Tolosa (Guipuzcoa)

Tolosa is a Spanish city and municipality located in the central part of the Tolosaldea region, in the province of Guipúzcoa, autonomous community of the Basque Country. For a decade, from 1844 to 1854, it was the capital of the province.

Located in the Oria river valley, it has a population of 19,886 inhabitants (2022). The paper industry has historically been one of its most important economic engines, although today it has companies from a wide industrial spectrum. Commerce, gastronomy -with grills, beans and sweets as the main referents-, agriculture and tourism are also other of the most influential economic activities in the city. Likewise, Tolosa is well known for its great cultural activity. It also has health, banking, commercial, official and court services.

Toponymy

The origin of the place name Tolosa is not clear, but it has Occitan origin, like Toulouse, the most important city in Occitania.

Geography

Tolosa is located in the east of the province of Guipúzcoa, just 27 kilometers from San Sebastián. It acts as the capital of the Tolosaldea region and has an area of 37.38 km².

The municipal area is crossed by the Autovía del Norte N-I between kp 433 and 438, as well as by the provincial highways GI-2130, which communicates with Berrobi, GI-2135, which allows the connection with Lizarza, and GI- 2634, which heads towards Azpeitia.

The municipality presents a rugged relief, which has made the urban development of the town impossible beyond the banks of the Oria river. The urban center of Tolosa is located 75 meters above sea level. The altitude of the municipality oscillates between 1,250 meters in the exclave of Bedayo, near the Sierra de Aralar, and 70 meters on the banks of the Oria river.

Northwest: Alquiza	North: Hernialde, Anoeta and Irura	Northeast: Villabona and Ibarra
West: Albístur		This: Ibarra
Southwest: Legorreta	South: Ikaztegieta, Joy of Oria and Alzo	Sureste: Leaburu

The Bedayo exclave borders Altzo, Lizarza, Gaztelu, Alegría de Oria, Amézqueta and the Navarrese municipality of Araiz.

Initially Tolosa was an island surrounded by the Oria river and the Erretengibel regatta. The urban nucleus was walled, and there were four bridges to enter it. At this same point, the Oria river receives its tributaries Araxes and Berástegui. It is surrounded by mountains: Uzturre, Hernio, Artubi...

Neighborhoods

Tolosa is divided into different neighborhoods: Iurre, Berazubi, Bidebieta, San Esteban, Izaskun, San Blas, Amarotz, Usabal, Santa Lutzia, Monteskue, Belate, Belabieta, Alde Zaharra (Old Town), Auzo Txikia, Alliri, Arramele, Iparragirre, and further from the urban core, the rural neighborhoods Urkizu, Aldaba, Aldaba Txiki and Bedayo.

Demographics

The municipality, which has an area of 37.38 km², has 19,386 inhabitants and a density of 518.62 inhabitants/km² according to the municipal register for 2017 of the INE.

Graphic of demographic evolution of Tolosa between 1842 and 2017

Population of law according to population censuses of the INE.Population according to the 2017 municipal register.

Population by nuclei

Breakdown of the population according to the Continuous Register by INE Population Unit.

