Valladolid, capital and primary seat of government of the autonomous community of Castile and Leon, has a population of about 300,000, with a total of some 450,000 in its metropolitan area.
The city, a strategic communications node, is located on the important northwest economic axis between Galicia, The Basque Country and Madrid. It is one hour away from Madrid, easily accessed by high-speed train. Furthermore, it lies on the Helsinki-Lisbon transport hub of the Atlantic corridor which connects Portugal with the rest of Europe.
It has one of the oldest universities in Spain, founded in 1241, that runs seven campuses in four cities of the autonomous region.
Valladolid’s industrial system stands out for being at the forefront of the automotive industry with leading companies in the sector such as Renault, Michelín, IVECO and SwitchMobility. Other important industrial sectors are food processing, metallurgy, and chemicals. The main economic area in terms of employment, however, is the service sector.
The innovation ecosystem of Valladolid gathers academia, research and technological centres together with large companies and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises working as a whole to deliver one of Europe’s most innovative cities.
Some of the strengths of the city, surrounded by wine-growing areas, are its gastronomy, wine tourism, cultural activities and heritage.
Its rich history and the fact that it was a royal seat in the Spanish golden century shaped an old town made up of a variety of historic houses, palaces, churches, avenues and parks. It includes the monumental Plaza Mayor, the National Museum of Sculpture as well as the houses of Zorrilla and Cervantes which are open as museums.
Among the events that are held each year in the city are the famous Holy Week, Valladolid International Film Festival (Seminci), and the Festival of Theatre and Street Arts (TAC).
Valladolid is compact enough to be explored on foot and has been rated as one of the top five Spanish cities in terms of quality of life.
The commitment to improving the quality of life of citizens through sustainability is at the core of the city’s growth. In recent years it has stood out for the management of pioneering programmes in areas such as renaturalisation, clean mobility, digitalisation, efficient construction, circular economy and new governance models.
A roadmap based on a holistic approach has led Valladolid to be chosen as one of the 100 Smart and Climate-Neutral Cities that are part of an ambitious Horizon Europe Mission.
