Amorebieta-Etxano, also known as Zornotza (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

, ''Amorebieta-Echano''), is a town and municipality located in

Biscay Biscay (; eu, Bizkaia ; es, Vizcaya ) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilbao. ...

in the Basque Country, an

Autonomous Community eu, autonomia erkidegoa ca, comunitat autònoma gl, comunidade autónoma oc, comunautat autonòma an, comunidat autonoma ast, comunidá autónoma , alt_name = , map = , category = Autonomous administra ...

in northern Spain. At the time of the 2019 census, the population of the municipality was 19,339, with 16,907 inhabitants living in Amorebieta. The mayor is Andoni Agirrebeitia.

Geography

Amorebieta-Etxano is an inland town in the

comarca A ''comarca'' (, or , or ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, ...

Duranguesado Durangaldea (Spanish: ''Duranguesado'') is a comarca of Biscay located in the Basque Country, Spain. It is one of the seven ''eskualdeak/comarcas'' or regions that compose the province of Biscay. The capital city of Durangaldea is Durango. Ge ...

in the province of

in northern Spain. It is about east of

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and close to the

European route E70 European route E70 is an A-Class West-East European route, extending from A Coruña in Spain in the west to the Georgian city of Poti in the east. Itinerary The E 70 routes through ten European countries, and includes one sea-crossing, ...

which runs along the north coast of Spain. It is located in the valley of the River Ibaizabal; this river joins the River Nervión a few kilometres to the north, after which it is sometimes called the "Nervión-Ibaizabal" because the two rivers are very similar in size. Amorebieta-Etxano is situated among rugged mountains and has a rich historical heritage.

History

The municipality of Amorebieta-Etxano came into being on 26 January 1951 as the result of a merger between Amorebieta and Etxano, two communities in the historic administrative district of Merindad de Zornotza. The other parts of the district were merged into the neighbouring municipality of

Muxika Muxika is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, northern Spain. It has a population of 1,465 inhabitants as of 2019 according to the Spanish National Statistics Institute Spa ...

. The new coat of arms shows the union between Amorebieta and Etxano. In the 2014 census, Amorebieta had a population of 16,907 while that of Etxano was 221.

The town

The town is divided into several districts. The church of Santa María de la Asunción is in the centre of Amorebieta on the banks of the Ibaizaba. It is a large

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

building started in 1555 and opened for worship in 1608 and is noted for its altarpiece. Another Renaissance church is the Parroquia de San Juan Bautista de Larrea. This dates back to 1647, and in 1704 it was given to the

Carmelite Order , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Ca ...

to found a convent. In San Antonio is the hermitage of San Miguel de Dudea, and nearby is the Neoclassical López Palace. A branch of the international company ''Tecnalia Research & Innovation'' is located here in the ''Parque Empresarial Boroa'' where the firm employs 1500 people.

Notable people

Jon Aurtenetxe Jon Aurtenetxe Borde (born 3 January 1992) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays mainly as a left-back but also as a central defender for Polish club Miedź Legnica. Club career Athletic Bilbao Born in Amorebieta-Etxano, Biscay, Aurte ...

, footballer *

Xabier Etxeita Xabier Etxeita Gorritxategi (; ; born 31 October 1987) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for SD Amorebieta mainly as a centre-back. Club career Born in Amorebieta-Etxano, Biscay, Etxeita finished his development within Athletic Bi ...

, footballer *

Beñat Intxausti Beñat Intxausti Elorriaga (born 20 March 1986) is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2007 and 2019 for the Nicolas Mateos, , , , and teams. Career Intxausti was born in Amorebieta-Etxano, Bis ...

, cyclist *

José Ignacio López de Arriortúa José Ignacio López de Arriortúa (born 18 January 1941) is a Spanish businessman who held senior positions at Opel, General Motors and Volkswagen. He was known for his assertive style dealing with suppliers, managing lean production and drivin ...

, manager * Jon Morcillo, footballer

References

External links

Amorebieta Etxano, Official web page

Amorebieta-Etxano in the Bernardo Estornés Lasa – Auñamendi Encyclopedia (Euskomedia Fundazioa)
{{Coord, 43, 13, 9, N, 2, 44, 3, W, display=title, source:eswiki Municipalities in Biscay