Heritage

Rio Oria and the church of Santa Maria

Provincial archive

Convent of San Francisco

Bullring

Idiáquez Palace, mill and church of Santa Maria

• Provincial Archive of Guipúzcoa, built in 1904 by the architect Cortázar, was one of the first to build in concrete in the province. Since the centuryXVI Tolosa was already home to the Archive of the province, previously located in the parish.
• House consistorial, built between 1657 and 1672, of baroque style, with the ground porticoda plant and forged iron balconies. Work of the maese cantero Juan de Arburola.
• House of culture (sixteenth century)XIX), elongated rectangular building that follows the line of the old wall, so its facade is perpendicular to the streets of the old town, blinding its southern vision. It was completely refurbished in the 1980s for a house of culture. Between 1844 and 1854 it was the headquarters of the Provincial Council of Guipúzcoa.
• Convent of San Francisco, located at the exit of the Camino Real to Castilla. It was built around 1676 by Nicolás de Zumeta and Agustín de Lizarraga. To highlight the altarpiece of its main altar and the chapel of the Antia.
• Convent of Santa Clara. Baroque cenob (sixteenth century)XVIIIOf clairy nuns. Artistic retablo grande oro churrigueresco-rococó.
• Church of Santa Mariawith 1630 m2 of surface currently. The original church was affected by the fire of 1503, and until 1548 the works could not be started for lack of money. Then a building with three high ships is erected with vaults of false crossing, supported by six columns, in the local variant of the Gothic called Basque Gothic. In 1761 Martin de Carrera the dota of the current Baroque facade with central swordsman and two towers joined by balustrade, and a few years later the atrium is added. In the centuryXIX Silvestre Pérez performs reforms with a neoclassical cut. It has a central altarpiece, and in one of the lateral chapels the Romanesque-gothic cover of the hermitage of San Esteban, which was destroyed by a flood.
• Church of the Corpus Christi.
• Tinglado Market
• Aramburu Palace (17th century), prototype of the Basque Baroque. Irregular floor building with four-water roof. Fachada austere of padded chairs following the principles of symmetry and centrality characteristic of classicism. It is imposing the decoration of the main door linking with the central balcony. The arms shield of Jurisconsult Miguel de Aramburu, author in 1697 of the Compilation of the Fueros de Guipúzcoa.
• Palace of Atodo (sixteenth century), in number 35 of Calle Mayor. Renaissance style, with wide proportions and facade of chairs sheltered by double wing of carved canes. Beautiful balconies forged on the noble floor and twenty symmetrical arch holes reduced on the last floor. Artistic shield with rampant lion shown by a couple of infants in funny short. Cuna de Fermín de Atodo, conde palatino, captain of the Tercios Tolosanos in 1558 and ambassador of Felipe II in Rome.
• Palace of Justice (year 1853), occupies one of the sides of the square porticoda square of 50 m. Neoclassical set of unitary composition, highlighting the palace for a greater wealth of materials and two plants instead of three that have the adjacent dwellings. The porch is transformed here into a arcade. Facade of limestone chairs on the ground floor and fence of holes and impostas. Work of the local architects Unanue and Escoriaza. In the prison of this court composed the bardo José María Iparraguirre the sense zortziko of maternal evocation Nere amak baleki (If my mother knew). In 2009 headquarters of the International Centre of Tolosa TOPIC.
• Idiáquez Palace, built in 1605, stands on the wall, in the area of the old Puerta de Navarra. The current building is estimated of the centuryXVIIIAfter a fire destroyed the previous home-torreon. Its main facade is of sillery in hammer (closes the Old Square), while the posterior is of brick in a tooth of saw over the river. In 1794 he was occupied by the fabulous Felix Maria de Samaniego and Zabala, when he served as the mayor of Tolosano. The building is today the social headquarters of the Tolosa Casino.
• Bullring opened on June 24, 1903 (It was planned for Bombita, but for an injury it was replaced by Bonarillo and Guerrerito), it has a rue of 37.5 m with a alley of 1.8 m and 5300 localities. Grades and sticks are on the roof, which gives it a special proportionality. There are competitions of Basque rural sport (korrikalaris, aizkolaris, stone uprising, etc.). The Carnivals of the city have a nerve center, running vans every afternoon from Thursday Gordo and the bull of the aguardiente on the morning of Tuesday Carnival.
• Casa Bengoetxea
• Puerta de Castilla
• Torre de Andía located at n° 17 of Calle Mayor. There are only remnants of the shield and two gargolas, besides the foundations, of this medieval building where lived the enlightened Domenjón González de Andía, considered "King of Guipúzcoa".

History

In the San Esteban neighborhood, a 9,000-year-old human settlement was discovered. Due to the instruments and remains of flint carving found, it would be a group whose economy was based on hunting and gathering fruits.

Dating from the Bronze Age, some 4000 years old, are the Belabieta and Añi dolmens, funerary constructions that bear witness to the first religious manifestations.

In the Iron Age, around 2,300 years ago, the first settlements arose. They settle on medium-height mountains, such as Intxur in Aldaba, and protect themselves by surrounding themselves with walls. In addition to knowing iron, they were already farmers and ranchers.

