Guide to the Province of Avala

Spain Álava SUMMARY OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 SIGHTSEEING IN VITORIA-GASTEIZ The old city 2 The Romantic new town 5 The parks 7 IRELAND PROVINCIAL EXCURSIONS Dublin The Road to Santiago 9 La Rioja Alavesa 12 UNITED KINGDOM Gorbea: Foothills and reservoirs 14 Valderejo Nature Park 16 Western Valleys 17 Londron LEISURE AND ENTERTAINMENT 19 MAP 22 USEFUL INFORMATION 24 Paris Cantabrian Sea FRANCE L ➡ A ➡ ÁLAVA G Lisbon U T R Madrid O P Mediterranean Sea Atlantic Ocean SPAIN © TURESPAÑA Secretaría de Estado de Comercio y Turismo Ministerio de Economía Ceuta Written by: Luis Azpilicueta Rabat Translated: Alistair L. Ross Melilla Photographs: TURESPAÑA Archives Layout: AZA, S.A. MOROCCO Printed by: DITEGSA D. L.: M. 29704-2001 NIPO: 380-01-038-3 Printed in Spain Second Edition Motorway Dual Carriageway National Trunk Road 1st class Regional Road 2nd class Regional Road Local Road Railway Airport Parador Sanctuary/Monastery Castle Monument Historic ruins Megalithic monument Prehistoric caves Nature Park Camping site Golf course he earliest inhabitants of Alava T settled in the land towards the end of the second millennium BC. Archaeological research has shown that the territory was solidly Romanised. Because Alava (Araba) was not isolated like other parts of the Basque country, it was here Escutcheon. Salvatierra/Agurain that Christianisation and Latinisation began. For the same reason, in the 8th and 9th centuries the people of Alava had a dual relationship – on the one hand with the Moslems and on the other with the Asturians – both of which consisted of a constant succession of struggles and pacts to preserve their independence. Throughout most of the 11th century Alava, whose name first appears as such in the Crónica Albeldense of 833, was under the influence of the kingdom of Navarre; only after the death of king Sancho IV in 1076 did it come within the political and military sphere of Castile. The 12th and 13th centuries saw the first signs of urban development in Alava, with the creation and growth of its principal towns. The 13th century also saw the first written documents of the Cofradía de Arriaga, which was a basic institution of government in that period. From then on, the traditional freedoms, or fueros, of Alava survived various vicissitudes until 1876, when their abolition was decreed following the end of the Second Carlist War. With the restoration of freedoms at the end of the Franco dictatorship, Alava recovered its General Assemblies and its Diputación Foral. With the approval of the Statute of Autonomy of Gernika in 1979, Vitoria became the political and administrative capital of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country. Álava is the largest of the territories in the Basque Country, covering 3,037 square kilometres. It is also the least populous with 281,821 inhabitants, 214,234 of whom live in the capital Vitoria - Gasteiz. There are two official languages – Spanish, which is spoken by the entire population, and Euskera, which only a minority speak. 1 CLIMATE AND NATURE. ne of the chief he vegetation again varies characteristics of Alava is according to zones. The Othe great variety of Tnorth of the province is landscapes and climates determined green and woody, with large areas by its peculiar relief. The province is of oak and beech (home to traversed by a succession of three abundant deer, boars, etc.), while mountain chains which separate it the south, especially near La Rioja, from Vizcaya (Bizkaia), Guipúzcoa is characterised by typically (Gipuzkoa) and La Rioja. As a Mediterranean stands of holm-oak consequence the climate varies and boxwood, grain fields and widely, ranging from cool and wet vineyards. About 35 per cent of the in the mountain areas to warm and province’s surface area is covered by dry in the southern parts. Travellers forest. Alava currently has four should be aware that winter “protected natural zones”: Valderejo, temperatures are generally low and Gorbea-Gorbeia, Urkiola and Izki. snow is not uncommon. The spring is rainy and the summer and autumn are mild. The mean temperature is 20 º C in summer and 8º C in winter. 