Elgoibar Explained

Elgoibar
Pushpin Map:Spain Basque Country#Spain
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of Elgoibar within the Basque Country
Pushpin Map1:Spain
Pushpin Map Caption1:Location of Elgoibar within Spain
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Spain
Subdivision Type1:Autonomous community
Subdivision Name1:Basque Country
Subdivision Type2:Province
Subdivision Name2:Gipuzkoa
Subdivision Type3:Comarca
Subdivision Name3:Debabarrena
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Maialen Gurrutxaga (PNV)
Established Date:December 20, 1346
Area Land Km2:39.11
Population Density Km2:292.46
Timezone:CET
Utc Offset:+1
Timezone Dst:CEST
Utc Offset Dst:+2
Coordinates:43.2142°N -2.4169°W
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:20870
Area Code:34 (Spain) + 943 (Gipuzkoa)

Elgoibar (Spanish; Castilian: Elgóibar) is an industrial town located in the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, northern Spain.Located in a valley, it is traversed by the Deba river.Elgoibar is nicknamed the "capital city of the Machine tool".

Originally the town was called Villamayor de Marquina, but it had been founded in a place called before Elgoibar field. The town came to be known by this name a few centuries of its foundation. Until the mid-15th century it appears in the documentation as Villamayor de Marquina, but in the statutes of the Brotherhood of Gipuzkoa of 1457 and 1463 years appears with the Elgoibar name and it has prevailed until today.Elgoibar name has been used in Spanish and in Basque in order to refer to the small town. The only difference is that in Spanish the name Elgoibar has an accent mark above its "o".

Elgoibar etymologically comes from the Basque language and is possibly composed of the word elge (meaning "field", usually cultivated), and iba - a word which means "valley" or "plain". Therefore, "elge ibar" would be a similar term to "vega" or "a cultivated field". This etymology would fit quite well with the mention of Elgoibar field that appears in the settlement charter of the town.

Economy

Since the very beginning of the establishment of the town, its industrial nature was very relevant. The king kept for himself the strip mining of the minerals such as gold or silver, and the ironworks production. As Tomás López described in 1800 "The industrialization transformed that protoindustry, on a machinery tools factories network; like this is how this village turned into being the "capital city of the Machine Tool".

Main companies

The following list includes companies that are located in Elgoibar, and that have at least an staff of 50 people according to the Basque Industry catalog:

Local Festivities

Elgoibar celebrates festivity in honor of its patron; San Bartolome and San Anton. The latter is the patron of the villa. In addition, there are a number of celebrations that are celebrated in unison of the region or the country such as San Blas, Carnivals or the Eve of St. Agatha. There is cattle fair the last Saturday of each month and specially the last Saturday of the year, Gabon Zahar Feria.

Then, there are smaller celebrations in the rural districts and the hermitages like the pilgrimage of Santiago Sargoate day.

Sport

The 1st stage of The 2024 Tour of the Basque Country finished at Elgoibar on May 10th[1]

Notable people from Elgoibar

Militaries and Governors

Religious people

Industrial people

Writers

Pelota Players

Football players

Other sports

Bullfighter

Politicians

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://www.discoveryplus.com/gb/video/sport/dplus-sport-dplus-sport-sport/itzulia-basque-country-stage-1-6596318