Arrasate Mondragón, what to see and do.

Arrasate Mondragón, the origin of the cooperative movement in the Basque Country.

Mondragon, Arrasate in Basque and officially Arrasate Mondragon, is one of the most important towns in the Gipuzkoa region of Debagoiena. An urban center, protected by mountains and the river Deba, allows us to reach any of the 3 provincial capitals of Euskadi in less than 1 hour. A fact that allows us to visit a large part of Euskadi without wasting a lot of time in displacements. But Arrasate Mondragón not only stands out for its strategic location, it is also the place where the cooperative movement was created, an economic model that has led the Mondragón Group to become the largest business group in the Basque Country. Great examples of this are companies such as Caja Laboral, Eroski, Fagor or Mondragón Unibertsitatea. If you are planning to travel to Arrasate Mondragón, we encourage you to read each of the sections of this article to learn about all the places we recommend to see and enjoy in this town. Would you like to visit Arrasate Mondragón with us?

The medieval old town of Arrasate Mondragon is undoubtedly the most important attraction of this urban center. A place, which is complemented to perfection with the mountains and parks that we find in the surroundings. We encourage you to walk through the streets and squares that we find inside the old walled enclosure of the town to know all the spaces that we recommend to see in Arrasate Mondragón.

What to see in Arrasate Mondragón.

The historic center of Arrasate Mondragón houses most of the attractions of the town. Great examples are the church of San Juan Bautista, the town hall, the convent of San Francisco or the palaces of Okendo and Artazubiaga.

Historical centerThe historic center of Arrasate Mondragon, walled (formerly) and oval-shaped, is one of the great jewels of Euskadi. The 5 gates that existed in the thick wall allowed access to this medieval town to locals and strangers. These accesses were closed every night and opened in the morning. As a curiosity, it is necessary to indicate that in case of fire they were closed so that all the inhabitants helped in the tasks of extinction of the fire. Inside, there are many palaces and historic buildings that we recommend you to visit. In fact, in 1997, this area was declared a cultural heritage site by the Basque Government.

Palace of MonterronMonterrón Palace: This palace built in the 17th century is located in front of the oldest entrance door of the old town, Zurginkantoi. On its main façade, we can contemplate 2 large coats of arms: those of the Andikano Zelaa and Aranguren Unzueta families. This architectural structure and the incredible park at the back were built by the Counts of Monterrón, hence its name.

Town HallThe town hall of Arrasate Mondragon is located in the center of the old walled historic center. A seventeenth century building, which together with the main square represents the nerve center of the town. On the outside, on the main facade, the 5 arches located on the first floor, the central balcony and the coat of arms are striking.

Andikano Loiola PalaceLocated next to the town hall, on one of its sides, this palace has an incredible wooden gallery that hides the original coat of arms and facade of the seventeenth century.

Palace of Bañez de ArtazubiagaThis palace located inside the walled enclosure, near the church, was built in the 16th century. Before living in the center of the village, this family owned a tower house in Bedoña that was burned down so that it would not fall into enemy hands. The main facade of this palace is adorned with a wrought iron balcony, columns, a coat of arms and a Latin phrase over the entrance door that reads “Only work is the source of virtue, only virtue originates honor”.

Okendo PalaceThis palace located in the suburb of Maala was built in the 17th century. Today, this palace still maintains its original appearance, showing us the balconies and the coat of arms of the Barrutia family.

Convent of San FranciscoThe church that we contemplate today was built by Miguel Aranburu in the 16th century over the original chapel. On the main façade the coat of arms of Uriarte and Araoz stand out, while in the interior we must highlight the incredible walnut wood altarpiece.

San Juan Bautista Parish ChurchThe church in honor of San Juan Bautista is located in the heart of the historic center, in front of the town hall. This religious temple was built during different periods, thus, the bell tower was built in the sixteenth century, while the rest of the buildings were built between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries. In the 90’s the temple was completely restored. The central access that we find at the back of the church, the main access, was created next to the portico that joins Erdiko Kalea and Iturriotz Kalea streets.

Entrance gatesThe old medieval town of Arrasate Mondragon was protected by a wall that had 5 gates or entrance doors. At present, only 3 of them are still standing: the Portalón (arch below), Zurginkantoi and Kontzentzino. The Portalón, the main entrance door, is located at the beginning of Erdiko Kalea street. The arch of Zurginkantoi, located in front of the Palace of Monterrón and protected by a two-slope roof, is the oldest of them all. In this last one we can appreciate the thickness that had the old defensive wall.

