Durango (Spain)

Durango parish
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Basque Country
Province :	Bizkaia
Comarca :	Durangaldea
Coordinates	43 ° 10 ′ N , 2 ° 38 ′ W Coordinates: 43 ° 10 ′ N , 2 ° 38 ′ W
Height :	119 msnm
Area :	10.91 km²
Residents :	29,791 (Jan. 1, 2019)
Population density :	2,730.61 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	48200
Municipality number ( INE ):	48027
administration
Mayor :	Ima Garrastatxu Urbaneja ( EH Bildu )
Website :	www.durango-udala.net

Durango is a municipality in the northern Spanish province of Vizcaya in the Basque Country ( Spain ).

geography

Durango lies on the left bank of the Ibaizabal River and covers an area of 10.79 km² . To the south a very jagged and bizarre mountain massif , the so-called Peñas del Duranguesado (Alluitz, Amboto , Mugarra) , was created by rock folding . Within the municipality of Durango, the two mountains Peña de Mugarra (960 meters) and Monte Neberondo (453 meters) stand out, which form a small limestone massif with numerous karst formations .

Overview of Durango viewed from the north. In the background u. a. the mountains of Santa Lucia (right) and Amboto (center).

The Ibaizabal River crosses the municipality from north to south and is fed by the Mañaria River and the Larrinagatxu stream.

population

The population of Durango has grown steadily since 1940, which was due to the settlement of numerous industrial companies in the vicinity of the municipality. In the 1980s, however, this development stalled as a result of an economic crisis. A large proportion of the immigrants came from rural areas in the area, particularly from the coastal areas of the province of Vizcaya and from other regions of Spain. This also explains the relatively young population pyramid . Of the municipality's 26,131 inhabitants, 12,798 are men and 13,333 women.

economy

Durango's economy is very much based on the secondary sector and this is entirely driven by industry. In the primary sector (agriculture) there are only a few family businesses today, most of which produce for their own use or for local markets and are located in the rural areas of the municipality of Durango. The services sector saw strong growth in the late 1990s and early 21st century.

The secondary sector is the main driver of Durango's economic development and employs by far the largest number of residents in the community; industry is therefore Durango's most important source of wealth. This includes both the metal industry (especially tool manufacture such as Ona Electroerosión and hardware such as Ferretera Vizcaína ) as well as foundries. Plastics processing companies (such as Odi-Bakar SA ) also belong to Durango's industrial companies. Due to the limited space available in the actual urban area, more and more companies are relocating to the industrial zones in front of the city.

In the service sector, the public areas such as education and training, the district administration and the health sector stand out. Trade has developed in recent years; Nevertheless, the provincial capital Bilbao, only 30 km away, still dominates . There are some very good restaurants in the catering sector. The proximity to Bilbao has also contributed to the settlement of some hotels.

traffic

Durango is on the EuskoTren S-Bahn line between Bilbao and San Sebastian . There is currently an older overground train station in Durango. The railway line through the middle of the city has led to urban sprawl.

EuskoTren is currently planning the construction of a new headquarters including an underground train station in Durango / Vizcaya . A total of around 150–160 million euros is to be invested in the construction project called "operación Durango". The renowned Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid won the international tender for the construction .

The very modern building project should consist of 5 architectural axes. The first axis will consist of a seven-story building into which the EuskoTren headquarters will move. The second axis is the development of an underground level with a shopping center, theater , cinemas , bars, discotheque and a large car park area. The third axis is represented by the new underground train station. It should be 12 meters underground and have a platform length of almost 90 meters. The fourth axis will consist of an above-ground, 60,000 m² high park, which is to be created above the actual station. Finally, as a fifth axis, residential buildings will be erected in the vicinity of the triangular building site.

