The foundation collaborates in the organisation of the summer courses at La Granda, led by professor Juan Velarde Fuertes, which bring together a group of experts in Avilés (Asturias) to discuss disciplines as varied as economics, medicine, education and history.

In the 2020 edition, La Granda marked the centenary of Benito Pérez Galdós’s death with a number of lectures on the most relevant aspects of his literary work, focusing particularly on the literary recreation of key episodes in Spain’s history.

Other courses with a historical theme explored the economic, social and political problems facing Spain in 1920 and analysed relations between Spain and Portugal in relation to specific events, such as the transfer of Jews from one country to another at the time of the Inquisition.

Each year, Fundación Banco Santander and the association Hispania Nostra organise the Hispania Nostra Awards to reward best practices in the protection of historic and natural heritage.

The criteria used to allocate the awards are based on innovation, efficacy, sustainability, exemplariness and transferability.

In 2020, the Landscape Intervention Award went to the landscaping and restoration of the Parque de las Aguas in Cornellá de Llobregat (Barcelona), the former headquarters of the company Aguas de Barcelona. Two runner up prizes were awarded to interventions at the Vacceo-Roman necropolis in Las Ruedas (Valladolid) and the traditional wine presses in Moradillo de Roa (Burgos).

In the category of Conservation of Heritage as a Factor of Socio-Economic Development, there were two winning projects: a research, rehabilitation and dissemination project at the archaeological site in Guarrazar (Toledo) and the work carried out by the Museo Cal de Morón to revive traditional knowledge and crafts. Second prize was awarded to the initiative to catalogue and computerise the historical and musical archive at the Cathedral of Burgos.

Finally, the application featuring a virtual reconstruction of the castle of San Vicente de la Sonsierra (La Rioja) was awarded the Cultural and Natural Heritage Signage and Publicity Prize. The multimedia content platform patrimoniuindustrial.com, which allows users to discover Asturias’s industrial heritage, received second prize in the category.

The foundation collaborates with the Real Fundación de Toledo to preserve, promote and study the rich cultural heritage of the historical city of Toledo. With this aim in mind, it promotes urban planning initiatives, restoration of cultural assets, research projects, exhibitions, lectures and publications. A Documentation Centre is available to facilitate research into the city, with archives and libraries containing numerous documents.

Another of the foundation’s aims is to preserve and publicise the legacy of sculptor Victorio Macho, who lived and worked at what is now the headquarters of the Real Fundación de Toledo. The site is home to a museum dedicated to the artist and demonstrating the importance of his work in 20th century Spanish art.