All of Antiquity, including Romanization and up to at least the year 1025, when Guipúzcoa entered History, is a dark period about which very little is known.

Tolosa has always had great strategic importance. It was the crossroads between Castilla, Navarra and France. When in 1200, the territory of Gipuzkoa was incorporated into Castile, King Alfonso X the Wise named Tolosa a Villa, and later, in 1256, granted Tolosa its jurisdiction. In this charter the inhabitants of Tolosa were granted some privileges that the inhabitants of the nearby villages did not have, nor those of other provinces. He also ordered the fortification of Tolosa, Ordicia and Segura, border points with Navarre. The original city stands on an island separated by an arm of the Oria that passed through the current Calle de la Rondilla (formerly Calle Pablo Gorosábel) and is totally walled, with six gates equipped with defense towers (gates of Castilla, Arramele, Navarra, Casa de las Damas, Matadero and Nuestra Señora del Socorro).

In 1282 it suffered a fire that destroyed it. Sancho IV of Castilla grants it new privileges to promote its reconstruction and the arrival of new inhabitants; among them he frees those who were to settle there from all tribute to the Crown (Vitoria, April 20, 1290), privileges confirmed later by Fernando IV of Castile and Alfonso XI of Castile.

However, maintaining these privileges was problematic at times, such as when in 1463 the collector Jacob Gaon demanded payment of the tax called pedido from the Toulouse. They replied that they were exempt from paying it, due to the provisions approved by the king. Gaon threatened them, and several of them killed him, beheaded, and placed his head on a pillory, as punishment for putting Tolosa high on his collection list. King Enrique IV of Castile went to Tolosa to avenge his death, but the perpetrators fled the town. The king ordered the demolition of the house in which the crime had been committed. He did not go so far as to execute the perpetrators, since before catching them a petition from the Guipúzcoa Juntas reached him begging for forgiveness for the Tolosans, and explaining their arguments, and Enrique IV recognized that they were exempt from payment.

The insecurity that has prevailed since the XIV century makes for two centuries several towns and villages unite and separate the council of Tolosa, including Abalcisqueta, Aduna, Albístur, Alegría de Oria, Alquiza, Alzo, Amasa, Amézqueta, Andoáin, Anoeta, Asteasu, Baliarráin, Belaunza, Berástegui, Berrobi, Cizúrquil, Elduayen, Estella, Ezama, Gaztelu, Hernialde, Ibarra, Icazteguieta, Irura, Lascoáin, Leaburu, Lizarza, Orendáin, Oreja and Yurre. Tolosa is committed to the defense of the towns, which remain under the jurisdiction of the mayor, and are generally assigned to the privileges and privileges of Tolosa. During the XIV century, there were several disagreements with these cities, and a conflict with San Sebastián over the cases of Andoáin, Aduna and Alquiza, which was settled in 1479 with the transfer of these three towns to the San Sebastian jurisdiction.

Tolosa stood on the communal side in the War of Communities

In 1469 it suffered another important fire, and another bigger one in 1503 that even affected the parish church, despite being isolated. Both are granted new privileges to help in its reconstruction, and the Catholic Monarchs issue an order for the mayor of the province to reside in Tolosa when he is not visiting other towns.

After the uprising of the Count of Salvatierra in 1520, during the War of the Communities, Tolosa was placed on the commoner side, the royalist army defeated the resistance of Tolosa and other Basque community towns after the defeat of the count's army de Salvatierra, Pedro López de Ayala, in the battle of Miñano Mayor on April 19, 1521.

On August 9, 1794, during the War of the Convention, French troops occupied Tolosa. In the War of Independence it was occupied again. While it was dominated by the Napoleonic army, it suffered attacks from the guerrillas in the area.

From 1844 to 1854 under the government of the progressives, Tolosa was the capital of Guipúzcoa for 2 years, later returning ownership to San Sebastián, which had been declared capital in decrees of 1822 and 1833.

