Elciego

Elciego
Elciego - town view
coat of arms	Map of Spain
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Basque Country
Province :	Álava
Comarca :	Cuadrilla de Laguardia-Rioja Alavesa
Coordinates	42 ° 31 ′  N , 2 ° 37 ′  W Coordinates: 42 ° 31 ′  N , 2 ° 37 ′  W
Height :	451  msnm
Area :	16.32 km²
Residents :	1.005 (Jan. 1, 2019)
Population density :	61.58 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	01340
Municipality number  ( INE ):	01022
administration
Website :	Elciego

Elciego ( Basque : Eltziego or Zieko ) is a small town and a municipality ( municipio ) with 1,005 inhabitants (January 1, 2019) in the province of Álava in the Autonomous Community of Basque Country in northern Spain . The place belongs to the Rioja wine-growing region .

location

Elciego lies at an altitude of about 450 meters above sea level. d. M. in the extreme south of the province of Álava near the border with the autonomous community of La Rioja . The southern border of the municipality is formed by the Ebro . The closest major city is Logroño , about 14 kilometers to the south-east ; the place Laguardia is about eight and a half kilometers northeast. The climate in Elciego is temperate - winter night frosts are just as rare as summer day temperatures above 30 ° C.

Population development

year	1842	1900	1950	1970	1991	2001	2011
Residents	1,299	1,547	1,471	1,030	908	930	1,048

Strangely enough, the phylloxera crisis towards the end of the 19th century had no noticeable impact on the population; From the middle of the 20th century, however, the loss of jobs due to the increased mechanization of agriculture became noticeable.

economy

In the early centuries, the inhabitants lived mainly on the agricultural products of the surrounding area, which also included wine. The place itself functioned as a market and trade center, but craftsmen also settled here. The increasing importance of viticulture and wine tourism in the Rioja has had a positive effect on employment again in recent decades.

history

Celts , Romans , Visigoths and Moors - despite the proximity to the Ebro Valley - left no archaeologically usable traces on the municipal area. The first mention of the place name can be found in a document from the year 1067. In the 12th century Elciego benefited from the privileges ( fueros ) of the neighboring town of Laguardia , which this was granted by Sancho VI. granted by Navarre for their allegiance in the ongoing conflicts of the disputed region between Castile and the Kingdom of Navarre . In 1512 Ferdinand II conquered the southern part of Navarre for the Spanish crown; The Spanish King Philip II granted the small but up-and-coming town town charter in 1583 and thus independence from Laguardia.

Attractions

Town hall ( ayuntamiento )

• The church of the village ( Iglesia de San Andrés ), built in the 16th century, is strangely not in the center of the village, but on the edge of the city. Its two-tower facade design in the style of the Renaissance corresponds to the typical type in the region with a huge overhanging arch , above which there is a walkway opened by arcades . The approx. 40 meter long, 18 meter high and 16 meter wide nave is covered by a late Gothic ribbed vault ; There are several altarpieces on the side walls . The two transept arms are barrel vaulted; However, the main altar with figures from the 17th century is the showpiece of the imposing church interior.
• The town hall ( ayuntamiento ) is located in a two-storey building from the 18th century, the ground floor of which opens through arcades to the main square, while the upper floor has a balcony only interrupted by a stone heraldic shield .
• A court pillar ( picota or rollo ) with a conical tip, which can often be found in the cities of northern Spain, is set up on a slightly elevated lawn . It is considered a symbol of the city's freedom and independence and was expressly granted to the citizens of Philip II . In contrast, hardly anything has survived from a cross that was also approved at the time.

outside

Bodega Marques de Riscal

• The complex of a bodega with an attached hotel and two restaurants designed by the Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry for the Marques de Riscal winery was inaugurated in 2006 and is certainly one of the most extraordinary buildings in Europe. It essentially consists of staggered structures stacked on top of each other, some of which are wrapped in shiny colored metal bands. Marble, steel and wood were mainly used in the interior design.
• The complex of a winery with an attached hotel-restaurant, made of staggered structures made of colored concrete, was designed by the Spanish architect Jesús Marino Pascual for the winery Bodega Antión under bioclimatic aspects. It was built in 2008. The spiral-shaped building with an orientation of the structure towards the cardinal points ensures optimized shading. In the north, the building fans out into several wave-shaped arms.

Web links

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

• Elciego, Church - Photos + Info (Spanish)
• Elciego, Town Hall - Photos + Info (Spanish)
• Elciego, court column - photos + information (Spanish)

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).
2. ↑ Elciego - climate tables
3. ↑ Regina Enhuber: A vine made of yellow concrete ( Memento of the original from February 27, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.