Hotel Maria Cristina San Sebastian History. A Royal History and the hotel of the celebrities

A Royal History in San Sebastian

In 1845, doctors at the Court took a decision that inadvertently changed the future of San Sebastian. At that time, skin affections of Queen Isabel II had become a serious problem that demanded solutions. Doctors advised Her Majesty a treatment based on sea bathing. The court, on the advice of the doctors, travelled north for the summer and the city of San Sebastian became a trendy place and the most important summer centre of Spain in the late nineteenth century. After the death of King Alfonso XII, which occurred in 1885, the Queen Regent Maria Cristina continued the tradition and summer after summer, carried all the glamor of the Court to the beaches of Cantabria. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the once small city had become one of the most attractive centers of holidays for  all European aristocracy. Its demographic growth was spectacular. In just 45 years tripled its population, which grew from 20,823 in 1880 to 65,930 registered in 1925. San Sebastian acted as a powerful magnet for the high society. Visitors from around the world paraded through the streets and filled the terraces, especially as Europe was bleeding in the Great War and during the happy years 20th.

At that time, San Sebastian was at the forefront of innovation and industrialization. Once the walls that hindered the growth of the city were torn down,  the path to modernity was launched at high speed. So the city was a pioneer in the installation of the tramway, electric street lighting and telephone. It was also the time of the great construction. San Sebastian was full of huge and beautiful buildings. La belle époque had arrived. Soon came the Victoria Eugenia Theatre, the Casino later converted into City Hall and, above all, the impressive Hotel Maria Cristina, built in 1912 by French architect Charles Mewes, architect also of the Ritz in Madrid and Paris. When the hotel opened its doors July, the first person to cross it was the Regent Maria Cristina.

In a city full of life the hotel Maria Cristina became the pride of the population with its social and cultural activities. In its luxurious rooms met high society. During the First World War, hotel Maria Cristina was the meeting place of politicians and artists at first and then the stylists and Parisian fashion, with Coco Chanel, Paul Poiret and Patou Jena to the head, especially during the years postwar. In 1925, with the closure of the Casino, the city began a slow decline. The Pact of San Sebastian in 1930 brought the Republic and the heads of the various parties to meet here to agree a common front. In 1936, the outbreak of the Civil War put an end to the golden age of the city. During the war, the hotel was assaulted by Civil Guard units loyal to the Government of the Republic. Although the building suffered little damage, even today guests can see some holes in the facade because of the projectiles.

After the Second World War, there were several additions and renovations at the hotel. In 1948, the hand of the architect Manuel Urcola, added an area that modified his old L-shaped floor into the shape of a U. In 1985, under the direction of architect José Miguel Martín Herrera, the hotel reached the rank of five stars.

The hotel of the celebrities and the International Film Festival of San Sebastian

Charlton Heston San Sebastián International Film Festival 1991

Quentin Tarantino San Sebastián International Film Festival 1994

Francisco Rabal San Sebastián International Film Festival 1995

Jeremy Irons San Sebastián International Film Festival 1997

_{^{Photos: © San Sebastián International Film Festival}}