Goierri: 18 jewels to get to know and love in the Basque Highlands
Goierri: 18 jewels to get to know and love in the Basque Highlands
Nestled between the Aralar and Aizkorri-Aratz Natural Parks, the region known as the Basque Highlands (“Goierri” in Basque) is located just 30 minutes from San Sebastián. This valley comprised of 18 municipalities has numerous places of interest; not to mention the fact that events deeply rooted in Basque history and culture are held here. The following guide showcases the best of this region’s 18 jewels.
Altzaga
Altzaga is located on mountainous terrain and it offers magnificent views of the Aralar and Aizkorri-Aratz Mountain Ranges from the Altzagarate neighborhood. From this municipality one can see, among other things, the Txindoki Mountain: the most emblematic peak of the region. The town square is home to the San Miguel Parish, a temple built with ashlars and which features a Latin cross plan whose main altarpiece is one of the best exponents of the Gipuzkoan Renaissance.
Arama
Arama is a town located in the center of the Goierri region. With less than 200 inhabitants and an area of 1.3 km², it is the smallest municipality in the historic territory of Gipuzkoa.
Ataun
Ataun is one of the largest towns in terms of surface area in the province of Gipuzkoa. Steeped in mythology, it borders Navarre and the forest of the Aralar Natural Park. It features a beautiful geological phenomenon: the Ataun Dome. The patriarch of Basque culture and native of Ataun, Joxemiel Barandiaran, has a museum here dedicated to himself and to Basque mythology.
Beasain
With around 14,000 inhabitants, Beasain is the most populated municipality in the Basque Highlands. Noteworthy is its historical/architectural monumental complex, known as Igartza: a medieval site consisting of a palace built in the thirteenth century, a bridge, a wooden dam, a forge, and a mill.
Gabiria
Gabiria is a town located in one of the highest areas of Goierri. Due to its high location, it offers spectacular panoramic views. As the saying goes in Basque: “Gabiri, toki guztietatik ageri” (“Gabiria: it’s visible from everywhere”). On the outskirts of the municipality, in the Alegia neighborhood, there is a fifteenth-century pillory where delinquents were punished.
Gaintza
Gaintza is a rural municipality located at the foot of the Txindoki Mountain. It is characterized by the scenic beauty that surrounds it. The beautiful polychrome Renaissance altarpiece in the San Martín de Tours Hermitage deserves special mention.
Idiazabal
Pastoralism has had great economic and social importance in Idiazabal. Nestled at the foot of the Aizkorri Mountain Range, this municipality provides the name for the Idiazabal Cheese Designation of Origin, and it even has a Cheese Interpretation and Tasting Center. The architecture of the town is striking, with numerous palaces built by the “Indianos” (Spanish emigrants who sought their fortune in America and returned to Spain rich). These are stately homes from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Likewise, there is the San Miguel Parish Church, with its façade which transitions from Romanesque to Gothic.
Itsasondo
This is a small, rural town divided into two neighborhoods. It is worth noting the relevance that the mining sector had until a few years ago; specifically the exploitation of slate mines. Also noteworthy is the Santa María de la Asunción Church, of medieval origin.
Lazkao
Lazkao is located in a wonderful natural environment, at the foot of the Aralar Mountain Range. In the town center there are several seventeenth-century buildings that constitute one of the most important of Gipuzkoa’s historical heritage ensembles: the San Miguel Parish Church, the palace belonging to the Duke of the Infantado, a Benedictine monastery, the Las Bernardas Convent, and the town hall. It is a “must” to visit the Lazkaomendi neighborhood, where the best panoramic views of Goierri are found.
Legorreta
In the town of Legorreta, the visitor’s attention is drawn to the “Santa Cruz” (“Holy Cross”) Shrine and the San Salvador Parish, the latter having been erected in the sixteenth century by Domingo de Eceiza, a master stonemason who worked on the El Escorial Monastery of Madrid.
Mutiloa
Since the Middle Ages, the economic activity of this town has been marked by mining. It is a small, rural municipality with a multitude of scattered farmhouses. It has a 4.5 km Green Way that follows the route taken by iron ore from the Aizpea Mines to the Ormaiztegi Train Station.
Olaberria
Olaberria is considered to be the “Balcony of Goierri:” it offers views of the entire region, including the Aizkorri and Aralar Mountain Ranges. The agricultural/livestock sector and the iron and steel industry are the main economic activities in Olaberria.
Ordizia
Ordizia is a medieval town especially known for its market, which has been held every Wednesday since 1512. Ordizia also hosts one of the most important Basque gastronomic events: the annual Idiazabal Cheese Contest, part of the “Fiestas Vascas” (“Basque Festivals”) in September.
Ormaiztegi
This municipality with about 1,350 inhabitants is home to the Zumalakarregi museum, several notable farmhouses, and the San Andrés Parish Church, which still maintains one of the oldest baptismal fonts in the region. Its icon is the laminated steel viaduct inaugurated in 1864. This structure was in operation until 1995.
Segura
Segura is a medieval town with the best preserved medieval quarter in the province. Among its architectural gems are the Ardixarra Palace (headquarters of the Medieval Interpretation Center), the Lardizabal Palace (currently the Town Hall), and the Asunción Parish Church. Segura is also known for its Holy Week processions.
Zaldibia
The town of Zaldibia, located at the foot of the Txindoki Mountain, offers magnificent journeys along its Roman road, around Mount Auza Gaztelu, and through the Aralar Mountain Range. On the last Sunday of October, a festival to celebrate the town’s most typical product is held: the traditionally prepared Mondeju sausage.
Zegama
Located in a strategic area, Zegama was once a fundamental town through which you had to pass to access the province of Gipuzkoa. The greatest example of its strategic position is the San Adrián Tunnel (World Heritage Site), crossed by a road that has its origins in Roman times (and through which the Way of Saint James passes).
Zerain
The rural town of Zerain is one of the municipalities that has best preserved and recovered its traditional architecture and culture. The “Bolatoki” (the Basque bowling game area), the Jauregi Palace, the Ethnographic Museum, the eighteenth-century prison, the Larraondo Hydraulic Sawmill, and the Aizpea Mining Complex are all worth visits.
Goierri
