VITORIA, a town of Spain, capital of the Basque province of Alava, stands at a height of about 1750 feet above sea-level, on a small hill commanding the plain of Alava, 234 miles by rail north-north-east of Madrid. The oldest part of the town, the Campillo or Villa-Suso, occupies the top of the hill; some of the walls and towers by which it was formally defended still remain, but it is now almost deserted, and chiefly occupied by gardens. Below it is “Vitoria Antigua,” with narrow tortuous lanes; on the lower level ground is the modern town, with wide streets, an arcaded market place, aud shady promenades. The cathedral of St Mary in the Campillo dates its foundation from 1181, and has some good Gothic arches, but has been considerably spoiled by late additions; the church of San Miguel also dates from the 12th century, but does not possess any features of special interest. Vitoria, from its favourable position, is an important centre of trade in wine, wool, horses, mules, and hardware; the chief industries are paper-making, carriage-building, cabinet-making, tanning, and the manufacture of earthernware. The population within the municipal boundaries in 1877 was 25,039.

Though an obscure village seems to have occupied the site from an early period, the existence of Vitoria as a town dates from 1181, when Sancho the Wise of Navarre granted a “fuero” similar to that of Logro&o, and fortified the place. A decisive victory was here gained by the Anglo-Spanish army under Wellington over the French under Joseph Bonaparte and Jourdan on June 21, 1813.