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125-644: Pasaia lies approximately 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) east of Donostia 's centre, lying at the foot of Mount Ulia and the Jaizkibel massif. The municipality numbers 16,056 inhabitants (as of 2008 estimates), clustering around the Bay of Pasaia in four nuclei, namely Pasai San Pedro, Pasai San Juan (or Donibane in Basque ), Antxo and Trintxerpe, with each part showing distinctive features. The first documented mention of this place, written in 1203, calls it Oiarso. The name

250-475: A Basque department, to no avail. The Basque Country has a population of approximately 3 million as of early 2006. The population density, at about 140/km (360/sq mi) is above average for both Spain and France, but the distribution of the population is fairly unequal, concentrated around the main cities. A third of the population is concentrated in the Greater Bilbao metropolitan area, while most of

375-746: A Basque-Navarrese University. Nonetheless, in 1897 the Bilbao Superior Technical School of Engineering (the first modern faculty of engineering in Spain), was founded as a way of providing engineers for the local industry; this faculty is nowadays part of the University of the Basque Country . Almost at the same time, the urgent need for business graduates led to the establishment of the Commercial Faculty by

500-548: A Contemporary Culture Centre, conjures up the former industrial past of the area. Right opposite to this building lies the Cristina Enea park, a public compound with a botanic vocation. Egia holds the city cemetery, Polloe, at the north-east fringes of the district, stretching out to South Intxaurrondo. This part (meaning 'walnut tree' in Basque) is a large district to the east of the city. The original nucleus lies between

625-761: A Parisian Haussmannian style. The arcades of the Buen Pastor square were modelled upon those of the Rue de Rivoli , while the Maria Cristina Bridge was inspired by the Pont Alexandre III that crosses the Seine. The Estación del Norte train station standing directly across the bridge was inaugurated in 1864, just after the arrival of the railway to San Sebastián. Its metallic roof was designed by Gustave Eiffel . San Sebastián's central bus station

750-527: A few. The situation of the Basque language in the French Basque Country is vulnerable (as rated by Unesco). The pressure of French as a well-established mainstream language and different administrative obstacles to the consolidation of Basque-language schooling make the language's future prospects uncertain. On 14 June 2013, pointing to the 1850 Falloux act and declaring thereafter that French

875-507: A limited self-governing status, as settled by the Spanish Constitution. However, a significant part of Basque society is still attempting higher degrees of self-empowerment (see Basque nationalism ), sometimes by acts of violence ( ETA 's permanent ceasefire in 2010). The French Basque Country, meanwhile, lacks any political or administrative recognition whatsoever, while a majority of local representatives have lobbied to create

1000-531: A majority of people who do not consider themselves Basque, such as the south of Navarre . The concept is still highly controversial, and the Supreme Court of Navarre has upheld a denial of government funding to school books that include the Navarre community within the Basque Country area. The name in Basque is Euskal Herria . The name is difficult to accurately translate into other languages due to

1125-581: A neoclassical Parisian style, and Goicoa designed several elegant buildings, such as the Miramar Palace and La Concha Promenade. The city was chosen by the Spanish monarchy as a summer retreat following the French example of nearby Biarritz , and Spanish nobility and the diplomatic corps opened residences in the town. As the "wave baths" at La Concha were in conflict with nearby shipbuilding activity,

1250-551: A referendum by minority leftist forces and Basque nationalists in Navarre, it has been opposed by mainstream Spanish parties and the Navarrese People's Union , which was the ruling party until 2015. The Union has repeatedly asked for an amendment to the Constitution to remove this clause. In addition to those, two enclaves located outside of the respective autonomous community are often cited as being part of both

1375-423: A string of regional sentences upheld by royal decision (regional diets of Zestoa 1527, Hondarribia 1557, Bergara 1558, Tolosa 1604 and Deba 1662). Meanwhile, the climate of war and disease left the town in a poor condition that drove many fishermen and traders to take to the sea as corsairs as a way of getting a living, most of the times under the auspices of the king Philip II of Spain , who benefited from

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1500-592: A swiftly changing array of disbanded party names, new alliances, and re-accommodations (since 1998). During the 2011 Spanish parliamentary elections, the coalition Amaiur (former Batasuna plus Eusko Alkartasuna ) came up first in parliamentary seats (7) and second only to UPN -PP (5 seats) in popular vote in the Southern Basque Country , followed closely by the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (5 seats). Geroa Bai secured

1625-550: A very similar climate to nearby Hondarribia on the Spanish side of the border. The values do not apply to San Sebastián , since its weather station is at a higher elevation than the urban core, where temperatures are higher year-round and similar to those in Bilbao and Hondarribia . According to some theories, Basques may be the least assimilated remnant of the Paleolithic inhabitants of Western Europe (specifically those of

1750-605: Is a city and municipality located in the Basque Autonomous Community , Spain . It lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay , 20 km (12 miles) from the France–Spain border . The capital city of the province of Gipuzkoa , the municipality's population is 188,102 as of 2021, with its metropolitan area reaching 436,500 in 2010. Locals call themselves donostiarra (singular), both in Spanish and Basque . It

1875-520: Is a district of San Sebastián on the right side of the Urumea beyond the train station. At the beginning of the 20th century, a patch of land by the railway started to be used as a football pitch, eventually turning into the official stadium of the local team Real Sociedad before it was transferred in the 1990s to Anoeta, south of Amara Berri (nowadays the site harbours houses). The former tobacco factory building Tabakalera , which has been converted into

2000-606: Is a single-province autonomous community. Its name refers to the charters, the Fueros of Navarre . The Spanish Constitution of 1978 states that Navarre may become a part of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country if it is so decided by its people and institutions (the Disposicion transitoria cuarta or "Fourth Transitory Provision"). To date, there has been no implementation of this law. Despite demands for

