Abadiño (; ) is a town located in the province of

Biscay Biscay ( ; ; ), is a province of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Autonomous Community, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the Bay of Biscay, eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilb ...

, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, in the north of

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, about 35 km from the provincial capital of

Bilbao Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...

. The area of the municipality is about and according to the 2014 census, the population is 7504. The original name of the town was Abadiano Celayeta.

Geography

Abadiño is located on the N-636 road a few kilometres to the southeast of

Durango Durango, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Durango, is one of the 31 states which make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in the northwest portion of the country. With a population of 1,832,650 ...

in the province of Biscay in northern Spain. The town is in a broad valley formed by the Ibaizabal and Urkiola Rivers. Livestock farming is practised here on the flat valley floor, and to the south the land rises to form the Urkiola mountain range. The lower slopes are clad in natural woodland of

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

beech Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of Mesophyte, mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted ...

and

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

, and the higher parts consist of

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

peaks with gullies, cliffs and caves and are included in the Urkiola Natural Park.

Tourism

The town of Abadiño has a number of historic buildings. The Muntsaratz Tower is a good example of ninth century

Renaissance architecture Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of Ancient Greece, ancient Greek and ...

. The Sanctuary of San Antonio is a church inside the Urkiola Natural Park. The Astola Manor House was one of the political and administrative centres of the Merindad de Durango region. It was purchased by the Merindad in 1576 and was subsequently used as a courthouse, as the residency of the local lieutenant, as the local gaol and as the district archive. The Gederiaga Complex is on a hill overlooking the town and includes the Chapel of San Salvador. This was an ancient "oath chapel" in which general assemblies of the authorities of Merindad de Durango valley were held; there are twelve stone seats arranged in a semicircle, and nearby is a sandstone cross in the Renaissance and Gothic style dating from 1633, part of a series of crosses in the district. There are hiking trails, mountain bike riding and horse riding facilities near the town. There are several festivals, the main one being that of the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

, Santo Domingo. This takes place on 12 May and the succeeding days and there is much music and dancing in the town. The Festival of San Blas takes place on 3 February, and at this event there is a livestock fair. Another festival, that of San Antonio, is celebrated on 13 June near his sanctuary in Urkiola.

Notable people

Athletic Bilbao Athletic Club (; ), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao (), or simply Athletic, is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Southern Basque Country, Basque Country, Spain. They are known ...

players Ustaritz Aldekoaotalora and Ander Iturraspe were born in Abadiño.

References

External links

ABADIÑO in the Bernardo Estornés Lasa - Auñamendi Encyclopedia (Euskomedia Fundazioa)

Abadiño Official Website
In Basque and Spanish Municipalities in Biscay Durangaldea {{basqueCountry-geo-stub