Eibar, what to see and do.

Eibar, what to see and do in the city of Euskadi.

Eibar, the former representative of industrialization in Gipuzkoa and Euskadi, a city halfway between Bilbao, Vitoria Gasteiz and Donostia San Sebastian, invites us to enjoy its history and culture by visiting some of its most emblematic spaces. Although from the outside it may seem a gray and unattractive city, when entering inside the visitor realizes that it is a city with a lot of history. An industrial and architectural heritage that attracts the attention of everyone who gives a chance to this Basque town.The industrial heritage of Eibar is one of its strengths, one of its emblems. A section in which the manufacture of weapons is of great importance. Eibar’s industry has diversified over the years to manufacture all kinds of objects. What has not been manufactured in Eibar? We are sure that, without knowing it, you yourselves have used more than one product manufactured in Eibar. A great example of this are the bicycles, where brands like BH (Beistegui Hermanos) make clear the good work of the people from Eibar. Would you like to discover what to see in Eibar with us?

The industrial heritage of Eibar merges with its architectural heritage to offer us a very interesting visit. A tour, which in addition to showing us some of the most important streets and squares of the town, also show us spaces such as the museum of the arms industry, the church of San Andres, the tower house of Unzueta or the Palace of the Isasi.

What to see in Eibar.

The city of Eibar offers us a nice list of places to see and enjoy. If you are looking for what to see in Eibar, we recommend that you pay special attention to each of the places we mention in this section. We are sure that it will be very useful when planning your trip to Eibar.

Church of San Andres: This temple represents one of the most important buildings in the town. A wooden church on which a large part of the historic center of Eibar was developed. The temple that we contemplate today was built during the fifteenth century on the original temple. The church of San Andres stands out for its north façade and its capitals. An authentic marvel.

Armagintzaren museoa: The Arms Industry Museum of Eibar shows us the history of the town through its industrial heritage. This museum space makes us travel back in time to learn about the industrial evolution of Eibar from the 14th century to the present day. This is how the visitor will have the opportunity to know, as a result of the crisis of the 20s, Eibar moved away from weapons to diversify its production in other sectors such as bicycles or sewing machines. We are sure that you will be amazed by the great collection of objects that this museum holds (weapons, bicycles, motorcycles, sewing machines…).

City Hall: The city hall that we contemplate today was projected in 1899 by the Basque architect Ramon Cortazar. Thus, the new town hall was inaugurated in 1901. After its inauguration there have been several reforms that have been carried out in the town hall, the most important in the years 1961 and 1975. As a fact of interest we must indicate that you can still see the damage done by the shrapnel in several points of its facade.

Astelena Fronton: This fronton is one of the most emblematic of all Euskadi. It is a temple of Basque pelota. With a capacity of more than 1,300 people, this fronton has hosted some of the most important pelota matches since its inauguration in 1904. We cannot talk about this fronton without mentioning the curious origin of its name, and it seems that its name comes from the tradition that the men and women of Eibar had of going to the fronton every Monday. Hence its name, Astelena, Monday in Basque.

Sanctuary of Arrate: This temple is a reference in Eibar. A space of worship of simple aesthetics that has several jewels in its interior. An example of this are the paintings of the artist Ignacio Zuloaga or the image of the Virgin of Arrate (XIV century). The feast in honor of the patron saint of Eibar, the Virgin of Arrate is celebrated annually every September 8.

Palace of the Isasi family: This palace also known as Markeskua, was built in the 16th century by Martin Lopez de Isasi. Experts do not hesitate to recognize the Isasi Palace as one of the most important civil buildings in Eibar. The building was restored to house the headquarters of Udako Euskal Unibertistatea, an organization that offers all kinds of higher education courses.

Casa de Cultura Portalea: The building that currently houses the Museum of the Arms Industry of Eibar was once the Aguirre and Aranzabal shotgun factory. This building, designed by Raimundo Alberdi y Abaunz in 1926 and enlarged in 1951, was producing shotguns until almost the end of the 80’s, when it became municipal property. In 1996 the building was restored to house the Portalea cultural center. In addition to the museum, this building has an exhibition hall, conference room, meeting rooms, workshops and many other spaces.

Alfa: Alfa is one of those emblematic companies in Eibar. An industrial group created in 1920 that has been able to adapt by creating products for an infinite number of sectors. Although it originally began by creating firearms, today it is internationally known for its star product, sewing machines. Currently Alfa has a staff of more than 800 workers and creates products for all kinds of sectors. It should be noted that Alfa was the first cooperative in the Basque Country and one of the first in Spain.

Center of interpretation of the civil war: This museum space is located next to the sanctuary of Arrate. A place where the historical events that took place in the mountains of Urko, Kalamua, Akondia or Aginaga are put in value. And it is that the front of the Civil War was maintained around Eibar for more than 7 months.

