Eibar

This article is about the municipality. For the city's football club, see SD Eibar.
Eibar
Municipality

Flag
Seal
Eibar

Location in Spain.

Coordinates: 43°11′N 2°28′W / 43.183°N 2.467°W
Country  Spain
Autonomous community  Basque Country
Province Gipuzkoa
Comarca Debabarrena
Government
 • Mayor Miguel de los Toyos (PSE-EE)
Area
 • Total 24.78 km2 (9.57 sq mi)
Elevation 121 m (397 ft)
Population (2013)
 • Total 27,439
 • Density 1,100/km2 (2,900/sq mi)
Demonym Eibartar (Basque)
Eibarrés, eibarresa (Spanish)
Website Official website
Church of San Andrés in Eibar.
City Hall.

Eibar is a city and municipality within the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Basque Country of Spain. It is the head town of Debabarrena, one of the comarcas of Gipuzkoa.

Eibar has 27,439 inhabitants (INE, 2013). Its chief industry is metal manufacturing, and has been known since the 16th century for the manufacture of armaments, particularly finely engraved small arms. It was also the home of Serveta scooters.

It is home to the SD Eibar football team in La Liga.

Geography

Eibar lies at an altitude of 121m above sea level, in the west of the province of Gipuzkoa, right next to Biscay. Eibar has an oceanic climate. The town lies in a narrow valley in a mountainous area, the highest mountains are between 700 and 800 metres high. Eibar is traversed by river Ego, which is a tributary of the Deba.

Apart from the urban area, the municipality consists of five rural neighbourhoods: Otaola-Kinarraga, Aginaga, Arrate, Mandiola and Gorosta.[1]

History

The city was chartered by Alfonso XI of Castile in 1346, receiving the name of Villanueva de San Andrés de Heybar.

The feudal families that dominated the territory engaged in the War of the Bands. Eibar, like the rest of settlements in the valley, had an industry based on finery forges and the manufacture of arms. In 1766, Eibar got engaged in a social revolt known as the Machinada, and years later, in 1794, it was attacked by the French, who destroyed the town.

In the 19th century, industrialisation transformed the production systems in the city and was accompanied by an important social movement. In the Carlist Wars, Eibar sided with the Liberals. Labour movement and socialism became particularly strong in Eibar. In 1931, Eibar was the first city in Spain to proclaim the Second Spanish Republic; in recognition it was given the title of "Very Exemplary City".

In the Spanish Civil War, Eibar was practically destroyed. The rebuilding brought an important industrial development and a demographic increase, as Eibar reached 40,000 inhabitants in a few years. This urban and industrial development took place in a complicated orography, as Eibar lies in the narrow Ego valley.

Due to the lack of space for enlargements, several factories moved to Durangaldea and Álava. The industrial crisis in the 1980s also made Eibar lose a great part of its population.

In the beginning of the 21st century, Eibar's economy is based on industry and services.[2]

Euskal Herriko Ahotsak project with local basque speakers and old photographs. [3][4]

Main sights

Transport

Road

Eibar is traversed by the AP-8 motorway connecting Bilbao and the French border, and the N-634 road running pararell to it. The AP-1 motorway connects Eibar and Vitoria-Gasteiz. AP-8 and AP-1 meet at the Malzaga motorway junction located in the east of Eibar.

Regular bus services under Lurraldebus connect Eibar to the rest of Debabarrena and major neighbouring towns, San Sebastián, Vitoria-Gasteiz and Bilbao Airport. BizkaiBus provides regular bus services to and from Bilbao.

Eibar also has an urban bus service called Udalbus.

Railway
Train station.

Eibar is located on the Bilbao-San Sebastián narrow gauge railway line. Trains operated by Euskotren run regularly to Bilbao-Atxuri station and Donostia-Amara station. Services are more frequent in the Ermua-Eibar-Elgoibar section.

Education

The Industrial Technical Engineering School of Eibar is part of the University of the Basque Country.

The Escuela de Armería, founded in 1913, is the oldest vocational school in Spain.

Sport

Football

Eibar is home to SD Eibar, which earned promotion to La Liga in the 2013-14 season. The team plays at the Ipurua Municipal Stadium.

Basque pelota

The Astelena fronton, nicknamed the Cathedral of Basque Hand-pelota, has hosted several Bare-handed Pelota First League finals.

Cycling
Sanctuary of Arrate.

Since 2009, the city hosts an annual stage finish in the Tour of Basque Country, usually after the riders have climbed the Alto de Arrate. Before that, this was a traditional finish in the Euskal Bizikleta, which originated in Eibar as Bicicleta Eibarresa.[5] The Arrate-finish has also been included in the Vuelta a España in 1972, 1974 and 2012.[6]

Famous people

References

  1. ↑ "Baserriak eta auzoak". Egoibarra (in Basque). Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  2. ↑ "Eibarko historia". Egoibarra (in Basque). Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  3. ↑ Eibarko ahozko ondarea, from Ahotsak.com website.
  4. ↑ Ahotsak.com. Youtube (January 2014). Eibarko ahozko ondarea. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6P7TxE8OLY
  5. ↑ "Euskal Bizikleta: una carrera con base histórica". Juanjo Sebastian (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  6. ↑ "El Santuario de Arrate, final de etapa de la Vuelta Ciclista a España" (in Spanish). SER. Retrieved 14 October 2014.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Eibar.