ELMA BuildingELMA building is a clear example of the industrial culture and history of Arrasate Mondragón. This company, located near the historic center, was created in 1924 by 7 former members of the Mondragon Locksmith Union. Its objective was the manufacture and sale of locks, screws and other hardware accessories. The building we see today housed the company’s offices. Unfortunately, the rest of the buildings that made up ELMA were destroyed.

Harresi ezkutuaHarresi ezkutua: This sculpture known as Harresi ezkutua, which means “hidden wall” in Basque, is located at the main entrance to the old town. An artistic work of 5 meters long, representing the ancient medieval wall of Arrasate Mondragon. This work of art created by Iñigo Arregi is one of the latest additions to the old walled urban core.

Olaeta HouseThe Olaeta house in Arrasate Mondragón still preserves the main facade of its first floor. The rest has been completely renovated. This sandstone facade has 2 arched entrances, which, decorated with rope ornaments and accompanied by the coat of arms of Olaeta, gives us a glimpse of the importance it had in the past.

Natural environmentThe urban center of Arrasate Mondragón is surrounded by areas of great natural value. A great example of this is Mount Udalaitz or Udalatx (1,117 meters). One of the emblematic peaks of Gipuzkoa and Euskadi. In addition to the different mountains that protect the town, near the urban nucleus we find other 2 spaces that are worth mentioning. These are the Monterrón and Santa Bárbara parks.

University of MondragonArrasate Mondragón is one of the major urban university centers in the Basque Country. It is also a pioneer in the corporate movement. In this sense, the University of Mondragon and its parent company, the Mondragon Corporation, were and are largely to blame. The Mondragon group is one of the largest cooperatives in Europe. This private university was created in 1997 after the merger of 3 educational cooperatives of the Mondragon Group: Mondragon Goi Eskola Politeknikoa, Irakasle Eskola and MU Enpresagintza.Although the spaces we have just mentioned represent the most emblematic corners and buildings of Arrasate Mondragón, they are not the only ones. If you want to visit all the places, we recommend that you visit the Monterrón park, the Santa Bárbara park, the San Valero hermitage or the Santa Eulalia church.

Video of Arrasate Mondragón.

As usual, we have created a short video about Arrasate Mondragón so that you can check in a more real way what awaits you in your next destination. In case you like this kind of videos, we encourage you to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you can know all the places and experiences we recommend in Euskal Herria, we are waiting for you!

Experiences in the Basque Country.

If during your trip to Euskadi, besides visiting places you also want to enjoy beautiful experiences, we recommend you to take a look at our reservation center. We hope you will find an activity that suits your tastes and budget. We leave you a list with some of the most demanded active tourism activities in Euskadi.

What to see near Arrasate Mondragón.

If you want to complement your trip to Arrasate Mondragón with a visit to other nearby towns, we recommend that you consider the possibility of visiting some of the places mentioned in the following list.

History of Arrasate Mondragón.

The lands that today belong to Arrasate Mondragón have been occupied by humans for thousands of years. The first inhabitants lived in the caves that existed in the higher areas of the town. After abandoning the protection of the caves, these human beings continued to evolve, building settlements on the tops of the surrounding mountains. These would be the first towns, which centuries later, in the Middle Ages, would settle at the bottom of the valley, creating a network of streets and plots of land where iron was transformed. Thanks to the success of this industry, the economy and society developed to become very important in the area. In 1260, the town of Mondragón was founded on an area previously known as Arrasate. A medieval walled town, which had numerous streets (Iturriotz, Erdiko kale and Ferrerías), cantons (Olarte and Concepción) and portals. But the town continued to evolve to the point that it had to develop outside the walls. This is how the suburbs of Gazteluondo, Zarugalde and Maala were created. Later, during the industrialization, these suburbs underwent a real growth boom. Housing, workshops and factories everywhere. Today, Arrasate Mondragón still has one of the most important industries in the Basque Country.

As you have been able to see, Arrasate Mondragon is one of those urban centers that we recommend you to visit in any trip to the interior of Gipuzkoa. In case you have any questions about what to see in Arrasate Mondragon, we encourage you to use the comment system that you will find below these lines to let us know. We will try to respond as soon as possible. Ondo pasa!