Tudanca is a town and a municipality in the autonomous community of Cantabria, in Spain. Located in the Nansa valley, it belongs to the Saja-Nansa region.
Tourism and main attractions
The entire town center of Tudanca has been declared an asset of cultural interest, with the category of historical complex.
La Casona de Tudanca is a museum-library that is located in the town. This building was the habitual residence of José María de Cossío until his death in 1977.
José María de Cossío y Martínez Fortún (Valladolid, March 25, 1892 – Tudanca, October 24, 1977) was a Spanish writer and polygraph member of the Royal Spanish Academy and author of a monumental bullfighting treatise.
The building was founded in 1752 by Pascual Fernández de Linares, a local Indian who had become rich in Peru.
In May 1975, José María de Cossío reached an agreement with the Santander Provincial Council for the transfer of his house, the adjoining farms and all his possessions in exchange for a life pension. Two years later, the writer died and the property of the house became dependent on the Diputación.
The house was visited by many writers and politicians, friends of José María, who spent time in it and wrote about their stays. In 1957, Rafael Alberti wrote The Lost Grove, where he described the time he spent with José María. Juan Manuel de la Cuesta, José María’s grandfather, had also received many writers for a long time, such as Miguel de Unamuno, Carlos Gardel, José del Río Sainz, Gerardo Diego, Giner de los Ríos and Gregorio Marañón, among others.
In 2019, the Government of Cantabria announced the creation of a strategic plan to improve the house, such as the implementation of new technology and its opening to researchers to digitize the funds it contains.
Among main sights:
Church of San Tirso in Santotis. From the 16th century, it is the oldest in the municipality and inside it houses a Gothic carving of the Virgin with the Child.
Church of San Juan was built in 1760.
How to get to?
Nearest airport is in Santander.
From Santander 1 hr 25 min (102 km) via A-8
From Madrid 4 hr 44 min (417 km) via A-6
Main information
Area: 52 km²
Coordinates: 43°09′46″N 4°22′08″W
Population: 148
Languages: Spanish
Currency: Euro
Visa: Schengen
Time: Central European UTC +1