2 Sightseeing in Vitoria-Gasteiz THE OLD TOWN The original town of Vitoria-Gasteiz, founded on a small hillock, was destroyed by fire in 1202. It was rebuilt according to the dictates of mediaeval burghs, and its streets still preserve the names of the various guilds which originally had their places there – Harness-makers, Smiths, Shoemakers, Cutlers, etc.... Los Arquillos The visit to this part of the city Hall. From there the itinerary begins at Plaza de la Virgen approaches the Old Town uphill Blanca (1), the real centre of the by way of the Cuesta de San town, whose most striking feature Francisco where Los Arquillos (2) is the monument to the battle of stands, a structure built by Justo Vitoria, by Gabriel Borras. Slightly Antonio de Olagibel that connects overlooking the square one can the mediaeval town with the 19th- see the church of San Miguel with century new town through a line a niche bearing the Virgen Blanca of buildings in step formation. or White Virgin, patroness of the Nearby is the church of San city. Adjacent to this square is Vicente and the little Plaza del another, a classical four-square Machete (3), where the local porticoed place, site of the Town councillors once took the oath of office. The outstanding feature V E LO here is the 16th-century Palace of IÓN YOLA NAC ORO Plaza Fuente de los Patos Villa Suso, which is now used for P Museo Pla de Arqueología de B meetings and congresses. C C a A 6 Torre de l l e s ú los Anda S s . Carrying on along Calle e C J V 5 a Plazuela i c l Plaza l e de Aldave e Cuchillería is the fine Casa de n C Sta. María t 7 C e a a l l d C lle e C Cordón (4), built in the reign of C e a a a S l e lle l l e P l d a e the Catholic Monarchs, and the L a rra n ga Museo Fournier u ta a l s M de Naipes E Palace of Bendaña. The next stop C a C P C o s r . c r u in s ta r N u c a e to is the Cathedral of Santa María (5) e h Z u v r r í la i r e a l a l e e v p e i s r r a ía S Iglesia de í or Old Catedral: this was t a e S. Vicente r Palacio í de Plaza de la a Villa-Suso commenced in the 13th century ida Provincia 4 Iglesia de 3 S. F e l ra and has recently been restored. l S. Miguel nc 8 a Casa 2 C Consistorial Plaza 1 C de España alle In Calle Correría there are various es C. El Prado P noble houses, like the mansions of o Plaza t C all Gral Loma a 2 D 3 the Corcuera, the Maturana- Verástegui and the Torre de los Anda families. At the end of this Plaza del Machete street is El Portalón (6), a former merchant house which now contains a restaurant. Opposite is the escutcheoned house of the Gobeo-Landazuri family, a 16th- century edifice which now contains the Archaeological Museum. Nearby in Calle Siervas de Jesús rises the impressive Torre de Doña Otxanda (7), a 15th-century tower which now houses the Natural Science Museum. Along the same street is Plaza de la Provincia, where one can view the 19th- century palace of the Diputación Foral de Álava (8), and further on one comes once again to Plaza de la Virgen Blanca where the itinerary started. e d e l l a C Ca ll e de Calle de Ariznavarra 4 THE ROMANTIC NEW TOWN Again, the starting-point is Plaza de la Virgen Blanca, which gives on to some old-town streets and other main streets of the new town. One of these is the Calle Dato, a busy pedestrian shopping street which New Cathedral today is still frequented by the citizens of Vitoria as a place to meet finally consecrated until 1969. Basque and have a stroll. Nearby, at the entrance to La Florida park, is the seat(11), of an the edifice built in Walking eastwards fromPlaza Virgen de Los Parliament Blanca, one comes to the mid-19th century. Presiding over (9). Designed in the early Fueros the session hall is a sculpture by 1980s by sculptor Eduardo Chillida Nestor Basterretxea. and architect Peña Ganchegui, it blends modern originality of design Crossing through La Florida park are with traditional uses such as the the attractive Paseo de La Senda and practice of rural sports. Paseo de Fray Francisco de Vitoria, two walks lined by Museumelegant houses, of Fine Westwards from Virgen(10) Blanca or is which lead to theMuseum of New Cathedral Art (12) and the the (13). The former is housed Cathedral of María Inmaculada, a Heraldry e r e v l a l r e ía in a small Neo-renaissance palace D r í Neo-Gothic building with a fine a a e ía s n a Iglesia de t p r o e a S. Vicente i te crypt and sacristy. The first stone S Palacio ría Villa-Suso S. Francis s laid in 1907, but it was not Pl. Francisco H wa O Plaza de la O J. de Ayala R Iglesia de Casa E I Provincia Plaza Conde e l l S.

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