Eibar has 27,138 inhabitants (Eustat, 2018).[2] Its chief industry is metal manufacturing, and the city has been known since the 16th century for the manufacture of armaments, particularly finely engraved small arms. It was also the home of Serveta scooters.
Eibar lies at an altitude of 121m above sea level, in the west of the province of Gipuzkoa, very close to Biscay.[3] Eibar has an oceanic climate. The town lies in a narrow valley in a mountainous area, with mountains like Karakate, Kalamua and Akondia being between 700 and 800 metres tall. Eibar is traversed by the river Ego, which is a tributary of the Deba.[4]
Apart from the urban area, the municipality consists of five rural neighbourhoods: Otaola-Kinarraga, Aginaga, Arrate, Mandiola and Gorosta.[5]
History
The city was chartered by Alfonso XI of Castile in 1346, receiving the name of Villanueva de San Andrés de Heybar.[6][7]
The feudal families that dominated the territory engaged in the War of the Bands. Eibar, like the rest of settlements in the valley, had an industry based on finery forges and arms manufacturing. In 1766, Eibar was engaged in a social revolt known as the Machinada, and years later, in 1794, it was attacked by the French, who destroyed the town.[6]
In the 19th century, industrialisation transformed the systems of production in the city and spawned a powerful social movement. After the rest of Gipuzkoa sided with the French in 1793 during the French Revolutionary Wars, Eibar temporarily voted to join Biscay.[8] In the Carlist Wars, Eibar sided with the Liberals. The labour movement and socialism became particularly strong in Eibar. In 1931, it was the first city in Spain to proclaim the Second Spanish Republic; in recognition it was given the title of "Very Exemplary City".[6][9]
In the Spanish Civil War, Eibar was practically destroyed by Italian bombers aiding the Nationalists. The subsequent rebuilding brought significant industrial development and a demographic increase, as Eibar's population increased to nearly 40,000 within a few years.[6][10]
Due to the lack of space for expansion, several factories moved to Durangaldea and Álava.[11] The industrial crisis in the 1980s also caused Eibar to lose a great part of its population.[6]
At the beginning of the 21st century, Eibar's economy is based on industry and services.[6]
Euskal Herriko Ahotsak project with local Basque speakers and old photographs.[12][13]
Main sights
Church of San Andrés, built during the 16th and 17th centuries, it has a Gothic style with Renaissance and Baroque elements.[14]
Sanctuary of the Virgin of Arrate, from the beginning of the 17th century.[15]
Hermitage of Azitain, it contains a rare 17th-century beardless Christ.[16]
There are five stations in Eibar, from west to east: Unibertsitatea-Eibar, Amaña-Eibar, Ardantza-Eibar, Eibar and Azitain-Eibar.
Education
The Gipuzkoa Faculty of Engineering of the University of the Basque Country has a campus in Eibar. The campus offers an undergraduate program in renewable energy engineering.[27]
Since 2009, the city has hosted an annual stage finish in the Tour of the Basque Country, usually after the riders have climbed the Alto de Arrate. Before 2009, this was a traditional finish in the Euskal Bizikleta, which originated in Eibar as Bicicleta Eibarresa.[29] The Arrate finish has also been included in the Vuelta a España in 1972, 1974, 2012 and 2020.[30][31]
^Zubía y otros, Rafael (1989). Escuela de Armería de Éibar Eibarko Armeria Eskola 75 urteurrena. CIUDAD: Eibar EDITORIAL: Escuela de Armería. BI 1171/89.
