Tolosa, Spain
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Tolosa (Spanish and Basque: ) is a town and municipality 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 ...
province of
Gipuzkoa Gipuzkoa ( , ; ; ) 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 department of Pyrénées-Atlantiqu ...
, in northern
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 ...
. It is located in the valley of the river Oria, next by Uzturre, a local mountain topped by a white cross. Its economy relies primarily on the
industrial sector In macroeconomics, the secondary sector of the economy is an economic sector in the three-sector theory that describes the role of manufacturing. It encompasses industries that produce a finished, usable product or are involved in construc ...
, specifically
papermaking Papermaking is the manufacture of paper and cardboard, which are used widely for printing, writing, and packaging, among many other purposes. Today almost all paper is Pulp and paper industry, made using industrial machinery, while handmade pape ...
.


Geography


Neighbourhoods

Iurre, Berazubi, Bidebieta, San Esteban, Izaskun, San Blas, Amarotz, Usabal, Santa Lutzia, Montezkue, Belate, Belabieta, Alde Zaharra (Parte Vieja), Auzo Txikia, Alliri, Arramele, Iparragirre, Urkizu, Aldaba, Larramendi, Aldaba Txiki, Banjul, and Bedaio.


Notable buildings

* Provincial archive of Gipuzkoa, built in 1904 by the architect Cortázar, was one of the first to be built in concrete in the province. From the sixteenth century, Tolosa was home to the provincial archives, formerly located in the parish. * Town Hall, built between 1657 and 1672, Baroque style, with a ground floor portico and wrought iron balconies. Work of the master stonecutter Juan de Arburola. * ''Zerkausi'' Market * Old Town Hall, a rectangular elongated building that follows the line of the old wall so its façade is perpendicular to the streets of the old town, blocking its southern view. In Neoclassical style, it was completely remodeled in the 1980s as a cultural center. Between 1844 and 1854 it was the seat of the . * Convent of Saint Francis, located at the exit of the Camino Real a Castilla. With a basilica floor plan, it was constructed circa 1676 by Nicolás de Zumeta and Agustín de Lizarraga. The ''
retablo A retablo is a devotional painting, especially a small popular or folk art one using iconography derived from traditional Catholic church art. More generally ''retablo'' is also the Spanish term for a retable or reredos above an altar, whether ...
'' of its main altar and the chapel of the Antia are notable. * Convent of Saint Clara. Baroque monastery (18th century) of the
Poor Clares The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare (Latin language, Latin: ''Ordo Sanctae Clarae''), originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and also known as the Clarisses or Clarissines, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Or ...
with a Churrigueresque-
Rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...
gilded main altarpiece. * Church of Saint Mary, with of surface at present. The original church was affected by a fire in 1503, but until 1548 works could not be started for lack of money. A building was then erected with three high naves topped by false ribbed vaults supported by six columns, in the local variant of Gothic style called Basque Gothic. In 1761 Martín de Carrera endowed it with the current Baroque façade with a central bell-gable and two towers joined by a balustrade, and a few years later the atrium was added. In the nineteenth century made some Neoclassical alterations. It has a central altarpiece, and in one of the side chapels is preserved the Romanesque-Gothic doorway of the hermitage of San Esteban, which was destroyed by a flood. * Church of Corpus Christi. * Palace of Aranburu (17th century), prototype of the Basque Baroque. It is a free-standing building with an irregular floor planned with hipped roof. An austere façade of cushioned ashlars follows the principles of symmetry and centrality characteristic of classicism. A decoration on the main door links with that of the central balcony. The coat of arms of the jurisconsult Miguel de Aramburu, author in 1697 of the ''Compilation of the Fueros of Gipuzkoa'', is present. * Palace of Atodo (16th century), at 35 Calle Mayor in the Renaissance style with ample proportions and façade of ashlars protected by double aileron of carved canes. It features wrought-iron balconies on the main floor and twenty symmetrical openings with lowered arches on the top floor. An artistic coat of arms with rampant lion is shown by a pair of infants in graceful foreshortening. It is the birthplace of , palatine count, captain of the Tercios tolosanos in 1558 and ambassador of Philip II in Rome. * Palace of Justice (1853), occupies one side of the public square's portico. It is a neoclassical group with unified composition, emphasizing the palace through a greater wealth of materials and two floors instead of three with adjoining houses. The portico is transformed here into an arcade. There is a façade of limestone ashlars on the ground floor and recesses and imposts. It is the work of local architects Unanue and Escoriaza. In the court's prison, the bard José María Iparraguirre composed the '' zortziko'' ('If my mother knew'). In 2009 it was the headquarters of the Tolosa International Puppet Center TOPIC. * Palace of Idiakez, built in 1605, rises above the wall in the area of the old Puerta de Navarra. The current building is estimated to date from the eighteenth century after a fire destroyed the previous tower. Its main façade is of hammered ashlar, enclosing the Old Square, while the rear one is of sawtooth brick over the river. In 1794 it was occupied by the
fabulist Fable is a literary genre defined as a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are anthropomorphized, and that illustrates or leads to a partic ...
Félix María de Samaniego when he was mayor of Tolosa. The building is today the headquarters of the Casino of Tolosa. * Door of Castille * Tolosa Bullring opened on 24 June 1903 ( ("Bombita") was scheduled to do so, but due to injury he was replaced by ("Bonarillo") and Guerrerito). It has a ring of with a corridor and 5300 seats. The stands and boxes are above the ring, which gives it a special proportionality. Basque rural sport competitions ('' korrikalaris'', '' aizkolaris'', stone lifting, etc.) are held here. The city carnivals hold a running of the heifers every afternoon from the day of
Fat Thursday Fat Thursday is a Christian tradition in some countries marking the last Thursday before Lent and is associated with the celebration of Carnival. Because Lent is a time of fasting, the days leading up to Ash Wednesday provide the last opportuni ...
and the bull of the brandy on the morning of Tuesday of Carnival. * Andia Tower located at number 17 on Calle Mayor. Only vestiges of the shield and two gargoyles remain, in addition to the foundations of this medieval building where the enlightened lived, considered "King of Gipuzkoa" ().