2125-659: Is also a part of Basque Eurocity Bayonne-San Sebastián . The economic activities in the city are dominated by the service sector , with an emphasis on commerce and tourism , as San Sebastián has long been well-known as a tourist destination . Despite the city's relatively small size, events such as the San Sebastián International Film Festival and the San Sebastian Jazz Festival have given it an international dimension. San Sebastián, along with Wrocław , Poland,

2250-536: Is built on the sandy terrain across the river from the old town. In the 19th century, shanties and workshops began to appear in this area, which was eventually named for Tomás Gros, one of the main proprietors. The former monumental bullring in the area, Chofre , was demolished in 1973, and the site is now occupied by a housing estate. A relatively recent major landmark of the district is the Kursaal Congress Centre overlooking Zurriola Beach. One of

2375-518: Is fairly evenly spread throughout the year. However, the city is somewhat drier and noticeably sunnier in the summer months, experiencing on average approximately 100 mm (3.94 in) of precipitation during those months. Average temperatures range from 8.9 °C (48.0 °F) in January to 21.5 °C (70.7 °F) in August. The first evidence of human stationary presence in the current city

2500-457: Is located underground adjacent to the train station. The Parte Vieja (Spanish) or Alde Zaharra (Basque) — Old Town – is the traditional core area of the city, and was surrounded by walls until 1863, when they were demolished in order to occupy the stretch of sand and land that connected the town to the mainland. A part of these walls is still standing at the exit from the Old Town towards

2625-602: Is lost, with only Vascones still being accounted for, while extending far beyond their former boundaries, e.g. in the current lands of Álava and most conspicuously around the Pyrenees and Novempopulania . The territory of the Cantabri encompassed probably present-day Biscay , Cantabria , Burgos and at least part of Álava and La Rioja , i.e. to the west of Vascon territory in the Early Middle Ages , but

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2750-491: Is not traditionally spoken). Basque language teaching in the public education network is therefore limited to the Basque speaking north and central regions. In the central region, Basque teaching in the public education network is fairly limited, and part of the existing demand is served via private schools or ikastolak . In southern and some central areas this policy has resulted in schoolchildren having to travel sometimes for hours every day in order to attend education provided in

2875-675: Is now the Old Part of the city, according to excavations carried out in the convent of Santa Teresa, on the slopes of Urgull . San Sebastián is thought to have been in the territory of the Varduli tribe in the Roman times. 10 km (6 mi) east of the current city lay the Basque Roman town of Oiasso ( Irun ) which was subsequently incorrectly identified with San Sebastián for some time by many historians. No written records about

3000-513: Is signatory has issued a number of recommendations in order to guarantee a real official status for Basque language (2004), e.g. the suppression of the administrative linguistic divides of Navarre for considering it an obstacle to the normal use of Basque and discriminating against Basque speakers, the filing of the case against newspaper Euskaldunon Egunkaria and restitution to its normal operation, as well as guarantees to prisoners of receiving and sending correspondence in Basque, to mention but

3125-432: Is surrounded by hilly areas: Urgull (adjacent to the old part of the city), Mount Ulia (extending east to Pasaia ), Mount Adarra (south of the city) and Igeldo (overlooking Concha Bay from the west). San Sebastián lies at the mouth of the Urumea river, and it was in large part built on the river's wetlands during the last two centuries. The city centre and the districts of Amara Berri and Riberas de Loiola lie on

3250-507: Is the settlement of Ametzagaña , between South Intxaurrondo and Astigarraga . The unearthed remains, such as knapped stones used as knives to cut animal skin, date from 24,000 to 22,000 BC. The open-air findings of the Upper Paleolithic have revealed that the settlers were modern human ( Homo sapiens ) hunters, besides pointing to a much colder climate at the time. There were Roman settlements (from around 50-200 AD) in what

3375-622: Is the official language of France, the regional subprefect declared illegal the Hendaye council's subsidies to finance a new building for a Basque-language school. On 6 November 2013, the Basque language school network in the French Basque Country , Seaska, bitterly criticized the French state before UNESCO for not complying with its international commitments and actually failing to accept minorities by violating their linguistic rights. In November 2013, France decided not to ratify

3500-778: Is the part of the Basque region that lies completely within Spain . It is frequently known as Spanish Basque Country ( País Vasco español in Spanish ). It is the largest and most populated part of the Basque Country. It includes two main regions : the Basque Autonomous Community ( Vitoria-Gasteiz is the capital) and the Chartered Community of Navarre (capital city Pamplona , Basque : Iruña ). The Basque Autonomous Community (7,234 km²) consists of three provinces , specifically designated "historical territories": The Chartered Community of Navarre (10,391 km²)

3625-499: The 2nd Spanish Republic in 1931, when a draft statute was drawn up for the Southern Basque Country ( Statute of Estella ), but was discarded in 1932. In 1936 a short-lived statute of autonomy was approved for the Gipuzkoa , Álava and Biscay provinces, but war prevented any progress. After Franco 's dictatorship, a new statute was designed that resulted in the creation of the current Basque Autonomous Community and Navarre, with

3750-552: The Basque Municipal Community . As such it is usually known as French Basque Country ( Pays basque français in French ). In most contemporary sources, it is defined as covering the arrondissement of Bayonne and the cantons of Mauléon-Licharre and Tardets-Sorholus , but sources disagree on the status of the village of Esquiule . Within these conventions, the area of Northern Basque Country (including

3875-583: The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages . The earliest university in the Basque Country was the University of Oñati , founded in 1540 in Hernani and moved to Oñati in 1548. It lasted in various forms until 1901. In 1868, in order to fulfill the need for college graduates for the thriving industry that was flourishing in the Bilbao area, there was an unsuccessful effort to establish