There are also bus connections to and from Durango. The BizkaiBus leaves for Bilbao every half hour . There are two routes: one takes the A8 motorway and takes 30 minutes, the other takes the road via Amorebieta-Etxano and takes around 50 minutes for the 35 km route.

language

In Durango one speaks the dialect of the province of Vizcaya of the Basque language , the so-called ( bizkaiera ), again with typical characteristics of the respective district Durango.

history

Kurutzeaga Cross

The place, which was originally called Tabira de Durango , later Villanueva de Durango and now Durango , did not have a Carta Puebla (a kind of contract with a ruler (e.g. king) in which the inhabitants of a village had certain privileges in the Middle Ages and freedoms) like other Basque villages. Nevertheless, historians put the foundation date of the community at the beginning of the 13th century . Presumably the town charter was granted in 1372. Tavira , or Tabira in Basque, is probably the name of the original core settlement in what is now Durango. In the city arms the reference to "Tabira" appears as a reminder of the origin of the community.

One of the most historically well-known events is the so-called "Heresy of Durango" (Herejía de Durango) in the period from 1442 to 1444, which was instigated by the Franciscan Alonso de Mella; he had u. a. the community of property taught. More than 100 of his followers, the so-called Fratizelleni , were sentenced to death for heresy and publicly burned in the Kurutzeaga. To commemorate this event, a cross with the same name was erected on this street.

On March 31, 1937, Durango was exposed to an air raid ; more than 500 people were killed.

Culture

In the cultural field, the establishment of the San Agustín Kultur Gunea cultural center , which was inaugurated in 1998, is significant. Since then, theater, dance and music performances have taken place here. There is also the Escuela de Música Bartolomé Ertzilla music academy , with hundreds of students from the surrounding area.

The Museo de Arte e Historia de Durango near the Kultur Gunea was established in 1984 and is located in the Palacio Etxezarreta , an 18th century building. The museum holds important historical documents about Durango's history. Art exhibitions (painting, sculpture, photography) are also regularly held here.

sons and daughters of the town

Brother Juan de Zumárraga (around 1468–1548), the first bishop of Mexico . He introduced printing in Mexico and founded numerous schools and hospitals. His statue is in Durango in the Parque de Ezkurdi .
Bruno Mauricio de Zabala (1682–1736) was governor of Buenos Aires and founded the city of Montevideo , capital of Uruguay , in 1726 . His family's ancestral home is near the museum.
Carmelo Echenagusía (1932–2008), auxiliary bishop in Bilbao
Iñaki Azkuna (1943–2014), 1999–2014 Mayor of Bilbao, World Mayor 2012

Attractions

Old town: Medieval structure with three longitudinal streets and one cross street. The churches of Santa Maria and Santa Ana are located there.

Torre de Lariz , in 1483 Queen Isabella I of Castile (Isabel la Católica) stayed here when she swore the special rights for the province of Vizcaya .

Arco de Santa Ana , the only remnant of the ancient city walls. It was built in 1566 and restored in Baroque style in 1744.

Ídolo de Mikeldi , a four-legged animal from pre-Roman times. One is in the dark about its meaning. The original is in the Museo Arqueológico de Bilbao . The sculpture was discovered in Durango in 1864. A replica is now in Parque de Ezkurdi .

Palacio de los Zabala , The residence of Bruno Mauricio de Zabala , founder of Montevideo .

Palacio de Etxezarreta , today contains the Museo de Arte e Historia de Durango .

Santa María de Uríbarri , the Basilica of Santa María was built next to the Torre de Arandoño , which it used as a bell tower. It dates from the 14th century and was mainly built in the Gothic style with applied Renaissance elements. Its immense portal with a wooden superstructure is the largest of its kind in the Basque Country and serves as part of the market, among other things.

Parroquia de Santa Ana , was built in the 15th century, in 1720 and thereafter it was fundamentally rebuilt several times.

Iglesia de San Pedro de Tabira , the first settlements of Durango were formed around the hermitage of San Pedro de Tabira. The building was rebuilt in the 16th century.

The late Gothic cross of Kurutziaga represents the tree of the cross and is reminiscent of the "heresy of Durango" in the 15th century.

Individual evidence

↑ 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).

Web links

Commons : Durango (Spain) - Collection of images, videos and audio files

[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).