Baiona is a town and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

Pontevedra Pontevedra (, ) is a Spanish city in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula. It is the capital of both the ''Comarca'' (County) and Province of Pontevedra, and of the Rías Baixas in Galicia. It is also the capital of its own municipality whi ...

autonomous community eu, autonomia erkidegoa ca, comunitat autònoma gl, comunidade autónoma oc, comunautat autonòma an, comunidat autonoma ast, comunidá autónoma , alt_name = , map = , category = Autonomous administra ...

of Galicia,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. It's a tourist town with a medieval historical center situated by the outlet of the Vigo Bay. Its population of just over 11,000 rises to around 45,000 in the summer, if one includes tourists. Since it is on

the Portuguese Way The Portuguese Way ( pt, Caminho Português, es, Camino Portugués) is the name of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage routes starting in Portugal. It begins at Porto or Lisbon. From Porto, along the Douro River, pilgrims travel north crossing the ...

path of the

Camino de Santiago The Camino de Santiago ( la, Peregrinatio Compostellana, "Pilgrimage of Compostela"; gl, O Camiño de Santiago), known in English as the Way of St James, is a network of pilgrims' ways or pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the apostle Saint ...

30,000 hikers also visit every year. Other than tourism the major economic activities revolve around fishing.

History

It was founded in 140 BC by Diomedes of Aetolia. Throughout its history it has had several names including Stuciana, Abóriga, Balcagia, and Erizana. In 1201 King

Alfonso IX of Leon Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsula. ...

granted the town a

royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, bu ...

. In 1370, King

Ferdinand I of Portugal Ferdinand I ( pt, Fernando; 31 October 1345 – 22 October 1383), sometimes called the Handsome () or occasionally the Inconstant (), was the King of Portugal from 1367 until his death in 1383. His death led to the 1383–85 crisis, also k ...

, who was proclaimed

King of Castile This is a list of kings and queens of the Kingdom and Crown of Castile. For their predecessors, see List of Castilian counts. Kings and Queens of Castile Jiménez dynasty House of Ivrea The following dynasts are descendants, in the ma ...

took up residence in the town and established his seat there until being forced to return to

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

. In 1474, the Baiona was seized by Don Pedro Alvarez de Soutomaior, also known as

Pedro Madruga }) in the morning. According to legend he first gained the nickname as a result of a dispute with the Count of Ribadavia concerning the boundaries of their respective lands. To settle the dispute the two men agreed to rise at the first cockcrow, mou ...

, Count of Caminha. On March 1, 1493, the '' Pinta'', one of the ships from

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

' voyage to the ''

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3 ...

'' returned to Europe and arrived in Baiona, making the town's port the first to receive news of the discovery of America. A replica of the ship can be visited, and the event is celebrated every year. In 1585 the inhabitants of Baiona repelled an attempt to take the town by the privateer

Francis Drake Sir Francis Drake ( – 28 January 1596) was an English explorer, sea captain, privateer, slave trader, naval officer, and politician. Drake is best known for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 1580 (t ...

. Five years later

Philip II of Spain Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from ...

beat the pirates that were laying the Galician coast to waste with a fleet of 98 vessels and 17,000 soldiers. Parador Bayona ss 08

Population

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From
INE Archiv
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Economy

The economy in Baiona is focused on tourism. The Parador de Baiona stands out from all the hotels in the village. Other activities are retail, subsistence agriculture, coastal fishing and construction.

Places of interest

Parador of Baiona. Belonging to

Paradores Paradores de Turismo de España , branded as Paradores, is a Spanish state-owned chain of luxury hotels that are usually located in historic buildings or in nature areas with a special appeal. Its very first parador was inaugurated on 9 Octobe ...

(state-owned hotel network), it is a good example of well-preserved history. Surrounded by a stone wall, on a small peninsula, the old hotel and restaurant overlooks the entrance of the Rias Baixas and the Cies Islands. Monte Real Yacht Club Baiona. The yacht club, founded in 1965, is next to the Parador. The club is host to international regattas and home to a sailing school, bringing maritime tourists to the city.(MRCYB) Monte Real Club de Yates de Baiona
/ref>

References

External links

Concello de Baiona
Official website (Partially in English) {{Authority control Municipalities in the Province of Pontevedra 140s BC establishments Populated places established in the 2nd century BC Port cities and towns in Spain