Mondragón
Encyclopedia
Arrasate or Mondragón - is a town and municipality in Gipuzkoa province, Basque Country
, Spain
. Its population on 31 December 2007 was 22,112.
It is known mainly as the place of origin of the Mondragón Cooperative Corporation
(MCC), the world's largest worker cooperative
, whose foundation was inspired in the 1940s by Father José María Arizmendiarrieta
. In 2002 the MCC contributed 3.7% towards the total GDP of the Basque Country
and 7.6% to the industrial GDP.
The valley of the High Deba where it is located enjoyed a high level of employment in the 1980s while the rest of the Basque industrial areas suffered from the steel crisis.
Noted poverty expert and sociology professor Barbara J. Peters (Southampton College, Long Island University) has studied the incorporated and entirely resident-owned Basque town of Mondragón, Spain. "In Mondragón, I saw no signs of poverty. I saw no signs of extreme wealth," Peters said. "I saw people looking out for each other…..It's a caring form of capitalism.”
The spa at Santa Águeda (now a psychiatric hospital) was the location of the 1897 murder of Spanish politician Antonio Cánovas del Castillo
by Michele Angiolillo
.
, a private university created on 1997, which is heavily connected with the MCC companies. Almost all the graduates find their first job within 3 months after completing their studies due to this strong link.
Mondragon University is divided in an engineering, humanities and enterprise faculties. The faculty of engineering is both at Mondragon and Goierri
. The humanities one is located at Escoriaza, and the enterprise one at Bidasoa
and Oñati
.
It currently has a volume of students of about 3500, which is growing fast. Almost all the students are from Gipuzkoa and surrounding villages, although in the last years, the number of students from Bilbao
, San Sebastián
and the Basque Country capital, Vitoria-Gasteiz
, has increased significantly.
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...
. Its population on 31 December 2007 was 22,112.
It is known mainly as the place of origin of the Mondragón Cooperative Corporation
Mondragón Cooperative Corporation
The MONDRAGON Corporation is a corporation and federation of worker cooperatives based in the Basque region of Spain. Founded in the town of Mondragón in 1956, its origin is linked to the activity of a modest technical college and a small workshop producing paraffin heaters...
(MCC), the world's largest worker cooperative
Worker cooperative
A worker cooperative is a cooperative owned and democratically managed by its worker-owners. This control may be exercised in a number of ways. A cooperative enterprise may mean a firm where every worker-owner participates in decision making in a democratic fashion, or it may refer to one in which...
, whose foundation was inspired in the 1940s by Father José María Arizmendiarrieta
José María Arizmendiarrieta
Father José María Arizmendiarrieta Madariaga was a Catholic priest and founder of the Mondragón cooperative movement in the Basque Country....
. In 2002 the MCC contributed 3.7% towards the total GDP of the 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....
and 7.6% to the industrial GDP.
The valley of the High Deba where it is located enjoyed a high level of employment in the 1980s while the rest of the Basque industrial areas suffered from the steel crisis.
Noted poverty expert and sociology professor Barbara J. Peters (Southampton College, Long Island University) has studied the incorporated and entirely resident-owned Basque town of Mondragón, Spain. "In Mondragón, I saw no signs of poverty. I saw no signs of extreme wealth," Peters said. "I saw people looking out for each other…..It's a caring form of capitalism.”
The spa at Santa Águeda (now a psychiatric hospital) was the location of the 1897 murder of Spanish politician Antonio Cánovas del Castillo
Antonio Cánovas del Castillo
Antonio Cánovas del Castillo was a Spanish politician and historian known principally for his role in supporting the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy to the Spanish throne and for his death at the hands of an anarchist assassin, Michele Angiolillo.-Early career:Born in Málaga as the son of...
by Michele Angiolillo
Michele Angiolillo
Michele Angiolillo Lombardi was an Italian anarchist, born in Foggia, and murderer of Spanish Prime Minister Antonio Cánovas in 1897.-Barcelona bombing and Montjuïc repression:...
.
Mondragon University
Mondragon also serves as base of Mondragon UniversityMondragon University
Mondragon Unibertsitatea is a private university in the Basque Country, officially established and recognized in 1997. Its main campus is in Mondragón, Gipuzkoa.- History :...
, a private university created on 1997, which is heavily connected with the MCC companies. Almost all the graduates find their first job within 3 months after completing their studies due to this strong link.
Mondragon University is divided in an engineering, humanities and enterprise faculties. The faculty of engineering is both at Mondragon and Goierri
Goierri
Goierri is one of the eight regions in Gipuzkoa, formed by 18 municipalities, Beasain, Lazkao and Ordizia being the main towns.-External links:* ////....
. The humanities one is located at Escoriaza, and the enterprise one at Bidasoa
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...
and Oñati
Oñati
Oñati is a town located in the province of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country, in the north of Spain. It has a population of approximately 10,500 and lies in a valley in the center of the Basque country. It lies about 40 km south of the Bay of Biscay and is about 236 m...
.
It currently has a volume of students of about 3500, which is growing fast. Almost all the students are from Gipuzkoa and surrounding villages, although in the last years, the number of students from Bilbao
Bilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
, San Sebastián
San Sebastián
Donostia-San Sebastián is a city and municipality located in the north of Spain, in the coast of the Bay of Biscay and 20 km away from the French border. The city is the capital of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. The municipality’s population is 186,122 , and its...
and the Basque Country capital, Vitoria-Gasteiz
Vitoria-Gasteiz
Vitoria-Gasteiz is the capital city of the province of Álava and of the autonomous community of the Basque Country in northern Spain with a population of 235,661 people. It is the second largest Basque city...
, has increased significantly.
Mondragón in Film
Pierre Boutorn's French language film Fiesta!, adapted from a novel written by José Luis de Vilallonga, was set in Mondragón during the Spanish Civil War.External links
- General information of Arrasate/Mondragón (Spanish)
- Pictures of Arrasate/Mondragón in FLICKR
- Municipality pages in Basque and Spanish
- Mondragon University homepage
- MCC homepage (multi-lingual)
- ARRASATE/MONDRAGÓN in the Bernardo Estornés 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...