cities and towns on the Spanish Atlantic coast