Nature

One of Europe's tallest
Douglas fir The Douglas fir (''Pseudotsuga menziesii'') is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is the tallest tree in the Pinaceae family. It is native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Douglas spruce, Or ...
trees can be found in the fir plantation in Tolosa.


History

A 9000-year-old human settlement was discovered in the neighbourhood of San Esteban. From the tools and remains of flint carvings found, it would be a group whose economy was based on hunting and fruit gathering. From the Bronze Age, about 4000 years old, are the dolmens of Belabieta and Añi, burial constructions that bear witness to the first religious manifestations. In the Iron Age, about 2300 years ago, the first settlements appear. They settled on medium-high mountains, such as Intxur in Aldaba, and protected themselves by surrounding themselves with walls. In addition to their knowledge of iron, they were farmers and ranchers. The whole of antiquity, including
Romanization In linguistics, romanization is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Latin script, Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and tra ...
and until at least 1025, when Gipuzkoa entered history, is an obscure period about which little is known. The territory of Gipuzkoa was incorporated to Castile in 1200. In 1256, King Alfonso X the Wise of Castile granted the charter to Tolosa, naming it after
Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...
, France. In this charter, the inhabitants of Tolosa were granted privileges that were not granted to the inhabitants of nearby villages, nor to those of other provinces. It also provided for the fortification of Tolosa, Ordizia and Segura, border points with
Navarre Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...
. The original city was built on an island separated by an arm of the Oria that passed through the current Calle de la Rondilla (previously named after ) and is completely walled, with six gates equipped with defense towers (gates of Castile, Arramele, Navarre, Casa de las Damas, Matadero and Our Lady of Help). In 1282 it suffered a fire that destroyed it.
Sancho IV of Castile Sancho IV of Castile (12 May 1258 – 25 April 1295) called the Brave (''el Bravo''), was the king of Castile, León and Galicia (now parts of Spain) from 1284 to his death. Following his brother Ferdinand's death, he gained the s ...
granted new privileges to encourage its reconstruction and the arrival of new inhabitants, including freeing those who were to settle there of all tribute to the Crown (
Vitoria-Gasteiz Vitoria-Gasteiz (; ; also historically spelled Vittoria in English) is the seat of government and the capital city of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country and of the provinces of Spain, province of Álava in northern Spain. I ...
, 20 April 1290), privileges later confirmed by
Ferdinand IV of Castile Ferdinand IV of Castile (6 December 1285 – 7 September 1312) called the Summoned (''el Emplazado''), was King of Castile and King of León, León from 1295 until his death. Ferdinand's upbringing and personal custody was entered to his mother ...
and
Alfonso XI of Castile Alfonso XI (11 August 131126 March 1350), called the Avenger (''el Justiciero''), was King of Castile and León. He was the son of Ferdinand IV of Castile and his wife Constance of Portugal. Upon his father's death in 1312, several disputes ...
. However, maintaining these privileges was problematic at times, as when in 1463 the tax collector
Jacob Gaón Jacob Gaón (born in Vitoria, Spain, died in Tolosa, Spain, 1463) was a Jewish Basque tax collector.pillory The pillory is a device made of a wooden or metal framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, used during the medieval and renaissance periods for punishment by public humiliation and often further physical abuse. ...
as punishment for having put Tolosa at the top of his list of collections. King
Henry IV of Castile Henry IV of Castile (Spanish language, Castilian: ''Enrique IV''; 5 January 1425 – 11 December 1474), nicknamed the Impotent, was King of Kingdom of Castile, Castile and Kingdom of León, León and the last of the weak late-medieval kings of Ca ...
went to Tolosa to avenge his death, but the perpetrators fled the village. The king ordered the house where the crime was committed to be demolished. He did not execute the perpetrators, since before catching them he received a petition from the Junta of Gipuzkoa requesting pardon for the Tolosans, and presented their arguments, and Henry IV acknowledged that they were exempt from payment. The prevailing insecurity since the 14th century means that over two centuries, several towns and villages joined and separated from the council of Tolosa, including Abaltzisketa, Aduna, Albiztur, Alegia, Alkiza, Altzo, Amasa, Amezketa, Andoain, Anoeta, Asteasu, Baliarrain, Belauntza, Berastegi, Berrobi, Zizurkil, Elduain, Ezama, Gaztelu, Hernialde, Ibarra, Ikaztegieta, Irura, Laskoain, Leaburu, Lizartza, Orendain, Orexa and Igorre. Tolosa is committed to the defense of the towns, which remain under the jurisdiction of the mayor, and are usually ascribed the privileges and charters of Tolosa. During the fourteenth century there were various disagreements with these cities and a conflict with
San Sebastián San Sebastián, officially known by the bilingual name Donostia / San Sebastián (, ), is a city and municipality located in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, from the France–Spain border ...
over the cases of Andoain, Aduna and Alkiza, which was settled in 1479 with the transfer of these three towns to the jurisdiction of San Sebastian. In 1469 it underwent another important fire, and another major one in 1503 that affected even the parish church, despite being isolated. In both cases it was granted new privileges to aid in its reconstruction, and the
Catholic Monarchs The Catholic Monarchs were Isabella I of Castile, Queen Isabella I of Crown of Castile, Castile () and Ferdinand II of Aragon, King Ferdinand II of Crown of Aragón, Aragon (), whose marriage and joint rule marked the ''de facto'' unification of ...
issued an order for the mayor of the province to reside in Tolosa when not visiting other towns. After the uprising of the Count of Salvatierra in 1520, during the
Revolt of the Comuneros The Revolt of the Comuneros (, "War of the Communities of Castile") was an uprising by citizens of Crown of Castile, Castile against the rule of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles I and his administration between 1520 and 1521. At its hei ...
, Tolosa was on the communal side, and the royalist army defeated the resistance of Tolosa and other Basque communal towns after the defeat of the army of the Count of Salvatierra, Pedro López de Ayala, in the battle of Miñano Mayor on 19 April 1521. On 9 August 1794, during the War of the Pyrenees, French troops occupied Tolosa. During the
Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...
it was occupied again. While it was dominated by the Napoleonic army it suffered attacks from area guerrillas. From 1844 to 1854 under the government of the Progressives, Tolosa was the capital of Gipuzkoa for two years, later returning to San Sebastián, which had been declared the capital city in the decrees of 1822 and 1833, with the consequent transfer of the regional council and all management to the new capital of the province. Tolosa was one of the most important cities of the territory controlled by the Carlists in the civil war of 1872–1876, and was one of the headquarters of the newspaper '.