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4000-880: The Franco-Cantabrian region known as Azilian ) to the Indo-European migrations. Basque tribes were mentioned by Greek writer Strabo and Roman writer Pliny the Elder , including the Vascones , the Aquitani , and others. There is considerable evidence to show their Basque ethnicity in Roman times in the form of place-names, Caesar's reference to their customs and physical make-up, the so-called Aquitanian inscriptions recording names of people and gods (approx. 1st century, see Aquitanian language ), etc. Geographically,

4125-655: The Hundred Years' War , with Bayonne remaining the last Plantagenet stronghold up to 1453. In Navarre, the civil wars between the Agramont and the Beaumont confederacies paved the way for the Spanish conquest of the bulk of Navarre from 1512 to 1524. The independent Navarre north of the Pyrenees was largely absorbed by France in 1620, despite the fact that King Henry III of Navarre had decreed Navarre's permanent independence from France (31 December 1596). In

4250-596: The Mondragon University , based in Mondragón and nearby towns. There are numerous other significant Basque cultural institutions in the Basque Country and elsewhere. Most Basque organizations in the United States are affiliated with NABO ( North American Basque Organizations , Inc.). Since the last quarter of the 20th century, there have been very different political views on the significance of

4375-603: The Pact of San Sebastián , leading to the Second Spanish Republic . Unrest and repression did not stop with the new political regime, and large-scale industrial action was called several times by the growing anarchist, communist and socialist unions. The 1936 military coup was initially defeated by the resistance, led by the Basque Nationalists , anarchists and communists, but later that same year

4500-443: The 1960s and 1970s led to rapid and chaotic housing and building activity, resulting in a maze of grey landscape of skyscrapers with a population of 32,531 in 1970. The population is 20,000 as of 2013 . Ibaeta stands on the former location for various factories (e.g., Cervezas El León) of San Sebastián, with the buildings of the old industrial estate being demolished in the late 20th century. The levelling of this large flat area paved

4625-576: The 29 square kilometres (11 square miles) of Esquiule) is 2,995 square kilometres (1,156 square miles). The French Basque Country is traditionally subdivided into three provinces: This summary presentation suggests difficulty in justifying the inclusion of a few communes in the lower Adour region. Jean Goyhenetche suggests it would be more accurate to depict the region as the reunion of five entities: Labourd, Lower Navarre, Soule but also Bayonne and Gramont . The Southern Basque Country , known in Basque as Hegoalde (literally, "the southern part"),

4750-684: The Basque Autonomous Community and also the Basque Country (greater region). The Basque Country region is dominated by a warm, humid and wet oceanic climate . The coastal area is part of Green Spain and by extension, the climate is similar for Bayonne and Biarritz as well. Inland areas in Navarre and the southern regions of the autonomous community are transitional, with continental Mediterranean climate , with somewhat wider temperature swings between seasons. The list only sources locations in Spain , but Bayonne/Biarritz have

4875-402: The Basque Autonomous Community in the late 19th century and throughout the 20th century, as the region became more and more industrialized and prosperous and additional workers were needed to support the economic growth. Descendants of immigrants from other parts of Spain have since been considered Basque for the most part, at least formally. Over the last 25 years, some 380,000 people have left

5000-438: The Basque Autonomous Community, of which some 230,000 have moved to other parts of Spain. While certainly many of them are people returning to their original homes when starting their retirement, there is also a sizable tract of Basque natives in this group who have moved due to a Basque nationalist political environment (including ETA's killings) which they perceive as overtly hostile. These have been quoted to be as high as 10% of

5125-522: The Basque Country has received an increasing number of immigrants, mostly from Eastern Europe, North Africa, Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa , South Asia, and China, settling mostly in the major urban areas. Nevertheless, foreign immigrant population is lower in the Basque country than in Madrid and Catalonia, despite having similar GDP per capita and significantly lower levels of unemployment. Currently,

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5250-406: The Basque Country received significant immigration from other poorer regions of Spain, due to its higher level of economic development and early industrialization. During the second half of the 20th century, such immigrants were commonly referred to by some Basques as maketos , a derogatory term which is less used today. Since the 1980s, as a consequence of its considerable economic prosperity,

5375-688: The Basque Country was inhabited in Roman times by several tribes: the Vascones , the Varduli , the Caristi , the Autrigones , the Berones , the Tarbelli , and the Sibulates . Some ancient place-names, such as Deba , Butrón, Nervión , Zegama , suggest the presence of non-Basque peoples at some point in protohistory . The ancient tribes are last cited in the 5th century, after which track of them

5500-551: The Basque Country') and Heuscal-Herrian in Joanes Leizarraga 's Bible translation, published in 1571. The term Basque Country refers to a collection of regions inhabited by the Basque people , known as Euskal Herria in Basque language , and it is first attested as including seven traditional territories in Axular 's literary work Gero (he goes on to suggest that Basque language is spoken "in many other places"), in

5625-443: The Basque Country, with some Basque nationalists aiming to create an independent state including the whole area, and Spanish nationalism denying the very existence of the Basque Country. The dynamics of controversial decisions imposed by Spanish tribunals on Basque nationalist parties ideologically close to ETA left for over a decade a distorted representation of the Basque politics in local councils and regional parliaments, as well as

5750-607: The Basques. Altogether there was a gradual language shift towards Spanish language in the Basque-speaking areas of the Spanish Basque Country, a phenomenon initially restricted to the upper urban classes, but progressively reaching the lower classes. Western Biscay, most of Alava and southern Navarre have been Spanish-speaking (or Romance-speaking) for centuries. But under the regime of Francisco Franco ,

5875-644: The City Hall. In 1953, city businessmen organised the first San Sebastián International Film Festival to stimulate the economic life and profile of the city. Mass immigration from other parts of Spain, spurred by growing industrial production, greatly increased the population, initiating rapid and chaotic urban development on the outskirts of the city (Altza, Intxaurrondo, Herrera, Bidebieta). Social, cultural and political conflicts followed, leading to popular dissatisfaction. Protests and street demonstrations became more common, driven by Basque nationalists (especially

