Caseda

Cáseda is a town and a Spanish municipality in the Foral Community of Navarra, located in the town of Sangüesa, in the Sangüesa Region and 59.5 km from the community's capital, Pamplona.. Its population in 2015 was 989 inhabitants (INE). Within its municipal area there is also the council of San Isidro del Pinar (22 inhabitants).

Toponymy

Although with doubts, for the linguist Mikel Belasko its etymology would be composed of the root casa plus an abundance suffix -eda. The researcher echoes contributions from other authors stating that, regarding the toponym, "Ricardo Ciérbide believes that it is clearly Romance" although he does not provide the etymology; For his part, Julio Caro Baroja affirms that «in Pyrenean speech "casieta" It is diminutive of "house" but we find the use of "Caseda" as early as the 9th century. Other forms are recorded in ancient documentation such as: Caseda, Casseda, Cassedam and Quasseda.

Patxi Salaberri demonstrates that "the same name was also used in Basque: Caseda videa (1723, Leache)." Currently the name of the town in this language is Kaseda, adapted to the spelling rules of this language.

Geography

Situation

The town is located in the eastern part of the Foral Community of Navarra and southeast of the Merindad de Sangüesa. Its municipal area has 85.61 km² and limits to the north with Aibar and Sada, to the west with Gallipienzo, to the east with Sangüesa, Javier and in the province of Zaragoza (Sos del Rey Católico and Sofuentes) and to the south with Carcastillo.

Relief and hydrography

Relief

The town is located on a hill, on the left bank of the Aragón River, near the foot of Mount San Pedro. From the town you can see in the distance, and from west to east: the Sierra de Ujué (Gallipienzo), the Alto de Lerga, the Sierra de Izco, the Sierra de Leyre and the Sierra de Peña. To the south of the municipality is Mount San Pedro as part of the Sierra de Peña that crosses the municipality from east to west. This panorama can be somewhat misleading since most of the area of Cáseda is located precisely to the south of the Sierra Peña-San Pedro. For this reason we are going to differentiate several relief units from north to south.

Entering along the road that arrives from Aibar we find some terraces (Saso) that descend until we reach the height of the Aragón River (370-400 m a.s.l.). Upon reaching the town, the foothills of the Sierra de Peña-San Pedro (San Pedro Mountain 892 m a.s.l.) begin, which crosses the town from east to west and descends gently towards the southern foothills where the greatest extension can be seen, the plain being the predominant relief, broken by the elevations of the El Pinar de Cáseda mountain (592 m a.s.l.) at the height of the town of San Isidro del Pinar.

Hydrography

As for the hydrography of Caseda, the Aragón River is the main water current. The Aragón crosses the territory near the town from east to west, entering from Sangüesa and leaving us to irrigate Gallipienzo. Several ravines crisscross the lands of the rest of the district both north and south of San Pedro.

Very close to the river arrive the waters of the Canal de las Bardenas. It comes from Sangüesa and is visible until reaching the foot of San Pedro. There, at the mouth of the tunnel, it enters the mountain and crosses it from side to side. It emerges and hides again to save El Pinar de Cáseda. Upon leaving said altitude, head towards Sofuentes and Cinco Villas (Aragón). This canal allows large areas of the south of the municipal area to be irrigated.

Demography

Government and administration

Town Hall

• Since the 2019 elections, the casedano consistory became composed of 7 councillors and not 9, because the population of the municipality fell below the limit of 1000 inhabitants.

Mayor's Office

Heritage

• Hermitage of San Zoilo (breakable link available on the Internet Archive; see history, first version and last).
• Calvary hermit.
• Parish Santa Maria de la Asunción.
• House of culture.

Economy

In Cáseda, the Viscofán Group was founded in 1975, which began the production and marketing of products for cellulose wrappers for cold cuts. Its founders were Jaime Echevarría Abona and the brothers Leopoldo and Luis Michelena.

Starting in 1986, it became one of the largest casing production companies in the world through its listing on the stock market and its international expansion. Although the group's headquarters are located in Tajonar (Navarra), Cáseda currently maintains the most complete and technologically advanced production center of the group and the global casing industry, with cellulose, collagen and fibrous extrusion and pleating plants, as well as of nanopack plastics.

This plant generates around 700 direct jobs and therefore great economic dynamism in the area between indirect industries and services.

Parties

• February 5: Festivals in honor of Santa Águeda
• 9 September: Big parties in honor of the Relics

Featured Characters

Sports

The Beti Casedano Football Club is the local football team. He currently plays in the Primera Autonómica de Navarra.