Pontevedra, city, capital of Pontevedra provincia (province), in the comunidad autónoma (autonomous community) of Galicia, northwestern Spain. Situated on the Lérez River at its entry into the Pontevedra Estuary, an Atlantic inlet, Pontevedra has a long maritime and trading tradition. The city’s port and shipyards were important in the Middle Ages, and it is probable that Christopher Columbus’s ship the Santa Maria was built there. Legend says that it was founded by a Greek, Teukro, who called it Helenes, but more likely it was of Roman origin—hence its old name Pons Vetus (“Old Bridge”), from the 11-arch bridge that, with modifications, still spans the Lérez. Noteworthy buildings include the Plateresque Church of Santa María la Mayor (1520–59), a national monument; the 14th-century Gothic convents of San Francisco (also a national monument) and Santa Clara; the Rococo La Peregrina Sanctuary (1778–92); and the ruins of the 14th-century Convent of Santo Domingo, now an archaeological museum.
Pontevedra is dominated by shipyards, fishing ports, and vibrant commercial activity. Its industries include the manufacture of canned foods, cloth, hats, leather, pottery, fertilizers, timber, and cellulose; and there is an active trade in grain, timber, fish, wine, and fruit. Education, health care, and public administration are the city’s main services; its commerce and finance industries are entwined with those of the nearby cities Vigo and Santiago de Compostela. Pop. (2006 est.) 58,197.