6000-594: The French assault and many urban structures were reconstructed, e.g. a new opening in the middle of the town, the Plaza Berria (that was to become the current Konstituzio Plaza). In 1728, the Guipuzcoan Company of Caracas was founded and boosted commerce with the Americas . Thanks to the profit the company generated, the town underwent some urban reforms and improvements and the new Santa Maria Church

6125-634: The Jesuits, and, some time thereafter, the Jesuits expanded their university by formally founding the University of Deusto in Deusto (now a Bilbao neighbourhood) by the turn of the century, a private university where the Commercial Faculty was integrated. The first modern Basque public university was the Basque University, founded 18 November 1936 by the autonomous Basque government in Bilbao in

6250-467: The Modern Age brought a period of instability and war for the city. New state boundaries were drawn that left Donostia located close to Spain 's border with France; thicker and more sophisticated walls were erected, with the town becoming involved in the 1521–1524 military campaigns that formed part of the Spanish conquest of Navarre . The town provided critical naval help to Emperor Charles V during

6375-430: The N-1 E-5 E-80 E-70 ring road (South Intxaurrondo). The police force Guardia Civil runs controversial barracks there (works for new housing are underway). Altza ( Basque for alder tree) is the easternmost district of San Sebastián, along with Bidebieta and Trintxerpe. In 1910 it was a quaint village comprising scattered farmhouses and a small nucleus, with 2,683 inhabitants, but the arrival of thousands of immigrants in

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6500-400: The Old Part. Most current buildings date back to the 19th century, built as part of the city's reconstruction after the 1813 destruction of the town by the allied Anglo-Portuguese troops. There is a small fishing and recreation port, with two-floor houses lined under the front-wall of mount Urgull . These houses are relatively new, resulting from the demilitarization of the hill, sold to

6625-404: The Pyrenees, besides the above Kingdom of Pamplona , Gipuzkoa , Álava and Biscay arose in the current lands of the Southern Basque Country from the 9th century onward. These westerly territories pledged intermittent allegiance to Navarre in their early stages, but were annexed to the Kingdom of Castile at the end of the 12th century, so depriving the Kingdom of Navarre of direct access to

6750-401: The School of Mining in Barakaldo (est. 1910s), was seen as a gross handicap for the cultural and economic development of the area, and so, during the late 1960s many formal requests were made to the Francoist government in order to establish a Basque public university that would unite all the public faculties already founded in Bilbao. As a result of that, the University of Bilbao was founded in

6875-595: The Spanish Basque country, the rest in the French. The Basque education system in Spain has three types of schools differentiated by their linguistic teaching models: A, B and D. Model D, with education entirely in Basque, and Spanish as a compulsory subject, is the most widely chosen model by parents. In Navarre , there is an additional G model, with education entirely in Spanish. The ruling anti-Basque conservative government of Unión del Pueblo Navarro opposes Basque nationalist attempts to provide education in Basque through all Navarre (which would include areas where it

7000-460: The Spanish-French border, easing afterwards. In the French Basque Country , its provinces underwent an ever-shrinking self-government status until the French Revolution, when the traditional provinces were reshaped to form the current Basses-Pyrénées department along with Béarn . In the Southern Basque Country , the regional Charters were upheld until the Carlist Wars , when the Basques supported heir-apparent Carlos and his descendants to

7125-473: The Winds was built at the western tip of the bay. The 1970s to the mid-1980s were years of general urban and social decay marked by social and political unrest and violence. In 1979, the first democratic municipal elections were held, won by the Basque Nationalist Party , who held office along with splinter party Eusko Alkartasuna (Basque Solidarity) until 1991. The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party 's Odon Elorza took over as mayor from 1991 until 2011, when he

7250-424: The area during the first months of occupation. Many children were evacuated to temporary safety in Bilbao, with the city's population falling by an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 inhabitants. In the aftermath of war, the city was stricken by poverty, famine and repression, coupled with a thriving smuggling trade. Many republican detainees were held at the beach-side Ondarreta Prison in grim and humid conditions, until

7375-490: The armed separatist organisation ETA) and various underground unions, triggering the first state of emergency in Gipuzkoa in 1968. Several more were imposed by the Francoist authorities in the period immediately preceding Franco's death in 1975. Amid the fragile economic situation and real estate speculation, the Kursaal and the Chofre bullring in Gros were demolished in 1973. From 1975 to 1977, sculptor Eduardo Chillida and architect Luis Peña Ganchegui 's landmark The Comb of

7500-438: The bay pushed by urban building pressure. It lies by the Urumea at the south-east end of the city. It comprises a small patch of detached houses (Ciudad Jardín) and a core area of 6-odd floor buildings. The district has recently gone through a major makeover, with works finishing in 2008. The road axis coming from important industrial areas (Astigarraga- Hernani ) crosses the district heading downtown. A military base stands across

7625-417: The building was demolished in 1948. However, industrial development paved the way for urban expansion in the Egia and Amara Berri districts, on the marshes and riverbed of the Urumea, at the end of the 1940s and beginning of the 1950s. In 1943, the first Basque language schools were established by Elvira Zipitria, who taught in Basque from her home in the Old Town. In 1947, the Grand Casino was converted into

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7750-449: The city began from the 1940s, after the completion of works to canalize the river. Nowadays the name Amara usually refers to this district, which has exceeded Amara Zaharra both in size and population. The district revolves around the axis of Avenida Sancho el Sabio and Avenida de Madrid , and is the main road entrance to the city. Facilities of many state run agencies are established here, as well as many business offices. The district

