Donostia-San Sebastian. The Miramar Palace (Palacio de Miramar)

In the Plaza Alfonso XIII, opposite the old Church (Parroquia la Antigua) is the main gate of the summer residence of the Spanish monarchs.

A huge garden occupies the territory of the former monastery of San Sebastian.

The Miramar Palace, also called the Municipal or Royal Palace, was built in 1893 by order of the Royal family.

The Spanish monarchy favored San Sebastian in the mid-19th century, during the time of Isabel II, who came here to swim in the waters of the Bay of Biscay.

The real attraction of the city, as a prestige resort, was put by the Dowager Queen Regent Maria Christina of Austria, who spent the summer months on the Atlantic coast.

Long visits required the construction of a permanent residence, for which a plot was purchased on the shore of La Concha Bay.

The project was commissioned by the English architect Selden Wornum (Selden Wornum), who created the Palace in the classic English style with neo-Gothic elements.

In 1920, a wing was added to the Palace, which was called the "Prince's pavilion".

During the Second Republic, the Palace passed into municipal ownership (hence the second name), receiving the status of a summer residence of the President.

With the establishment of the Franco dictatorship, the estate was returned to the ownership of the Royal house.

In 1963, the territory surrounding the Palace was divided into parts and put up for sale for development, the monarchs retained only the Palace itself and a small part of the garden.

After 9 years, this plot was purchased from Infante Juan in municipal ownership.

Monument to Catalina De Erauso, the legendary "Lieutenant nun" (La Monja Alférez), a native of San Sebastian. Catalina was born in 1592, and at the age of four was sent to a Dominican convent. At the age of 15, she escaped from there, disguised as a man and reached Bilbao, where under the name of Francisco de Loyola, she was hired on a ship bound for the New World. After reaching the shores of Spanish America, she enlisted as a soldier and participated in the Araucanian war in Chile. In the battle of Valdivia, he is promoted to ensign, and in the next battle of Purem, he takes command in place of the dead captain and wins the battle. It must be said that the exploits of the new commander consisted in extremely brutal reprisals against opponents-the Indians. The subsequent career of Catalina consists of a long series of bloody events, in which not only the indigenous population suffered at her hands, but also "colleagues" with whom The woman fought duels on the slightest provocation. Eventually, in 1623, Catalina was arrested and sentenced to death. Begging for mercy, the woman revealed her sex to Bishop Agustin de Carvajal. On his behalf, nuns-midwives conducted an expert examination and found that the accused is not only a woman but also a virgin. Catalina was pardoned and sent to Spain, where king Philip IV granted her the rank of Lieutenant. Then she went to Rome, where she received permission from Pope urban VIII to wear men's clothing. Catalina returned to New Spain in 1630 and spent the rest of her life working as a mule driver on a freight train from Veracruz to Mexico city. Catalina died in 1650 in the mountain village of Cotaxtla.

Now part of the Palace is occupied by the Higher school of music Musikene, the other is used as an academic building of the University of the Basque Country, for which the interior has been partially rebuilt.

The Palace garden and the Palace itself are used for receptions during the annual San Sebastian film festival.