Pasaia () is a 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

Gipuzkoa Gipuzkoa ( , ; ; ) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. Its capital city is Donostia-San Sebastián. Gipuzkoa shares borders with the French department of Pyrénées-Atlantiqu ...

in the

Basque Autonomous Community 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 com ...

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 a fishing community, commercial port and the birthplace of the famous admiral

Blas de Lezo Admiral Blas de Lezo y Olavarrieta (3 February 1689 – 7 September 1741) was a Spanish Navy officer best known for his victory at the 1741 Battle of Cartagena de Indias, where forces under his command defeated a large British invasion force u ...

and of the fashion designer

Paco Rabanne Francisco Rabaneda Cuervo (18 February 1934 – 3 February 2023), more commonly known under the pseudonym of Paco Rabanne (; ), was a Spanish-born naturalised-French fashion designer. Rabanne rose to prominence as an ''enfant terrible'' of ...

. Pasaia lies approximately east of Donostia's centre, lying at the foot of

Mount Ulia Mount Ulia is a minor ridge located east of San Sebastián in the Basque Country, territory of Spain, reaching 243 m at its highest point. The ridge stretching out to the east along the coastline sinks in the strait leading to the bay of Pasaia ...

and the

Jaizkibel Jaizkibel is a mountain range of the Basque Country located east of Pasaia, north of Lezo and west of Hondarribia, in Spain, with at the highest point (peak Alleru). The range stretches south-west to north-east, where it plunges into the sea ...

massif. The

numbers 16,056 inhabitants ( estimates), clustering around the Bay of Pasaia in four nuclei, namely Pasai San Pedro, Pasai San Juan (or Donibane 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 ...

), Antxo and Trintxerpe, with each part showing distinctive features.

History

The first documented mention of this place, written in 1203, calls it Oiarso. The name was later changed to "Pasage" (first attested in the 15th century), which means 'port' in Gascon.

Gascons Gascony (; ) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part of the combined Province of Guyenne and Gascon ...

had come to inhabit the area side by side with the Basque people at the beginning of the 13th century. Article in Spanish It was a major source of revenue for the municipal coffers on the strength of its position on commercial sea routes. The

Guipuzcoana Company The Royal Guipuzcoan Company of Caracas (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Real Compañía Guipuzcoana de Caracas'') was a Spanish chartered company which existed from 1728 to 1785. It conducted trade with Spanish Empire, Spain's overseas colonies an ...

used this as its main port, and there were as many as seven shipyards here in 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, was the last district to form. Trintxerpe and Antxo eventually became a continuous urban strip with the eastern districts of Donostia.

References

External links

Official Website
Information available 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 ...

and

.
PASAIA in the Bernardo Estornés Lasa - Auñamendi Encyclopedia (Euskomedia Fundazioa)
Information available in

Municipalities in Gipuzkoa Fishing communities in Spain Port cities and towns on the Spanish Atlantic coast Donostialdea {{basqueCountry-geo-stub