7875-521: The city council by the Ministry of War in 1924. This part is located on the western side of the city beyond the Miramar Palace. The monastery of San Sebastián el Antiguo ('the Old') is mentioned in historical documents from the time of the foundation of the city in the 12th century. In the mid 19th century, industrial enterprises developed in the district, such as Cervezas El León, Suchard, and Lizarriturry, and it subsequently came to be populated by workers. Industry has since been replaced by services and

8000-446: The city over whether to pursue an economy based on tourism or manufacturing, Donostia developed into a fully-fledged seaside resort, but some industry developed in the district of Antiguo and on the outskirts of the city. Following the outbreak of World War I, San Sebastián became a destination for renowned international figures of culture and politics, including Mata Hari , Leon Trotsky , Maurice Ravel , and Romanones . San Sebastián

8125-439: The city's identity in the centuries to come. In 1265, the use of the city as a seaport was granted to Navarre as part of a wedding pact. The large quantity of Gascons inhabiting the town favoured the development of trade with other European ports and Gascony . The city steered clear of the destructive War of the Bands in Gipuzkoa, the only town in doing so in that territory. In fact, the town only joined Gipuzkoa in 1459 after

8250-465: The college graduate schools. However, all the public faculties in the Basque Country were organized as local branches of Spanish universities. For instance, the School of Engineering was treated as a part of the University of Valladolid , some 400 kilometres (250 miles) away from Bilbao. Indeed, the lack of a central governing body for the public faculties of the Bilbao area, namely those of Economics in Sarriko, Medicine in Basurto, Engineering in Bilbao and

8375-438: The creation of a wide network of cycle lanes, underground car-parks and significant improvements to public transport. Districts of cutting-edge design have been erected, such as Ibaeta and Riberas de Loiola , while some other major public works are still pending confirmation of funding and approval. New districts developed after the walls of the city were demolished in 1863, as the city expanded in several directions, first into

8500-417: The cry of "God, Fatherland, King" (The Charters were finally abolished in 1876). The ensuing centralized status quo bred dissent and frustration in the region, giving rise to Basque nationalism by the end of the 19th century, influenced by European Romantic nationalism . Since then, attempts were made to find a new framework for self-empowerment. The occasion seemed to have arrived on the proclamation of

8625-405: The current status of Basque. Despite being spoken in a relatively small territory, the rugged features of the Basque countryside and the historically high population density resulted in a heavy dialectal fragmentation throughout history, which increased the value of both Spanish and French respectively as lingua francas . In this regard, the current Standard form of Basque was only introduced in

8750-473: The decades after the Spanish annexation, the Basque Country went through increased religious, ideological and national homogenization , encouraged by new national ideas embraced by the rising Spanish and French absolutist monarchies during the Renaissance . From 1525, witchcraft allegations originating in a number of Pyrenean valleys on the rearguard of the Lower Navarre front and recent theatre of war ( Salazar , Roncal , Burguete , etc.) were followed by

8875-440: The different administrative levels to enforce it—Justice, Health, Administration. It is spoken by approximately a quarter of the total Basque Country, its stronghold being the contiguous area formed by Gipuzkoa, northern Navarre and the Pyrenean French valleys. It is not spoken natively in most of Álava, western Biscay and the southern half of Navarre. Of a total estimation of some 650,000 Basque speakers, approximately 550,000 live in

9000-524: The disruption caused to and wealth obtained from the French and Dutch trade ships. In 1660, the city was used as the royal headquarters during the marriage of the Infanta to Louis XIV at Saint-Jean-de-Luz nearby. After a relatively peaceful 17th century, the town was besieged and taken over by the troops of the French Duke of Berwick up to 1721. However, San Sebastián was not spared by shelling in

9125-567: The early 17th century. Some Basques refer to the seven traditional districts collectively as Zazpiak Bat , meaning "The Seven [are] One", a motto coined in the late 19th century. The Northern Basque Country , known in Basque as Iparralde (literally, "the northern part"), is the part of the Basque Country that lies entirely within France , specifically as part of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département of France, and constitutes

9250-790: The early 1970s, which has now evolved into the University of the Basque Country with campuses in the western three provinces. In Navarre , Opus Dei manages the University of Navarre with another campus in San Sebastián. Additionally, there is also the Public University of Navarre , with campus in Pamplona and in Tudela, managed by the Navarrese Foral Government . Mondragón Corporación Cooperativa has established its institutions for higher education as

9375-662: The end of the Roman period or early period of the Early Middle Ages , while ethnic Basques inhabited well east into the lands of the Pyrenees ( Pallars , Val d'Aran ) from the 8th to the 11th century. In the Early Middle Ages (up to the 9th century) the territory between the Ebro and Garonne rivers was known as Vasconia , a blurred ethnic area and polity struggling to fend off the Frankish feudal authority from

9500-645: The ethnic nature of this people, often at odds with and finally overcome by the Visigoths , is not certain. The Vascones around Pamplona , after much fighting against Franks and Visigoths, founded the Kingdom of Pamplona (824), inextricably linked to their kinsmen the Banu Qasi . All other tribes in the Iberian Peninsula had been, to a great extent, assimilated by Roman culture and language by

9625-534: The evolution of the Basque name: one says it was *Done Sebastiáne > Donasa(b)astiai > Donasastia > Donastia > Donostia , the other one says it was *Done Sebastiane > *Done Sebastiae > *Done Sebastie > *Donesebastia > *Donasastia > *Donastia > Donostia . The city is located in the north of the Basque Country , on the south-eastern coast of the Bay of Biscay . San Sebastián has three beaches , Concha, Ondarreta, and Zurriola, and

9750-463: The flatlands shaped by the river Urumea and later up the hills. The first expansion of the old town was towards the river's mouth, on the old quarter called Zurriola (a name later given by Council decision to the sand area and the avenue across the river). The orthogonal layout of the modern city centre (the Cortazar development) was built up until 1914 (when the first phase finished) reflecting

