We offer you the possibility of getting to know the city of Santander from the perspective of the year 1941 through a cultural and touristic route through the city: The Great Fire Route.
Get to know how the city was years ago by Reading and using the different totems that are placed all around the city and explain to you how the city was before being damaged by the fire, the consequences of this fire and how is it nowadays.
The first point of interest would be the “Calle Cádiz”, where the famous fire began. It’s the heart of the bay, before that we could find the roman settlement of Portus Victoriae and the castle of Somorrostro. The evidence that the ground you walk on was a port can be found at the Old Docks Interpretation Center. Rebuilt and revitalized, today it is one of the liveliest areas, immersed in the Cultural Ring and, as always, living facing the sea.
The next point of interest on this cultural tour is Plaza Machichaco. There is the Monument to the Victims of the Explosion of Cabo Machichaco, the ship that arrived with a clandestine load of dynamite in its hold in 1893.
Following the totems you will find yourself in the “Botin Centre”, one of the most emblematic buildings of the city, where you will be able to enjoy not only a wide variety of cultural possibilities, but you will also have the possibility of enjoying one of the best views of the Santander’s bay.
We advance towards the Plaza de Alfonso XIII, halfway we find the Bank of Spain, in this place there was a castle from the time of King Alfonso VIII that survives until the 20th century with numerous changes. In that same century was built the building known as the Bank of Spain.
Diving into the “Jardines de Pereda”, we will find the next totem on this route. These gardens, inaugurated in 1905 under the name of “Jardines del Muelle”, were renamed Jardines de Pereda in 1911, when the monument of the Cantabrian writer José María de Pereda was placed.
Our next stop is San José Street, another of those affected by this catastrophic fire, just like Puente Street.
The Plaza de Atarazanas, located at the foot of the Cathedral, was used as a shipyard in the XV century, since the sea reached this point.
Our last two stops are Calle Lealtad and Juan de Herrera, two of the most crowded by people from Santander due to the big variety of the commercial establishments and stores.