Vitoria-Gasteiz [key], city (1990 est. pop. 209,506), capital of Araba/Álava prov. and administrative center of the Basque Country, N Spain. It is a manufacturing and administrative center producing furniture, motor vehicles, and refined sugar. It was probably founded in the 6th cent. by the Visigoths. In 1181 Sancho the Wise of Navarre named it Vitoria to commemorate a victory over the Moors; the modern name combines the city's Spanish and Basque names. In 1813 Wellington won the decisive battle of the Peninsular War there against the French under Joseph Bonaparte and Jourdan. The 12th-century church of San Miguel is noted for its woodwork.
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