Laredo () is a town in the autonomous community of

Cantabria Cantabria (, also , , Cantabrian: ) is an autonomous community in northern Spain with Santander as its capital city. It is called a ''comunidad histórica'', a historic community, in its current Statute of Autonomy. It is bordered on the east ...

. According to the 2008

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

(

INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research center * Instituto Nacional de Estadística (disambiguation) * Instituto Nacional de Estatística (disambiguation) * Instituto Nacional Elec ...

), 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 Santander may refer to: Places * Santander, Spain, a port city and capital of the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain * Santander Department, a department of Colombia * Santander State, former state of Colombia * Santander de Quilichao, a m ...

and

Bilbao ) , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = 275 px , map_caption = Interactive map outlining Bilbao , pushpin_map = Spain Basque Country#Spain#Europe , pushpin_map_caption ...

, 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 can ...

) 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 ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

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 family Clupeidae. The term "sardine" was first used in English during the early 15th century, a folk etymology says it comes from the Ital ...

through town at the end of

carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...

. At the end of this ritual, called ''

Entierro de la Sardina The " Burial of the Sardine''" ( es, Entierro de la sardina) is a Spanish ceremony celebrating the end of carnival and other festivities. The "Burials" generally consist of a carnival parade that parodies a funeral procession and culminates with th ...

'' ("

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 state of Tamaulipas. The city lies on the banks of the Rio Grande, across from Laredo, United States. The 2010 census population of the city was 373,725. Nuevo Lare ...

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 Bernardino de Escalante (ca. 1537– after 1605) was a Spanish soldier, priest, geographer and a prolific writer. He is best known as the author of the second book on China that was published in Europe, and the first author of such a book to o ...

(1537-circa 1605), 16th-century writer. *

José Emilio Amavisca José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

(1971–), retired footballer. *

Ignacio Rodríguez Ortiz Ignacio is a male Spanish and Galician name originating either from the Roman family name Egnatius, meaning born from the fire, of Etruscan origin, or from the Latin name "Ignatius" from the word "Ignis" meaning "fire". This was the name of sev ...

(1982–), footballer.

Twin towns – Sister cities

Cenon Cenon (; Gascon: ''Senon'') is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is a suburb of the city of Bordeaux, and is adjacent to it on the east side. Population See also *Communes of the Gironde dep ...

, France (''since 1988'') * Dakhla,

Sahrawi Republic Sahrawi or Saharawi (also transliterated into Spanish as or French as ), is an Arabic term meaning 'from the Sahara', or more specifically the Western Sahara. It can also mean 'from the desert' in general. Sahrawi may also refer to: People *the ...

(''since 16 December 2011'') * Laredo, United StatesLaredo, Spain
Laredotexas.gov *

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

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. Asia * Ce ...

, and in summer as cinema and main location of the

University of Cantabria University of Cantabria (UC) ( es, Universidad de Cantabria), is a public university located in Santander, Torrelavega and Comillas in Cantabria, Spain. It was founded in 1972 and is organized in 15 schools and colleges. It was selected as ...

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