Vitoria-Gasteiz Old Town

Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, Spain

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Vitoria-Gasteiz Old Town, known as Casco Viejo or Alde Zaharra, forms the oval-shaped medieval core of Spain's Basque Country capital, founded around 1181 by King Sancho VI of Navarre atop the earlier hilltop settlement of Gasteiz and enclosed by 11th-century defensive walls.

Its narrow, winding streets preserve an intact Gothic atmosphere centered on landmarks like the 13th-16th-century Cathedral of Santa María la Vieja—with its deformed vaults from structural shifts, ribbed ceilings, and Renaissance chapels—alongside the towers of San Miguel, San Vicente, and San Pedro churches defining the skyline.

Renaissance palaces such as Bendaña, Montehermoso, and Doña Ochanda (now the Natural Sciences Museum) line key squares like Plaza de la Virgen Blanca and Plaza Nueva, blending civil architecture with remnants of ancient gates and battlements amid a UNESCO-recognized layout that transitions to 19th-century expansions.