Izurtza (in

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

and officially, in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

''Izurza'') is an elizate, town and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

located in the province of

Biscay Biscay ( ; ; ), is a province of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Autonomous Community, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the Bay of Biscay, eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilb ...

, in the Basque Country, Spain. Izurtza is part of the ''

comarca A ''comarca'' (, , , ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain, and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, mark ...

'' of

Durangaldea Durangaldea ( Spanish: ''Duranguesado'') is a comarca of Biscay located in the Basque Country, Spain. It is one of the seven ''eskualdeak/comarcas'' or regions that compose the province of Biscay. The capital city of Durangaldea is Durango. ...

and has a population of 270 inhabitants as of 2010 and according to the Spanish National Statistics Institute.

History

As happens with most of the elizates, the origins and date of foundation of the town are unknown. According to the local tales, the tower of Etxaburu, which is located on a hill above the town, was built following the orders of the Roman Emperor

Antoninus Pius Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Pius (; ; 19 September 86 – 7 March 161) was Roman emperor from AD 138 to 161. He was the fourth of the Five Good Emperors from the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. Born into a senatorial family, Antoninus held var ...

. The tower was afterwards destroyed by

Henry IV of Castile Henry IV of Castile (Spanish language, Castilian: ''Enrique IV''; 5 January 1425 – 11 December 1474), nicknamed the Impotent, was King of Kingdom of Castile, Castile and Kingdom of León, León and the last of the weak late-medieval kings of Ca ...

and built again in the 16th century by Sancho López de Ibargüen. Also on this century the church of the town, named ''San Nicolás Obispo'' was built. Izurtza was part of the ''merindad'' of Durango, and it had voice and right to vote in the Juntas of Guerendiaga, where it occupied the seat number eleven.

Geography

Location

Izurtza is located in the southeastern part of the province of

, northern

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. It is one of the smallest municipalities of the province by extension. It limits at north and west with

Durango Durango, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Durango, is one of the 31 states which make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in the northwest portion of the country. With a population of 1,832,650 ...

, at south with Mañaria and at east with

Abadiño Abadiño (; ) is a town located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, in the north of Spain, about 35 km from the provincial capital of Bilbao. The area of the municipality is about and according to the ...

. Izurtza is situated between the Mugarra and Untxillaitz mountains and the Mañaria River runs through it. The road BI-623 that connects

with

Vitoria-Gasteiz Vitoria-Gasteiz (; ; also historically spelled Vittoria in English) is the seat of government and the capital city of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country and of the provinces of Spain, province of Álava in northern Spain. I ...

crosses the town from north to south. Izurtza is made by a small urban core surrounding the BI-623 road and farming houses scattered through the hillsides.

Hydrography

Izurtza is located in a valley formed by the Mañaria river that originates in the hillsides of the mountains and later joins the Ibaizabal river.

Economy

Historically, the economy of the municipality has been linked to the farming exploitations. Since the 20th century, the industrial expansion has caused the primary sector to lose its range as the main economical activity.

Transportation

The transportation is based on road transportation by the BI-623 road, which connects the town with

, the capital city of the ''comarca'' of

and only 1,5 km away. The same road by south connects the town with Mañaria and

Urkiola Urkiola is a mountain range of the Basque mountains in Biscay near Durango, in the western Basque Country, Spain. The highest mountain in the range is Anboto (1331 m). The range runs from west to east and forms the water divide between the At ...

and from there to Otxandio, Dima and the province of

Álava Álava () or Araba (), officially Araba/Álava, is a Provinces of Spain, province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, heir of the ancient Basque señoríos#Lords of Álava, Lordship ...

. In Durango, the road is connected to the National Road N-634 and the highway AP-8 to

Bilbao Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...

and Donostia-San Sebastián.

References

External links

IZURTZA in the Bernardo Estornés Lasa - Auñamendi Encyclopedia (Euskomedia Fundazioa)
{{authority control Municipalities in Biscay Durangaldea