Orio

Orio is a Spanish municipality in the province of Guipúzcoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country.

It is a coastal municipality with a fishing tradition. It is known for being the birthplace of several prominent Basque artists (such as Jorge Oteiza or Benito Lertxundi) and for its great rowing tradition.

Toponymy

It is possible that the name Orio is nothing more than a distortion of "Oria River" at whose mouth the town is located. The town was founded in the Middle Ages under the name of Noble y Leal Villarreal de San Nicolás de Bari de Orio, but this long name was lost and became known simply as Orio . Colloquially and when speaking in Basque, the name of the town is pronounced Óriyo.

The etymological origin of the name of the river is unknown. Father Manuel de Larramendi, in the XVIII century, attributed the name of the river to its turbid, straw-colored waters, which They gave it the name (h)oria, which means yellow in the Basque language. Although he recognized that there were surnames and houses called Oria without that apparent significance. In any case, possibly due to this similarity between the name of the town and the name in Basque for the color yellow, this color has been used for many years as a symbol of the municipality.. This tradition is due to the fact that the successful Orio trawler has used that color for a century. Although the flag of Orio is white with blue trim and the town's coat of arms inside, yellow flags are common to symbolize the town and its rowing team, the street signs have a yellow background and in general terms they are Consider this color as a symbol of the town.

The inhabitants of Orio are known as oriotarras, a demonym from Basque and used interchangeably for both men and women.

Geography

Integrated into the Urola-Costa region, it is located 17 kilometers from San Sebastián. The municipal area is crossed by the Cantábrico Highway (AP-8), by the N-634 highway between points 10 and 13 and by a local road that connects with the capital of San Sebastian through Monte Igueldo.

The relief of the municipality is defined by the Oria River before its mouth into the Cantabrian Sea (Oria Ría) and by Mount Talaimendi, which separates the river valley from the Cantabrian coast, whose maximum altitude is in the Kukuarri peak, 361 meters.

The municipal area of Orio has 9.81 km². The Oria River broadly marks the southern and western limits of Orio with Aya, with Orio on the right bank of the river and Aya on the left. As a curiosity, it should be said that although the river marks the limits between Orio and Aya, both banks were under the jurisdiction of Orio, which traditionally controlled the Oria estuary in front of its neighbor Aya. Thus, a minimal strip of land on the left bank of the river also belongs to Orio. Next to that strip there are a few more small enclaves of land in the hands of Orio on the left bank: the river beach of Txurruka or Oribazar, the new breakwater at the mouth, the rowing club facilities or a piece of land called Motondo.

To the north, Orio borders the Cantabrian Sea, with the stretch of coast belonging to Orio consisting mostly of cliffs. The only area of low coast is located precisely on the right bank of the mouth of the Oria River, where Antilla beach is located.

The altitude ranges between 361 meters (Kukuarri peak) and sea level. The town stands 11 meters above sea level.

Natural spaces

In Orio there is a set of enclaves of great naturalistic value, especially around the Oria River, where we can see a set of meadows, marshes and wetlands that are very well preserved although seriously threatened by the urban development of the population. This complex is incorporated into the Natura 2000 Network within the Oria estuary along with enclaves of Aia and Usurbil. Likewise, Mount Talaimendi is worth highlighting, especially on the side facing the sea.

The bird park is located near Antilla beach. He has ducks, geese, rabbits, chickens... Pako Barjakoba was a retiree who selflessly dedicated his time to taking care of it.

Neighborhoods

Orio is characterized by being a fairly compact town, where most of the population is concentrated in the urban area (about 5,000 people).

The Anibarko Portua industrial estate (Puerto de Aníbar) is located next to the N-634 highway, next to the entrance to the town (coming from Usurbil) and is somewhat separated from the rest of the urban area.. It has about 440 inhabitants and is perhaps the most notable exception.

Scattered throughout the rest of the municipal area of Orio there are about 270 people, most of them living in hamlets. Some of these hamlets are grouped into small neighborhoods with a certain entity. The best known are San Martín, located on a hill overlooking the town and next to the old royal road that linked Orio with the San Sebastian neighborhood of Igueldo; and Ortzaika and Saikola, located next to the road that goes from Orio to Usurbil. Saikola is located right on the border with the municipality of Usurbil.

Bordering towns

Northwest: Aya	North: Cantabrian Sea	Northeast: San Sebastián
West: Aya		This: San Sebastian and Usurbil
Southwest: Aya	South: Aya	Sureste: Usurbil

Limited to the east by San Sebastián and Usurbil and to the south and west by the municipality of Aya.

History

Orio was originally a mere parish or collation consecrated to San Nicolás de Bari. In 1180 it was included within the limits of the town of San Sebastián.

It was gaining importance as a passing town on the Jacobean Coastal Route. The pilgrims arrived in Orio through the road that went from San Sebastián through Igueldo and forded the Oria River by boat near Orio, with the consequent benefit that it meant for the local economy.

