Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria, Santander

The Santander international music festival (FIS) began in 1948 with folk evenings organized by the Menendez Pelayo cultural University. In 1952, a summer theater was built for the event, and in 1956, the festival in Santander became a member of the European Association of music festivals. Within the framework of the festival, folklore and theater groups from all over Spain perform, as well as invited artists and collectives from other countries. The festival is held under the auspices of the Ministry of information and tourism and aims to promote the national art of Spain. In parallel with the festival program, the Paloma O'shea international piano competition is held every two years in Santander.

In 1984, the design of the festival auditorium was approved by the architect Francisco Javier Sáenz de Oiza, the construction was completed in 1990.

During the construction of the hall, disputes about both the financial side (the estimate was significantly exceeded) and the architectural features of the building did not subside for a long time. In particular, the public did not like its gigantic size, lack of natural lighting, and 2 weeks before the opening, at the insistence of the public, the rows of seats were urgently re - planned-the public considered the distance between them insufficient. Nevertheless, the festival Palace (on the map) has become the architectural symbol of Santander. In addition to the summer festival, the hall functions as a permanent concert and theater venue.