Bidasoaldea
Bidasoaldea ( eu, Bidasoaldea, es, Bajo Bidasoa) is one of the eight eskualdeak/comarcas of Gipuzkoa, Basque Autonomous Community, corresponding to the basin of the lower Bidasoa extending in Gipuzkoan soil and named after the river, in Spain. ...
region in the province of
Gipuzkoa
Gipuzkoa (, , ; es, Guipúzcoa ; french: Guipuscoa) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. Its capital city is Donostia-San Sebastián. Gipuzkoa shares borders with the French depa ...
in the
Basque
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous co ...
Autonomous Community, Spain.
History
It lies on the foundations of the ancient
Oiasso
Oiasso,Ptolemy, 2, 6, 10 OiasonaStrabo, Geographia III, 4, 10. The Casaubonus editions of 1587 and 1620 write ''Oídasoûna'', corrected by Adolf Schulten to ''Oíasoûna''. or OiarsoPliny, 3, 29 was a Basque Roman town located on the left bank ...
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...
One of the biggest towns in Gipuzkoa, its location on the
border
Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...
between Spain and France, across the
Bidasoa
__NOTOC__
The Bidasoa (, ; french: Bidassoa, ) is a river in the Basque Country of northern Spain and southern France that runs largely south to north. Named as such downstream of the village of Oronoz-Mugairi (municipality of Baztan) in the p ...
river from
Hendaye
Hendaye ( Basque: ''Hendaia'')HENDAIA Irun railway station
Irun is a railway station in Irun, Basque Country, Spain. The station is located on the Bordeaux - Irun, Bilbao - Hendaye and Madrid–Hendaye railway lines. The station is served by TGV (high speed trains) operated by the SNCF and Alvia (Hig ...
is a major
break-of-gauge
With railways, a break of gauge occurs where a line of one track gauge (the distance between the rails, or between the wheels of trains designed to run on those rails) meets a line of a different gauge. Trains and rolling stock generally cannot ...
rails
Rail or rails may refer to:
Rail transport
*Rail transport and related matters
*Rail (rail transport) or railway lines, the running surface of a railway
Arts and media Film
* ''Rails'' (film), a 1929 Italian film by Mario Camerini
* ''Rail'' ( ...
meet the broad gaugeRenfe ones.
Currently Irun has a fairground with a modern exhibition and telecommunication facilities, just some 100 metres away from the actual border at the Santiago Bridge (river
Bidasoa
__NOTOC__
The Bidasoa (, ; french: Bidassoa, ) is a river in the Basque Country of northern Spain and southern France that runs largely south to north. Named as such downstream of the village of Oronoz-Mugairi (municipality of Baztan) in the p ...
One of its main festivals is the Alarde de San Marcial, a parade recreating an episode of the
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...
, held every year on 30 June.
There are hot mineral springs in the town.
Sport
The town is home to one of Europe's top handball team
CD Bidasoa
CD Bidasoa Irun is a team of handball based in Irún, Spain. It plays in Liga ASOBAL.
History
The Basque club was founded in 1962. Five years after its foundation, CD Bidasoa managed to get promoted to the second division and after the 1969 ...
Irun has an oceanic climate courtesy of strong maritime moderation from the Bay of Biscay. Rainfall is frequent year-round since Irun is on the windward side of the
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to ...
. Rain often falls in high quantities on individual days with falling on just 138 days.
Fermin Muguruza
Fermin Muguruza (born 20 April 1963) is a Basque rock musician, singer, songwriter, producer, record label manager, and co-founder of the ska punk band Kortatu, active from 1983 to 1988, and of the crossover group Negu Gorriak, active from 1990 ...
, singer.
*
Alberto Górriz
Alberto Górriz Echarte (born 16 February 1958) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played mainly as a central defender.
His main asset was his heading ability, and he often scored from set pieces. He spent his entire career with Re ...
Patricio Arabolaza
Patricio Arabolaza Aranburu (17 March 1893 – 12 March 1935) was a Spanish football player who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics. He is best known for scoring the first goal in the history of the Spain national team.
Club career
Born in Ir ...
, footballer.
*
Oier Olazábal
Oier Olazábal Paredes (born 14 September 1989), known simply as Oier, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for FC Andorra.
Club career Barcelona
Born in Irun, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, Oier arrived in FC Barcelona's ...
Menchu Gal
Carmen Gal Orendain, better known as Menchu Gal, ( Irún, Guipúzcoa, 7 January 1919 – San Sebastián, Guipúzcoa, 12 March 2008) was a Spanish painter from the Basque Country. Her work in landscapes and portraits made her famous with her pe ...
, painter
* , reporter
* Leontxo García, chess player & commentator for the El País newspaper