In order to promote this coastal town, its forges and shipyards; On July 12, 1379, King Juan I of Castile granted him the jurisdiction of San Sebastián, founding the town called Villarreal de San Nicolás de Orio.

During the Civil War, the rebel troops took the town on September 21, 1936, without any resistance.

At 8 p.m. on March 10, 1965, a raging fire that started in a room used for girls' classes completely destroyed the Town Hall. The files were able to be saved thanks to the work of the neighbors and the Civil Guard.

Economy

Orio's economy has traditionally been linked to the sea. Fishing and shipbuilding, complemented by agriculture; They were the main economic activities of the town.

The Orio Marina is a river port. Currently, fishing boats moor in the Oria estuary in front of the center of Orio itself. Curiously, the pier is also the central square of the town.

In the past, the Orio estuary had great construction activity. There were numerous shipyards where frigates for the Navy, galleons and other smaller vessels were built. During the 19th century the bar of the Oria River was filled with sand, preventing the passage of deep draft ships, putting an end to the activity of the shipyards.

In addition to the port's fishing activity, there was an important trade in iron and manufactured products in the area's forges (such as anchors) to England.

Currently, inshore fishing activity persists (anchovy, snapper, mackerel, tuna), but with less importance than in the past. Fishing activity has been in a continuous crisis since the 1970s. Then there were more than 50 fishing boats in Orio. In 1996 there were no more than 30 boats left that employed nearly 300 people. In the last 10 years, fishing activity has declined even more.

On May 14, 1901, the Oriotarran arrantzales hunted the last whale of the Basque breed, also called right whale, in the Cantabrian Sea.

Administration

Demography

Orio has 6,096 inhabitants (2021). This represents a population increase of almost more than one and a half thousand individuals since 2005, when the number of inhabitants amounted to 4,643.

Throughout the century XX its population has been increasing continuously from 1,268 inhabitants at the beginning of the century to which reached 4,000 inhabitants during the 1970s. At the beginning of the 1980s there was stagnation in the population derived mainly from the fishing and industrial crisis. The population remained around 4,300 inhabitants during the last two decades. Currently there is an upswing caused by the construction of new homes in the town that is attracting residents from other Gipuzkoan towns who are taking up residence here and who are slowly transforming Orio into a residential town. The fact that Orio is a picturesque coastal town, the cost of housing, which still has a lower value than Zarauz or San Sebastián, and acceptable communications are contributing to this growth.

Culture

Gastronomy

Orio-style sea bream: Sea bream is a fish that has always been considered a delicacy. The one that is prepared and served in Orio enjoys great fame and many people come to the town only with the pretext of tasting it. Until a few years ago, bream from the Cantabrian Sea was used but, due to the scarcity of this fish, recently bream from Tarifa has been imported.

The way it is prepared on the grills of the Orio steakhouses differs from that used in the rest of the towns and is what gives it its exceptional flavor.

To start, you have to make the embers carefully and spread them well until they form a black crust. This way, the fish does not burn. After scaling and removing the guts, the piece is spread with a little oil and seasoned inside and out (with one kilo two people eat) and placed directly on the grill, without using sea bream (a differentiating element compared to the other localities). It is not opened until later, since this way the bream comes out tastier. On the embers, always taking care of it with care, it will be around 20 minutes.

To finish, with the bream in a dish opened in a book (it opens starting from the tail and going up towards the head), the refried food begins to be prepared in a frying pan. Pass some sliced garlic and a chilli in hot virgin oil, and set aside. Then vinegar is poured over the bream. Not in the frying pan! Because it jumps. Always add vinegar directly to the piece. And then the hot oil that has been previously reserved is added. Then comes the magic touch of the oriotarras: The secret is to take the vinegar, oil and fish juice from the plate again and give it a couple of gentle turns in the pan.

Sports

The sport with the most tradition in Orio is rowing. The tradition of rowing dates back to the time when the Oriotarras used the strength of their arms to move the boats they used to fish for whales. Orio was the last Basque town where a right whale was caught, on May 14, 1901.

The Oriotarras have the most brilliant record of all the Cantabrian ports in trawler regattas. His record in the prestigious Bandera de la Concha de San Sebastián stands out (the queen of the trawler season in the Cantabrian Sea) with 32 victories throughout history.

In 1965 the Orio Arraunketa Elkartea Olympic Rowing Club was founded, representing the town in this sport. On a fixed bench, in addition to having the best record in the Cantabrian Sea in trawler regattas, it currently participates in the ACT League, which brings together the best boats from Galicia, Cantabria and the Basque Country.

In addition to trawler regattas, the club also participates in mobile bench or Olympic rowing competitions where it is one of the most important clubs in Spain. Numerous athletes from the club have participated in national and international competitions (Olympic Games, World Championships); reaping good results.

The CRO Orio has its facilities next to the Oria River, which is used as a regatta and training ground.

Parties

The patron saint festivities of Orio are celebrated for San Nicolás de Bari and its big day is December 6, which coincides with the day of the Spanish Constitution.

Fishermen's day is San Pedro, June 29.

Famous people born in this town