9875-471: The foot of the Mount Ulia Park, on the left hand side of the road heading from San Sebastián to Pasaia and Irun . It consists of a residential area, besides holding a number of educational institutions, culture and sports centres built since 1980. The Park of Nurseries of Ulia sits at the base of the road leading to Mount Ulia, with its name deriving from its function as a nursery of plants for

10000-464: The former riverbed, which was diverted to its current canalized course in the first half of the 20th century. San Sebastián features an oceanic climate ( Köppen Cfb ) with warm summers and cool winters. Like many cities with this climate, San Sebastián typically experiences cloudy or overcast conditions for the majority of the year, typically with some precipitation. The city averages roughly 1,650 mm (65 in) of precipitation annually, which

10125-635: The government attempted to suppress Basque nationalism and limit the uses of the Basque language. Even the activities of the Euskaltzaindia (Basque Language Academy) were severely curtailed. In general, during these years, cultural activity in Basque was limited to folkloric issues and the Roman Catholic Church , while a higher, yet still limited degree of tolerance was granted to Basque culture and language in Álava and Navarre , since both areas mostly supported Francoist troops during

10250-573: The ground for a carefully planned modern and elegant housing estate, featuring a new university campus for the public University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU) and institutions such as the Donostia International Physics Center or the Nanotechnology Center . A stream called Konporta flows down along the eastern side of the area, but it was canalized under the ground almost all along to its mouth on

10375-475: The historic language of Navarre, largely relying on public subscription (yearly festival Nafarroa Oinez, solidarity from the ikastola network, donations, etc.) or receiving as a result no allowances for school meals. Even in northern Basque or mixed language areas, allegations raised by Basque speaker associations point regularly to a conspicuous disregard for recognised language rights, e.g. virtual non-existence of Basque language medical assistance across areas where

10500-404: The interior of the French Basque Country and some areas of Navarre remain sparsely populated: density culminates at about 500/km (1,300/sq mi) for Biscay but falls to 20/km (52/sq mi) in the northern inner provinces of Lower Navarre and Soule . A significant majority of the population of the Basque country live inside the Basque Autonomous Community (about 2,100,000, or 70% of

10625-530: The intervention of newly reformed and recent institutions, such as Spain's central tribunal Inquisition, the (Navarrese) Royal Tribunals, and the Diocesan Tribunal, who organized a series of trials for alleged witchcraft and heretical practices. In the heat of the Wars of Religion and the struggle for Navarre, persecution came to a head in the hysteria of the 1609–1611 Basque witch trials on both sides of

10750-550: The late 1960s, which helped Basque move away from being perceived – even by its own speakers – as a language unfit for educational purposes. While the French Republic has historically attempted to absorb ethnic minority groups – including the French Basques – into a linguistically unified state, Spain in turn has accepted intermittently in its history some degree of linguistic, cultural, and political autonomy to

10875-486: The mid-17th century. Historically the area was controlled by two competing baronies: Hondarribia, controlling Donibane, the right bank; and Donostia (San Sebastián), with jurisdiction over San Pedro, the left bank. Donibane separated from Hondarribia in 1770, and San Pedro separated from Donostia in 1805. The district of Antxo was formed in 1890, when the Irun-Madrid railway came through. Trintxerpe, next to San Pedro,

11000-607: The midst of the Spanish Civil War . It operated only briefly before the government's defeat by Francisco Franco 's fascist forces. Several faculties, originally teaching only in Spanish, were founded in the Basque region in the Francisco Franco era. A public faculty of economics was founded in Sarriko (Bilbao) in the 1960s, and a public faculty of medicine was also founded during that decade, thus expanding

11125-604: The newest parts of the city, Aiete retained a rural character until not long ago. The post-war city council purchased the compound of the Aiete Palace for the use of Francisco Franco in 1940, immediately after the Civil War. The palace became Franco's summer residence until 1975, and is now home to the Bakearen Etxea (Peace Memorial House). Egia, stemming from (H)Egia ( Basque for either bank/shore or hill),

11250-540: The north and the pressure of the Iberian Visigoths and Andalusi Cordovans from the south. By the turn of the millennium, a receding Carolingian royal authority and establishing feudalism left Vasconia (to become Gascony ) fragmented into a myriad of counties and viscounties , e.g. Fezensac , Bigorre , Astarac , Béarn , Tartas , Marsan , Soule , Labourd , etc., out of former tribal systems and minor realms ( County of Vasconia ), while south of

11375-562: The ocean. In the Late Middle Ages , important families dotting the whole Basque territory came to prominence, often quarreling with each other for power and unleashing the bloody War of the Bands , only stopped by royal intervention and the gradual shift of power from the countryside to the towns by the 16th century. Meanwhile, the viscounties of Labourd and Soule under English suzerainty were finally incorporated to France after

11500-407: The old town, has a neoclassical, austere and systematic style of architectural construction. Constitution Square was built in 1817 and the town hall (currently a library) between 1828 and 1832. Housing in the old town was built gradually alongside the rest of the area. The liberal and bourgeois San Sebastián became the capital of Gipuzkoa (instead of Tolosa ) until 1823, when absolutists besieged

11625-462: The place are known until, in 1014, the monastery of Saint Sebastian with its apple orchards for cider production, then located within the boundaries of the town of Hernani , was reportedly donated to the Abbey of Leire by Sancho III of Pamplona . By 1181, the city was chartered (given the fuero ) by king Sancho VI of Pamplona on the site of Izurum, having jurisdiction over all the territory between