Spanish Civil War

On 11 August 1936 Tolosa was captured by rebel
Nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...
troops under Major Latorre.


Later

On 29 March 1939, there was a fatal accident on the overnight '' Sud Express'' train between
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
and
Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
.


Notable people

* José Antonio Zorreguieta, direct ancestor (born 13 February 1777) of Queen Máxima of the Netherlands *
Xabi Alonso Xabier Alonso Olano (, ; born 25 November 1981) is a Spanish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the head coach of La Liga club Real Madrid CF, Real Madrid. He is regarded as o ...
, footballer *
Mikel Alonso Mikel Alonso Olano (, ; born 17 May 1980) is a Spanish former professional Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. He spent most of his career at Real Sociedad, making 110 appearances and scoring four goals over seven seas ...
, footballer * Periko Alonso, footballer *
Ainhoa Arteta Ainhoa Arteta Ibarrolaburu, better known as Ainhoa Arteta (born 24 September 1964), is a Spanish soprano. Personal life and training Ainhoa Arteta was born on 24 September 1964 in Tolosa, Gipuzkoa. Her father, José Ramón Arteta, was foun ...
, soprano * Javier Bello-Portu, composer * Edurne Pasaban, mountaineer * Juan de Tolosa, founder of
Zacatecas Zacatecas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Zacatecas, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 31 states of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Zacatecas, 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas City, Zacatec ...
, Mexico * Juan Manuel Lillo, football coach * Lara Arruabarrena, tennis player * Isidro Larrañaga, accordionist


References


External links

*
Official website of the Municipality of Tolosa
*
"Tolosa"
in the ''Auñamendi Basque Encyclopedia''. {{authority control Municipalities in Gipuzkoa Tolosaldea