Hiking: The mountains surrounding Eibar offer a wide range of routes to enjoy with the family. In fact, we are sure that you are familiar with routes such as the route to the Aixola reservoir or the route of the dolmens. Routes that we have already told you about and that left us a very good taste in our mouths. If you like this kind of plans, we recommend you to read our article about family routes in Euskadi.

Aldatze Palace: This palace, also historically known as Iñarra, is located on one of the slopes of Eibar, at the top of the street of the same name. Over time, this palace has undergone several modifications to its original structure. Nowadays it is part of the educational center of the nuns of Nuestra Señora de la Providencia.

Unzueta Palace: The Unzueta family has been very important in the history of Eibar and Gipuzkoa. In fact, the palace that we present today was built in the same space where the old tower house of the Unzueta family was located. A building of medieval origin, which had to withstand the attacks of the wars of sides. The palace that we contemplate today was built in the 17th century by Angela Maria de Unzueta. At present, the palace is part of the La Salle school.

Church of Azitain: This small temple is located at the exit of Eibar towards Elgoibar, in the neighborhood of Azitain, near the Palace of Unzueta. Although its exterior is not very showy, we must indicate that in its interior it keeps a carving of crucified Christ (without beard) of the XIII century. A singular piece of great value.

Ipurua Stadium: Sociedad Deportiva Eibar has a modest soccer field on one of the valley slopes, in the neighborhood of Ipurua, next to the road to Elgeta. A stadium, which, built in 1947 and remodeled on several occasions (1959, 1969, 1988…) offers us a tour of all its facilities.

All the spaces described above are just some of the most emblematic places of Eibar, if you want to know in detail every corner of the city of Eibar, we recommend visiting places like the hermitage of San Salvador.

Video of Eibar.

As usual in all our articles, we wanted to complement the words and pictures about what to see in Eibar with a short audiovisual. We hope it will help you when planning your trip to Eibar. In case you like this kind of videos, we recommend you to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you can discover all the experiences and places we recommend you in Euskal Herria.

What to see near Eibar.

The towns and cities that surround Eibar perfectly complement the offer of spaces that this urban center offers us. Undoubtedly a great option to get to know better this corner of Euskadi. Would you like to get to know Euskadi with us?

What to do near Eibar.

Our reservation center is full of experiences and activities to enjoy Euskadi. That is why we recommend you to take a look at all the options we propose. Here are some of our proposals, we hope you like them.

Where to sleep in Eibar.

Every day we are expanding our network of accommodations in Euskadi. That is the reason why we recommend you to visit our reservation center so that you can evaluate which of the establishments that we propose suits your tastes and budget. We are sure you will find what you are looking for.

Eibar Festivities.

Eibar has several days marked in red on the calendar. Festivities such as San Blas, San Juan, San Miguel or San Andrés. But among all of them stand out the patron saint festivities of San Juan / San Andrés and the traditional festivities of Arrate, San Blas and Gaztañerre. We recommend you to take into account all these dates when planning your trip to Eibar.

History of Eibar.

The town of Eibar was established on the basin of the river Ego under the name of Villanueva de San Andrés in 1346, but we must remember that the settlements in this area of the interior of Gipuzkoa existed long before. Thanks to the town charter, the inhabitants of Eibar could freely exercise economic activities. Thus, small arms manufacturing workshops were created. These essential companies formed the basis of the industry that we find today in Eibar. In 1794 the French troops entered the city setting fire to important buildings such as the town hall, the schools and the church. Undoubtedly one of the most important historical events of the city.In the twentieth century, the control of the arms trade and the different international markets made the industry of Eibar was completely transformed. From the exclusive manufacture of weapons to the manufacture of all kinds of products. We cannot end this section without mentioning that Eibar was the first town in which the Second Republic was proclaimed on April 14, 1931, a historic event. In the 60’s Eibar doubled its population due to the immigrants who came to the city called by the work in the industry.

Location.

Eibar is located along the course of the river Ego, in the heart of the Gipuzkoa region of Debabarrena. Very close to the border with the province of Bizkaia and surrounded by mountains such as Arrate, Urko or Akondia. Eibar has 4 neighborhoods located on the slopes of the valley, Otaola, Aginaga, Arrate, Mandiola and Gorosta.

How to get to Eibar.

If you are looking for how to get to Eibar, we recommend you to evaluate all the existing possibilities. From public transport to private transport. In this case, the strategic location of Eibar makes any of these 2 types of transport very good options.

Where to park in Eibar.

Eibar has a system in the city center similar to the OTA (Traffic and Parking Ordinance) that limits parking time. This municipal ordinance applies to central streets such as Toribio Etxebarria, San Juan or Bidebarrieta. Spaces, in which you can park for a maximum of 2 hours. However, we must point out that the ticket is obtained completely free of charge in the different machines that we find in these streets.

As you have been able to see, Eibar, that city that we so often contemplate from the highway, is a very interesting destination in any trip to Euskadi. In case you have any questions about what to see in Eibar, we remind you that you can use the comments system that you will find below these lines to send them to us. We will try to respond as soon as possible. Ondo pasa!