11750-1075: The population in the Basque Community. Various Romani groups existed in the Basque Country and some still exist as ethnic groups. These were grouped together under the generic terms ijituak (Gypsies) and buhameak ( Bohemians ) by Basque speakers. In the Middle Ages , many Franks settled along the Way of Saint James in Navarre and Gipuzkoa and to a lesser extent in Bizkaia. This process also happened in Northern Castile. They were all collectively called Franks because most of them came from French regions (Normans, Bretons, Burgundians, Aquitanians etc.) but an important minority of them were in fact of German, Dutch, Italian, English and Swiss stock. Some were also from even more distant lands such as Poland or Denmark. Due to this migration, Gascon

11875-600: The population) while about 600,000 live in Navarre (20% of the population) and about 300,000 (roughly 10%) in Northern Basque Country . José Aranda Aznar writes that 30% of the population in the Basque Country Autonomous Community were born in other regions of Spain and that 40% of the people living in that territory do not have a single Basque parent. Most of these peoples of Galician and Castilian stock arrived in

12000-612: The port, through the Portaletas gate. The Old Town is divided into two parishes relating to the Santa Maria and San Vicente churches; the inhabitants belonging to the former are known traditionally as joxemaritarrak , while those attached to the latter are referred to as koxkeroak . Until the early 18th century, the koxkeroak mostly spoke Gascon . Especially after the end of the Franco dictatorship, many bars were established around

12125-448: The predominant languages in the Spanish and French Basque Countries are Spanish and French, respectively. In the historical process of forging themselves as nation-states , both the Spanish and French governments have tried more or less intensely to discourage the use of Basque and its linguistic identity. The language chosen for public education is the most obvious expression of this phenomenon, something which surely had an effect on

12250-468: The province and annexation to Navarre in 1841. In 1863, the defensive walls of the town were demolished (their remains are visible in the underground car park on the Boulevard) and an expansion of the town began in an attempt to move on from its previous military function. Jose Goicoa and Ramon Cortazar were appointed to oversee the work. They modelled the new city according to an orthogonal shape in

12375-548: The province fell to Spanish Nationalist forces during the Northern Campaign . The occupation proved disastrous for the city's residents. Between 1936 and 1943, 485 people were executed as a result of show trials by the Spanish Nationalists ( Requetés and Falangists ). It has been estimated that extrajudicial executions ( paseos ) by the occupying military forces accounted for over 600 murders in

12500-405: The public gardens of San Sebastián throughout the 20th century until 2008. It includes two ancient water-tanks, architectonic elements, and specific flora and fauna. Basque Country (greater region) The Basque Country ( Basque : Euskal Herria ; Spanish : País Vasco ; French : Pays basque ) is the name given to the home of the Basque people . The Basque Country is located in

12625-485: The railway and the Ategorrieta Avenue, where still today the farmhouse Intxaurrondo Zar, declared "National Monument", is situated since the mid-17th century. The railway cuts across the district, the southern side being the fruit of the heavy development undergone in the area during the immigration years of the 1950s and 1960s. In addition, further housing estates have been built up more recently souther beyond

12750-526: The river, home to an uprising in 1936. Attempts by the city council to close it have been unsuccessful so far. New modern district erected in the 2000s next to the city's inner bypass and south road entrance to San Sebastián. A pedestrian bridge spans the Urumea river onto the Cristina Enea Park. The Martutene district bordering to the south on the town of Astigarraga comes next to Loiola in

12875-419: The rivers Oria and Bidasoa . In 1200, the city was conquered by Castile , whose king Alfonso VIII , confirmed its charter (fuero), but the Kingdom of Navarre was deprived of its main direct access out to the sea. Perhaps as soon as 1204 (or earlier), the city nucleus at the foot of Urgull started to be populated with Gascon -speaking colonizers from Bayonne and beyond, who left an important imprint in

13000-473: The sea between the waters of the Bay of Biscay and the broad estuary of the Urumea River, the town was hard to get at and well fortified – "it was the strongest fortification I ever saw, Gibraltar excepted", wrote William Dent. Three days later, on 31 August, British and Portuguese troops besieging San Sebastián assaulted the town. The relieving troops ransacked and burnt the city to the ground. Only

13125-527: The shipyards relocated to Pasaia , a nearby bay that had formerly been part of San Sebastián. However, in 1875, war came to the town again, and in 1876 shelling over the city by Carlists claimed the life of acclaimed poet Bilintx . From 1885, King Alfonso XII of Spain 's widow Maria Cristina spent every summer in Donostia along with her retinue, staying at the Miramar Palace. In 1887, a casino

13250-615: The siege of Hondarribia , which earned the town the titles "Muy Noble y Muy Leal", recorded on its coat of arms. The town also aided the monarch by sending a party to the Battle of Noain and providing help to quash the Revolt of the Comuneros in 1521. After these events, Gascons, who had played a leading role in the political and economic life of the town since its foundation, began to be excluded from influential public positions by means of

13375-399: The south direction. This part of the city features an industrial area, a football pitch for lower leagues, a disused vocational training building and enclosure as well as a prison, much in decay and due to be transferred soon to a new location, probably in the municipality's exclave of Zubieta, while this option is coming in for much opposition. This part stands on the east side of the city at

13500-471: The street at the foot of the hill (now called 31 August Street) remained. After these destructive events, reconstruction of the city was commenced in the original location with a slightly altered layout. A modern octagonal layout as drafted by the architect P.M. Ugartemendia was turned down and eventually M. Gogorza's blueprint was approved, then supervised and implemented by the Ugartemendia. This area,

13625-640: The tourism sector. The Matia kalea provides the main axis for the district. Amara Zaharra ("Old Amara") is named after the Amara farmhouse. Over time it has mostly merged with the city centre, as the former Amara lay on the marshes on the left of the River Urumea . The core of this district is the Easo plaza , with the Euskotren railway terminal closing the square at its south. This southern expansion of