Tolosa was one of the most important cities in the territory controlled by the Carlists in the civil war of 1872-1876, which is why it was one of the headquarters of the newspaper El Cuartel Real.

San Francisco Street at the beginning of the centuryXX.. Photograph: Indalecio Ojanguren

Administration and politics

The municipal elections that were held on May 25, 2003 left Jokin Bildarratz (PNV), mayor, Olatz Peón (PNV), the first deputy mayor, and Onintza Lasa (EA), the second.

In the municipal elections of May 27, 2007, the ANV candidacy in the municipality was outlawed, so the votes cast with the said party's ballot were counted as invalid. The government commission was made up of PNV and EA, with Jokin Bildarratz being mayor for the second consecutive legislature.

In the 2011 municipal elections, the Bildu pro-independence coalition (made up of EA, Alternatiba and independents from the nationalist left) achieved the majority of votes. Ibai Iriarte was appointed mayor of Tolosa with eight votes from the Bildu councilors and one from Iñaki Irazabalbeitia, from Aralar.

In the 2015 municipal elections, the PNV achieved a majority. The municipal corporation is made up of 9 representatives from the PNV, 7 from the EH-Bildu coalition and 1 from the PSE-EE. Olatz Peón was named mayoress.

Evolution of outstanding debt

The concept of outstanding debt includes only debts with savings banks and banks related to financial credits, fixed-income securities and loans or credits transferred to third parties, excluding, therefore, commercial debt.

Graphic of evolution of the city council's living debt between 2008 and 2014

Living city council debt in thousands of Euros according to data from the Ministry of Finance and Ad. Public.

The outstanding municipal debt per inhabitant in 2014 amounted to €480.41.

Economy

Tolosa is the commercial and services head of the Tolosaldea region.

The industrial companies in Tolosa that employ more than 50 workers (according to the Basque Industrial Catalogue) are:

Culture

The Choral Competition is noteworthy, since it began in 1969 it has become one of the best competitions held in the world, with the participation of choirs and vocal groups from all countries.

An important Puppet Festival, Titirijai, has also been organized by the CIT of Tolosa since 1983. Hand in hand with him, in 2009 the Tolosa International Puppet Center (TOPIC) began its activity.

In another cultural sphere, the Amalur conferences on Nature, Anthropology and Travel are held annually, organized by the Tolosa Initiatives Center.

On the other hand, we find the busy and self-managed cultural center Bonberenea, promoted by young people that moves throughout the Basque Country, and also beyond its borders. Many groups have passed through there, such as Barricada, Fermin Muguruza, Doctor Deseo, Atom Rhumba and Gatillazo. It has a movie theater, radio station and its own recording studio where groups such as Gose, Ama Say, Petti, Zea Mays, Glaukoma, Deabruak Teilatuetan, Anestesia or Lobo Eléctrico have recorded.

Gastronomy

Tolosa beans are one of the specialties of the area. This variety is characterized by being a totally black and uniform bean. It does not require hydration, so it is not necessary to leave it to soak for hours beforehand, as is the case with other types of beans. It is buttery and firm meat: if it is cooked well it should not break.

Another important characteristic is that it should be cooked with only one piece of cabbage per kilo, one onion and garlic. If you wanted to add some greasy meat, it should be cooked separately, and once the legumes are finished, mix everything.

An annual contest for the best beans grown in the region is held. There is even a "Cofradía de la Alubia".

The Steak Fair is held around the December long weekend, which attracts large audiences from all over the country.

There is also a reputation for pastry chefs with sweets such as Tejas y Cigarrillos de Tolosa and xaxus. There is a pastry museum.

Parties

The Carnival of Tolosa (Tolosako Iñauteriak) is notorious, a pagan festival that has never ceased to be celebrated since its inception or even after it was banned for a time by the Franco dictatorship, being called spring festivals.

The patron saint festivities are those of San Juan, which are celebrated on the 24th of June.

In September the so-called beer fair is common. It is celebrated in the shed or "zerkausi", and is a participant in numerous beer stalls brought from the world.

Since 2007, the LAN party Gipuzkoa Encounter has been held there, in mid-March.

Notable people