The Very Honourable City of Eibar
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Let’s be honest, when one thinks about coming to spend their holidays in Gipuzkoa, the Very Honourable City of Eibar does not sprint to the mind of many as a place to visit in Gipuzkoa. It’s true that the fact that it’s a bit far away from San Sebastian and its long history as an industrial city may discourage most of the visitors, but it’s in that past as an industrial capital where you can find why Eibar is so special.
A well-armed city
This town has always had a close relationship with the industry, first with iron and textile, after that with gunmaking that started to become very varied at the end of the XIXth century. Eibar has also been a city that has suffered enough. As it happened to San Sebastian in 1813, during the Civil War it was destroyed and declared “devastated region”, and with its rebuilding came a strong re-industrialization, which brought the destruction of most of its historical buildings. This, in my opinion, gives special value to those that still stand nowadays like the baroque Casa de Unzueta or the Markeskua Palace. Also, it has a big industrial style cultural heritage that many people enjoy.
Eibar is also a very metal city. Su Ta Gar are from this town!
The Arms Industry Museum is located at Portealea, an old shotgun factory transformed into a cultural center, and it takes a long tour through a very important industry for the city’s history. At the Arrate hill you can also find the humble gothic temple of the city’s female patron saint, the Arrate Virgin, which has 4 paintings by the painter Zuloaga. In this same area it is possible to visit the Civil War Front Interpretation Center, which covers the 7 months of Civil War that Eibar suffered.
And also, if it you visit Eibar around the San Blas festivity try to eat some of their bagels, as the locals say that, if they are blessed, they cure coughing.