13750-598: The town (only 200 inhabitants remained in the town when the offensive troops entered). It was designated again as the capital in 1854. In 1835-6, the British Auxiliary Legion under Sir George de Lacy Evans defended the town against the Carlist besiegers. Some of those who died were buried in the English Cemetery on Mount Urgull . At the beginning of the 19th century, the local government

13875-447: The vast majority is Basque speaking, insufficient Basque speaking librarians, no broadcasting permission in the last 20 years (as of 2013) for the only Basque language radio in Pamplona, Spanish monolingual signalization and even removal of bilingual one, etc. Spanish is or can be spoken in Navarre by the entire population, with few exceptions in remote rural areas. The European Commission for Regional or Minority Languages to which Spain

14000-505: The war came to an end. Up to the 16th century, Donostia remained mostly out of wars, but by the beginning of the 15th century, a line of walls of simple construction is attested encircling the town. The last chapter of the town in the Middle Ages was brought about by a fire that devastated Donostia in 1489. After burning to the ground, the town began a new renaissance by building up mainly with stone instead of bare timber. The advent of

14125-410: The war. Nowadays, the Basque Autonomous Community enjoys some cultural and political autonomy and Basque is an official language along with Spanish. Basque is favoured by a set of language policies sponsored by the Basque regional government which aim at the generalization of its use. However, the actual implementation of this official status is patchy and problematic, relying ultimately on the will of

14250-651: The western Pyrenees , straddling the border between France and Spain on the coast of the Bay of Biscay . Encompassing the Autonomous Communities of the Basque Country and Navarre in Spain and the Northern Basque Country in France, the region is home to the Basque people ( Basque : Euskaldunak ), their language ( Basque : Euskara ), culture and traditions. The area is neither linguistically nor culturally homogeneous, and certain areas have

14375-699: The wide range of meanings of the Basque word herri . It can be translated as nation ; country , land ; people , population and town , village , settlement . The first part, Euskal , is the adjectival form of Euskara "the Basque language". Thus a more literal translation would be "country/nation/people/settlement of the Basque language", a concept difficult to render into a single word in most other languages. The two earliest references (in various spelling guises) are in Joan Perez de Lazarraga 's manuscript, dated around 1564–1567 as eusquel erria and eusquel erriau and heuscal herrian ('in

14500-660: Was built, which eventually became the current city hall, and some time later the Regional Government building was completed in Plaza Gipuzkoa following Jose Goicoa's design. Cultural life thrived in this period, giving rise to various events that still take place in the city, such as the Caldereros or the Tamborrada , and journalistic and literary works in both Spanish and Basque. After much debate in

14625-581: Was carried out on the Urumea river at the southern edge of the city. However, after the city's Belle Epoque in the European wartime, repression under Miguel Primo de Rivera 's dictatorship was not favourable for the city. In 1924, gambling was prohibited by the authoritarian regime, causing existential problems for the Grand Casino and the Kursaal (1921). In 1930, Spanish republican forces signed up to

14750-567: Was defeated unexpectedly by Juan Carlos Izagirre ( Bildu ) in elections. From the 1990s, a major makeover of the city centre began, aimed at enhancing and revamping the neoclassical and modernist side of San Sebastián's architecture. Other regeneration projects included the reshaping and enlargement of Zurriola beach and promenade, the opening of the Kursaal Palace cubes (1999), the new university campus and technology facilities in Ibaeta,

14875-475: Was erected by subscription. This period of wealth and development was to last up to the end of 18th century. In 1808, Napoleonic forces captured San Sebastián in the Peninsular War . In 1813, after a siege of various weeks, on 28 August, during the night, a landing party from a British Royal Navy squadron captured Santa Clara Island , in the bay. Situated on a narrow promontory that jutted out into

15000-487: Was later changed to "Pasage" (first attested in the 15th century), which means 'port' in Gascon . Gascons had come to inhabit the area side by side with the Basque people at the beginning of the 13th century. It was a major source of revenue for the municipal coffers on the strength of its position on commercial sea routes. The Guipuzcoana Company used this as its main port, and there were as many as seven shipyards here in

15125-521: Was one of earliest towns hit by the 1918 Influenza epidemic , dealing with a first wave outbreak in February of that year. Officials feared for the city's reputation and attempted to keep the disease's spread quiet, to no avail, and the outbreak soon spread throughout Spain. Various rationalist architectural works, typically white or light-coloured, were built in the 1920s and 1930s, such as La Equitativa, Nautico, and Easo. In 1924–1926, canalisation work

15250-411: Was spoken in the centre of Donostia-San Sebastián , until the beginning of the 20th century. Navarre also held Jewish and Muslim minorities but these were expelled or forced to assimilate after the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. One of the notable members of such minorities was Benjamin of Tudela . Much as has been the case for Spain's two other major economic poles (Madrid and Catalonia),

15375-500: Was still ruled by the principle of nobility, while inhabitants of foreign origin or descent had always been numerous in the town, especially among the trading community. Although San Sebastián benefited greatly from the charter system established in the Southern Basque Country ( foruak , with borders in the Ebro river and no duties for overseas goods), the town was at odds with the more traditional Gipuzkoa , even requesting secession from

15500-475: Was the European Capital of Culture in 2016. In spite of appearance, both the Basque form Donostia and the Spanish form San Sebastián have the same meaning — Saint Sebastian . The dona/done/doni element in Basque place names signifies "saint" and is derived from Latin domine ; the second part of Donostia contains a shortened form of the saint's name. There are two hypotheses regarding

15625-451: Was the last district to form. Trintxerpe and Antxo eventually became a continuous urban strip with the eastern districts of Donostia. This article about a location in the Basque Country, Spain, is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Donostia San Sebastián , officially known by the bilingual name Donostia / San Sebastián ( Basque: [doˈnos̺ti.a] , Spanish: [san seβasˈtjan] ),

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