Balmaseda

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Balmeseda Valmaseda municipality
Old bridge over the Cadagua
Old bridge over the Cadagua
coat of arms Map of Spain
Coat of arms of Balmeseda Valmaseda
Balmaseda (Spain)
Finland road sign 311 (1994-2020) .svg
Basic data
Autonomous Community : Basque CountryBasque Country Basque Country
Province : Bizkaia
Comarca : Las Encartaciones
Coordinates 43 ° 12 ′  N , 3 ° 12 ′  W Coordinates: 43 ° 12 ′  N , 3 ° 12 ′  W
Height : 146  msnm
Area : 22.32 km²
Residents : 7,697 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density : 344.85 inhabitants / km²
Founding: 1199
Postal code : 48800
Municipality number  ( INE ): 48090
administration
Website : Balmaseda
Location of the municipality
Balmaseda.JPG

Balmaseda ( Spanish : Valmaseda ) is a place and a municipality with 7,697 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) in the province of Bizkaia in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country in northern Spain .

location

Balmaseda is located on an old trade route about 30 km southwest of Bilbao in the valley of the Río Cadagua at an altitude of about 150 m above sea level. d. M. Balmaseda is the capital of the Comarca Las Encartaciones and is close to the historically significant border with Castile-León .

Population development

year 1842 1900 1950 1970 2001 2011
Residents 1,539 3.129 4,797 7,412 7,069 7,681

As a result of the industrial development, the population of the small town grew continuously in the 20th century.

economy

In earlier centuries, the residents of the place lived largely on self-sufficiency from agriculture, which also included viticulture and cattle breeding. Some practiced a trade or a trade. Today Balmaseda is a not insignificant center of furniture and metal processing in the region.

history

Small prehistoric finds were made in the municipality. The establishment of the place goes back to the year 1199, when the area had been recaptured by the Moors for a long time ; Nevertheless, the strategic location between the river and the mountainous hinterland near the disputed border between the Kingdom of Navarre and Castile was of great importance. In addition, the place was on the Way of St. James ( Camino de Santiago ) between Bilbao and Villafranca del Bierzo .

Attractions

San Severino Church
town hall
  • The most important testimony of the local history is the three-arched bridge ( puente viejo ) with a central section rising on both sides from the 13th century, which probably replaced a previous building. On the bridge pillar on the city side there is a bridge tower , which was formerly important both economically (tariff collection) and militarily (defense). The different stone material of the actual bridge (house stone) and - probably added later - side parapet walls (quarry stone) can be clearly seen.
  • The most important church in the city is the Iglesia de San Severino , which today serves as the parish church, from the 14th century with baroque changes. It is a three-aisled hall church with only a slightly raised central nave. The Romanesque portal of a previous building is still preserved.
  • The late Gothic church of San Juan Bautista del Moral has a Renaissance portal. The star-vaulted nave has been converted into a museum of the city's history.
  • The middle floor of the town hall ( ayuntamiento ) built in the 18th century with its representative framed balcony windows rests on a pillar-supported hall on the ground floor. The upper floor only has small arched windows.
  • The Palacio de Horcasitas is a three-story urban aristocratic palace from the 17th century with two stone heraldic shields .

Community partnerships

Balmaseda has partnerships with the municipalities:

Personalities

Web links

Commons : Balmaseda  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Cifras oficiales de población resultantes de la revisión del Padrón municipal a 1 de enero . Population statistics from the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (population update).