Gijón

Gijón, city, Asturias provincia (province) and comunidad autónoma (autonomous community), northwestern Spain. It is located on the Bay of Biscay at the foot of Santa Catalina Hill, just northeast of Oviedo city. Known to the Romans and Goths as Gigia, it was captured by the Moors early in the 8th century but was retaken about 737; it was the capital of the Kingdom of Asturias until 791. Gijón was burned during civil wars in 1395 and, in the 16th and 17th centuries, suffered many corsair attacks. The remnants of the Spanish Armada took refuge there in 1588.

Historic monuments include Roman baths, several medieval palaces, the City of Culture, and the former Jovellanos Institute. The largest building in Spain, the City of Culture is the former home of the Labor University of Gijón, which was founded in 1955 for the children of miners. The Jovellanos Institute (1797)—once the headquarters of the Royal Institute of Nautical Science and Mineralogy and named for the 18th-century philosopher Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos y Ramírez, a native of the city—is now a national monument and cultural center.

Gijón’s seaport, Puerto del Musel, leads Spain in the coasting trade and is an international port of call. Coal (the chief export) and iron taken from the Asturian mines and fishing are of economic importance. Industries include iron, steel, and chemical manufactures, petroleum refining, liquor distilling, and food processing. Bathing beaches have made Gijón a leading summer resort on the Costa Verde. Pop. (2007 est.) mun., 274,037; (2023) 268,948.