Gijón – the city for soccer

Overview

Gijón is an industrial city as well as a municipality situated on the northern coast of Spain. It is at a height of 513 m from sea level. During the medieval period this was known as “Gigia”. This gained importance under the Romans. Its population in 2006 was about 280,000.

History

Gijón’s historic quarter is formed by the hill of Santa Catalina and Cimadevilla, the fishing neighborhood. Communities were established by the first settlers on top of this hill and the Basque sculptor Eduardo Chillida chose this site for the monumental work.

Climate

The climate in Gijón is an Atlantic humid maritime climate but its humidity is very high. The summer remains warm mostly with sunny days and sometimes with overcast sky; on the other hand winter is cold and has lots of rains.

Art and culture

Some of the popular museums in this town are as under:

1.Nicanor Piñole Museum – is an art museum

2.Museo del Ferrocarril – this is a Railway Museum located near marina where you can learn about the history of Asturias

3.Museo Internacional de la Gaita – is an International Bagpipe Museum where bagpipes from all over the world are exhibited

4.Evaristo Valle Museum – is a museum exhibiting the paintings of a local painter

5.Juan Barjola Museum – displays avant-garde art and also about a local painter

6.LABoralCentro de Arte y Creación Industrial – exhibits science and technology, contemporary art

In the 19th century, this city was known for its college/ school – Real Instituto Asturiano.

Parks and Playgrounds

Popular parks to visit are Gardens of Náutico, Gardens of Begoña and Gardens of Reina.

Cuisine

Fabada and Sidra are two of the most important foods offered in this city. Fabada is a stew made from salt pork, beans and chorizo whereas Sidra is a Cider which is poured from above the head which aerates the drink.

Sports and Entertainment

The popular sports in Gijón are soccer, basketball, American football, baseball and skiing. Its soccer team plays in the Spanish National League in the first division. Teams of the other sports also play at top level. There are 13 public sports centers wherein facilities are available for swimming, saunas and gyms. You can practice water sports in the Royal Astur Yacht Club or other yacht clubs.

Business

Local businesses mostly depend on the port. The economy depends not only on the activities related to the port but also on tourism, livestock, fisheries and other metallurgical items.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock  Pixabay