Ayuntamiento de San Sebastian (San Sebastian Town Hall), San Sebastian

San Sebasti谩n鈥檚 Town Hall has a past life worthy of a gossip column. Long before it housed council chambers, it was the Gran Casino, unveiled in 1887 as the city鈥檚 ultimate showpiece. Architects borrowed inspiration from Monte Carlo, and the result was pure Belle 脡poque spectacle. Royals and aristocrats flocked here each summer-Queen Isabella II and later Queen Mar铆a Cristina brought their court, turning San Sebasti谩n into Spain鈥檚 version of high society鈥檚 living room. The guest list glittered with the Shah of Persia, Baron Rothschild, and even a young version of Soviet politician Leon Trotsky. Local fishermen, meanwhile, were kept firmly outside, with tales that berets and espadrilles were forbidden on the gaming floor.

The casino was part of a wider wave of refinement that earned San Sebasti谩n the nickname 鈥淟ittle Paris.鈥� Grand hotels, the Victoria Eugenia Theatre, and the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd joined new trams and electric lights, pulling the seaside town firmly into the modern age. But the roulette wheels stopped abruptly in 1924 when Spain鈥檚 dictatorship outlawed gambling. The once-vibrant palace of chance stood silent until 1943, when architects Alday and Arizmendi reimagined it for a very different purpose. By 1945, the city council had taken over, trading poker tables for paperwork and making it the new seat of government.

Today the building still shows off its casino glamour. Its ornate fa莽ade faces La Concha Bay as if daring passersby to imagine the champagne-fueled soir茅es once held within. Now, instead of aristocrats placing bets, councillors draft policies-but the drama of its past continues to linger in its walls.

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Create Your Own Self-Guided Walk to Visit This Sight

Sight Name: Ayuntamiento de San Sebastian (San Sebastian Town Hall)
Sight Location: San Sebastian, Spain (See walking tours in San Sebastian)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

San Sebastian Introduction Walking Tour

Walking Tours in San Sebastian, Spain

Create Your Own Walk in San Sebastian

Creating your own self-guided walk in San Sebastian is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.

San Sebastian Introduction Walking Tour

After watching bulls run around in Pamplona, Ernest Hemingway took a relaxing trip up north. He enjoyed the calmness of the shoreline so much that he vividly described it in his novel The Sun Also Rises. The city that appealed to Hemingway was San Sebasti谩n-known in Basque as Donostia.

The city takes its name from Saint Sebastian, the early Christian martyr whose cult spread widely through... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.0 Km or 1.9 Miles

Mount Urgull Walking Tour

Mount Urgull is a promontory stretching out at the eastern end of La Concha Bay, surrounded by water on all sides, except the one linking it to the Old Town of San Sebastian. Historically, this mount, rising 123 meters above sea level, served as a strategic defense point for the city, attesting to which now are the remnants of old fortifications with cannons still in place.

From its elevated... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.7 Km or 1.7 Miles

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