Municipality of Bizkaia
Stage city for the first time
Population: 19,587.
Personalities: Benat Intxausti (cyclist), Carmelo Cedrun (football), Joseba Etxebarria (football), Xabie Exteita (football).
Specialities: zurrukutuna (garlic soup), cod, squid, txuleta and vegetable stew.
Culture and festivals: Haizetara (street music). Fiestas d'Amorebieta.
Sports: SD Amorebieta (football, Spanish D2).
Events: Klasika Primavera, Premio Primavera (cycling).
Economy: Research and Technology (Tecnalia). Boroa Industrial Estate (Parque empresorial Boroa). Boroa Thermal Power Plant.
Basque name: Zornotza
Websites / FB / Twitter / Instagram: www.sansebastianturismoa.eus, www.donostia.eus
AMOREBIETA-ETXANO AND CYCLING
Since 1946, Amorebieta has held a UCI Europe Tour race, the Klasika Primavera, which usually takes place on the same day as Paris-Roubaix. The race has been won by many great names, from Miguel Poblet to three-time winner Alejandro Valverde, as well as Laurent Jalabert, who won in 1995. The race was cancelled during the Covid years. The city also organises the Premio Primavera, a race reserved for the U16 to U23 categories. Among the riders from the city are Benat Intxausti, who competed in the Tour de France in 2011 and 2014 and won two stages in the Giro, holding the pink jersey in 2013, or Felipe Alberdi, who won a stage in the 1960 Tour of Spain and wore the amarillo jersey on that occasion. Amorebieta also organised the cyclo-cross world championship in 1978, won by the five-time rainbow jersey winner, Swiss Albert Zweifel, who took part in the Tour de France in 1981.
SIGHTS
Zornotza Aretoa
Construction: inaugurated in 1994.
History: The Zornotza Aretoa was inaugurated on 7 January 1994 after the purchase and renovation of the old Zornoza cinema by the Amorebieta-Etxano town council. Since then, the Zornotza Aretoa, commonly known as the "Areto", has become a reference space for the exhibition and production of performing arts (theatre, music, dance) and cinema, forming part of SAREA, the public network of Basque theatres.
Features: performances, usually on Fridays, the weekend cinema and the film club on Tuesdays, take place during the season from October to June to complement a varied public offer of leisure and culture. In addition, its facilities are used for a wide range of activities such as presentations, screenings, conferences... Its facilities also house the offices of the Markeline Theatre Group, with whom it has a residency agreement that allows it, among other things, to prepare and present all its theatre performances. It has a capacity of 353 seats, 253 in the courtyard and 100 in the amphitheatre.
Cancelada Palace
Construction: 19th century.
Style: neoclassical
Characteristics: In a rather baroque and busy environment, the Cancelada Palace attracts the attention of passers-by with its discreet façade made of ashlar, with only two small balconies serving as ornaments. Its austere façade should not mislead us. The four floors of the building are made of the best building materials of the time. It is a landmark among the city's historic buildings.
Church of Santa Maria de la Asuncion
Construction: 16th century
Style: Gothic and Renaissance
Characteristics: Construction began in 1556 by the master stonemason Domingo de Iturrieta of Cortézubi, in the Gothic style. It is a Renaissance church with a single nave. It is divided into five equal bays, and in the second bay there are two chapels that give the nave the appearance of a cross. The choir is octagonal.
History: Domingo de Iturrieta was commissioned to build the foundations of the building, but despite a favourable contract, he delayed the work until he was relieved of it. The church was finally completed 103 years later thanks to the patience and generosity of the parishioners. In the 18th century, the church was enlarged with the money of inhabitants who had left to make their fortune in South America. The final bell tower, the work of Juan lturburu, dates from 1774.
Listed: historical-artistic monument protected by the Provincial Council of Bizkaia.
Larrea Convent Church
Construction: 18th century.
Characteristics: Carmelite convent founded in 1712 by Juan de Larrea and Teresa de Undarra. The plan of the church follows a very common model in classical and baroque convent buildings, with a single nave divided into two bays and a transept. The cloister is on the Gospel side, in contact with the transept arm, and has two floors with semicircular arches. It is built of high-quality ashlar masonry.
Special features: among the furniture, almost entirely rococo, the two altarpieces stand out, with an image of the Ecce-Homo in one and the relief of the Annunciation in the other. Among the jewels, there is a beautiful monstrance and a chalice.
Lopez Palace
Built: 1926
Architect: Castor de Uriarte.
Characteristics: beautiful neoclassical building. It is a large cube with a rectangular tower attached, decorated with classical and baroque details.
TO EAT
Zurrukutuna
This is the Basque version of garlic soup, with cod, chilies, eggs and the traditional Basque bread, sopako. In Amorebieta, the recipe of the Jauregibarria restaurant is particularly famous.
