The Palacio de la Magdalena was built between 1909 and 1911, by popular subscription, to house the Spanish Royal Family. Built by the architects Javier González Riancho and Gonzalo Bringas Vega, is located in the place where the old Fort of San Salvador de Hano was, which protected the entrance to the bay.
The design and construction of the palace were overseen by architects Javier González de Riancho and Gonzalo Bringas Vega, with construction completed in 1912. King Alfonso XIII and his family first arrived at the Palacio de la Magdalena on August 4, 1913, and returned annually to summer at the palace through 1930. The royal family used the palace as a base for numerous recreational and sporting activities, and the king sometimes also held government meetings at the property. The annual trips ended with the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic in 1931.
Beginning in 1932, the palace was used to host summer courses through the Menéndez Pelayo International University. In 1977 the Count of Barcelona sold the palace and the peninsula back to the city of Santander for 150 million pesetas. The palace was declared an historical monument in 1982 and renovated between 1993 and 1995. It is the most visited place in the city of Santander and continues to be used as a conference and meeting hall to the present day.
The building has an eclectic style, combining English, French, and regional architectural styles. It has two points of entry, a north entrance with a Porte-cochère for carriages, and a second entrance to the south which was designed as the main entrance. The building is covered with stone masonry slate. The highlight of the interior is the reception rooms, which hold paintings of interest by artists such as Luis Benedito, Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida, and Fernando Alvarez Sotomayor.
The stables were designed by Javier González de Riancho. They emulate a medieval English village with sharp roofs of steep slopes and wooden tiles. After summer courses were started, the stables were converted to student dormitories.
The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.
The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.
The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.