Arrazua of Vizcaya

Arrazua or Arrazua de Vizcaya (in Basque and officially, Arratzu) is a municipality of the province of Vizcaya, Basque Country (Spain). 100% of its surface is part of the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve recognized by UNESCO.

Arrazua is the hometown of journalist Manuel Leguineche.

Toponym

The parish of Santo Tomás de Arrazua and with it it is understood that also the antechurch were founded in the 13th century by the owner of the Arrazua solar house, from which they would take their name.

It is very likely that Arrazua etymologically means "the ravine", from the Basque arro (ravine), the suffix -tzu indicating abundance and the article - a.

Traditionally called Arrazua, the municipality took the name Arrazua de Vizcaya in the reform of the municipal nomenclature of 1916 at the initiative of a proposal from the Royal Geographical Society, which sought to end in Spain the existence of municipalities that had the same official name: at that time there was a municipality of the same name, also called Arrazua in the province of Álava. A few years later the Arrazua of Alavés would end up integrated into the current municipality of Arrazua-Ubarrundia.

In Basque the name of the municipality is pronounced Arratzu. When in 1993 the municipality regained its independence by separating itself from Guernica and Luno, Arratzu was established as the sole official name.

Neighborhoods

According to the INE, Arrazua is made up of the following population centers (2015 population data):

• Barroeta (24 hab.)
• Barrutia (39 hab.)
• Elexalde (24 hab.)
• Gorozika (45 hectares).
• Loiola (114)
• Monte (1 hab.)
• Uarka (67 hab.)
• Zabala-Belendiz (53 hab.)
• Zubiate (39 hab.)

Policy and administration

Municipal elections 2015

Four parties presented candidacy for mayor in the last municipal elections; EAJ-PNV, (EH Bildu), PSE-EE and PP. These were the results:

• Eusko Alderdi Jeltzalea - Basque Nationalist Party: 194 votes (5 councillors)
• (EH Bildu): 94 votes (2 councillors)
• PSE-EE: 0 votes (0 councilors)
• Popular Party: 0 votes (0 councillors)

This gave the PNV the winner. The EH-Bildu pro-independence coalition won 2 seats, while PSE-EE and Populares did not achieve representation, since they did not garner a single vote in the entire town.

Heritage

• Protohistorical Sanctuary of Gastiburu, close to the oppidum of Marulueza (also known as Castro del Arrola) located in Navárniz. The Sanctuary of Gastiburu dates back to the Iron Age (sure of the s.IIIa. C.), and is considered a unique architectural set in archaeological bibliography. Built with stone and clay and reinforced with a trunked complex, it has found four structures around a central square, in addition to an alignment of three other circular buildings. His purpose, according to the team of author of his discovery and study for seventeen years led by Luis Valdés, would be to set the seasonal calendar.

• Church of Saint Thomas: located on a small hill in Eleizalde. The ship was built around 1530. In 1772 J. Iturburu carried out the support of the choir, and in the years following 1819 J.B. Belaunzaran the vaults 1 (supported in the current columns), also giving a new light to the temple when opening three thermal vains. The bell tower and the perimeter portico date from the centuryXVIIIand the neoclassical influence is also visible in the house next to the church. Its natural access is preserved, through the way of the crossroads to the top of the hill where it is located.

• Uarka Dam, located in Uarka. Thanks to it, the area already had electricity distribution at the beginning of the centuryXX.. Currently, the energy obtained is used by a small company nearby.

• Old School, located in Loiola, next to the Town Hall and the fronton. It is currently a multifunctional center for culture and leisure, and is where Osakidetza's medical office is located in the town.