Hondarribia
Encyclopedia
Bidasoa
The Bidasoa is a river in the Basque Country of northern Spain and southern France that runs largely south to north. Named as such downstream of the small town of Oronoz-Mugairi in the province of Navarre, the river actually results from the merge of several streams near the village Erratzu, with...
river's mouth, in Gipuzkoa, Basque Country
Basque Country (autonomous community)
The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. The border town is sited on a little promontory facing Hendaye
Hendaye
Hendaye is the most south-westerly town and commune in France, lying in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department and located in the traditional province Lapurdi of the French Basque Country...
(France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) over the Txingudi bay. The town holds an ancient old quarter with walls and a castle. In addition, Hondarribia features a beach across the Bidasoa from the touristy housing estate Sokoburu in Hendaye, alongside a mountain called Jaizkibel
Jaizkibel
Jaizkibel is mountain range of the Basque Country located east of Pasaia, north of Lezo and west of Hondarribia, in Spain, with 547 m at the highest point . The range stretches south-west to north-east, where it plunges into the sea at the Cape Higuer...
providing a hilly backdrop to the town. A road leads north-east from the beach area to the Cape Higuer
Cape Higuer
The Cape Higuer is a cape on the Bay of Biscay standing out at the end of the mountain range Jaizkibel by the Spanish-French border in the municipality of Hondarribia . The site is home to a lighthouse, besides holding a camp-site and a couple of inns...
, located in this municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
.
The town harbours the San Sebastian Airport
San Sebastián Airport
San Sebastián Airport is the airport serving San Sebastián in Basque Country, Spain. Despite its name, the facilities are located in the municipality of Hondarribia, with the runway stretching like a spit of land along the river Bidasoa right on the Spanish-French border.The airport serves...
, which serves domestic flights. Population : 15,700 inhabitants.
Battles
The battles fought for possession of this fortified stronghold are generally known by the Spanish name for the place (Fuenterrabía).- Battle of Fuenterrabía (1521), in which Claude, Duke of GuiseClaude, Duke of GuiseClaude de Lorraine, duc de Guise was a French aristocrat and general. He became the first Duke of Guise in 1528....
distinguished himself, was instigated by Guillaume Gouffier, seigneur de BonnivetGuillaume Gouffier, seigneur de BonnivetGuillaume Gouffier, seigneur de Bonnivet was a French soldier.The younger brother of Artus Gouffier, seigneur de Boisy, tutor of Francis I of France, Bonnivet was brought up with Francis, and after the young king's accession he became one of the most powerful of the royal favourites. In 1515 he...
, in command of the army of NavarreNavarreNavarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...
; he occupied Fuenterrabía and was probably responsible for the renewal of hostilities resulting from its not being restored. The city was finally returned to Spain in 1524. - Siege of Fuenterrabía (1638)Siege of Fuenterrabía (1638)The Siege of Fuenterrabía of 1638 took place in June – September, 1638, between Spain and France during the Thirty Years' War and the Franco-Spanish War ....
was the outcome of a siege by the invading forces of Louis XIIILouis XIII of FranceLouis XIII was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1610 to 1643.Louis was only eight years old when he succeeded his father. His mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent during Louis' minority...
, led by CondéCondé-Places in France:*Condé, Indre, in the Indre département*Condé-en-Brie, in the Aisne département*Condé-Folie, in the Somme département*Condé-lès-Autry, in the Ardennes département*Condé-lès-Herpy, in the Ardennes département...
. 27,000 French soldiers besieged the city for two months, firing 16,000 shells into the walled city, leaving only 300 survivors, most of them women and children. The city was virtually destroyed, but nevertheless did not surrender. The Spanish soldiers were successful, and the raising of the siege is celebrated annually on 8 September in a parade, known as Alarde. - Battle of Fuenterrabía (1719), during the War of the Quadruple AllianceWar of the Quadruple AllianceThe War of the Quadruple Alliance was a result of the ambitions of King Philip V of Spain, his wife, Elisabeth Farnese, and his chief minister Giulio Alberoni to retake territories in Italy and to claim the French throne. It saw the defeat of Spain by an alliance of Britain, France, Austria , and...
. - Battle of Fuenterrabía (1792), in which French revolutionary forcesFrench Revolutionary WarsThe French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
took the city by breaching the walls. After they took over the city, they blew up the section of walling facing France, with the help of German engineers. A remainder of the walls escaped destruction thanks to the signing the Peace Treaty of Basilea.
Notable residents
- Josune Amunarriz, prominent female avant-garde artist whose large-scale installations can be seen in San Sebastián, China, and New York.
- José María OlazábalJosé María OlazábalJosé María Olazábal Manterola is a Spanish professional golfer who has enjoyed success on both the European Tour and the PGA Tour, and has won two major championships.-Career outline:...
famous Spanish golfer, winner of two U.S. Masters titles and regular member of the European Ryder Cup team. - Unai Emery, current manager of Spanish football club, Valencia CF.
External links
- Official Website Information available in SpanishSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and BasqueBasque languageBasque is the ancestral language of the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. It is spoken by 25.7% of Basques in all territories...
and EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. - Hondarribia in the Bernardo Estornes Lasa - Auñamendi Encyclopedia (Euskomedia Fundazioa) Information available in SpanishSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
- Santiago Sanchez, et al., "CAAD and historical buildings: the importance of the simulation of the historical process": restoring the walls of Hondarribia
- Personal Web site about Hondarribia
- Web site about Hondarribia on Wikitravel