Valladolid was founded in 1072 and grew to become the seat of the Castilian court and capital of Spain from 1601-1606 until the capital moved to Madrid. The city experienced two important natural disasters, a large fire in 1561 that burned for 36 hours and destroyed much of the city, and major flooding in 2001 when floodwaters rose to 15 meters tall and cars could not drive on the streets. The city council governs Valladolid and its municipality.