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30-563: Abadiño is located on the N-636 road a few kilometres to the southeast of Durango 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 , beech and pine , and

60-473: A good part of the town. Just the opposite, in 1554 the town was ravaged by fire, burning all wooden buildings to the ground, i.e. virtually all the buildings were burnt down. In 1597 another plague epidemic spread across the town. The Town Hall is recorded to have been built in the 16th century. The name Durango was used by conquistadores like Francisco de Ibarra to found more Durangos in America named after

90-453: A key part of the upgrading of the Bilbao – San Sebastian line, which includes 15 km of track-doubling, elimination of 27 level crossings, and construction of new stations at Euba, Durango and Traña. Trains run to Bilbao- Atxuri station and Donostia and it is possible to get to Gernika and Bermeo also with a train change at Amorebieta . Durango has two sister cities.: War of

120-518: A key road and railway junction behind the frontline. More than 500 people were killed in the bombing and the following days. On 28 April 1937 Durango fell to the Nationalists without much resistance. Durango's economy is mainly focused on the secondary sector , with a longstanding specialization on the manufacturing of machine tools and metallurgy . Tertiary services such as healthcare, education and research and development are also established in

150-557: A military intervention conducted by King Alfonso VIII against the Navarrese led King Sancho VI to found other fortified towns, such as San Sebastián and Vitoria-Gasteiz (1181). Between 1199 and 1201, King Alfonso VIII of Castile finally occupied the lordship of Durango and its hinterland, as well as other key western Basque districts (Álava, Gipuzkoa). Durango went on to form part of the Crown of Castile, but former laws and institutions were upheld by

180-595: A neighbouring town of a similar size to Durango. Buses also run to a variety of coastal villages, such as Ondarroa and Lekeitio (from Iurreta , a neighbouring village part of the Durango conurbation ). There are direct buses to Vitoria-Gasteiz and Donostia-San Sebastián . Trains (from EuskoTren company) are narrow gauge and run on a single track. Durango was cut in two by the railway and seven level crossings caused traffic delays. 7 years after construction began, Bilbao – San Sebastian EuskoTren services started using

210-470: 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 , Santo Domingo. This takes place on 12 May and the succeeding days and there is much music and dancing in

240-587: Is referred to as Tavira de Durango ; Tavira was probably the primitive name of the settlement and Durango the name of the region surrounding it. Until the 16th century, the town was known as Uribarri de Durango, Uribarri being Basque for "New town". While it is not known exactly when Durango was founded, it was subject to the Kingdom of Navarre, and is attested on an 1179 document revolving around territorial litigation between Alfonso VIII of Castile and Sancho VI of Navarre, The Wise (1150–1194). The impending threat of

270-468: Is the main river, and lies in the middle of its wide valley, with the Urkiola mountain range and natural park to the south. The most important peak is the majestic Anboto (1,331 m (4,367 ft) in elevation). In addition, inside the town two mountains stand out: Pagasarri (838 m) and Mugarra (453 m). There are many differing opinions about the origin of the name Durango. Basque linguist Alfonso Irigoyen has suggested its origin to be in

300-520: The Basque Country , Spain . It is the main town of Durangaldea , one of the comarcas of Biscay. Because of its economical activities and population, Durango is considered one of the largest towns in Biscay after the ones that compose the conurbation of Greater Bilbao . Durango has 29,715 inhabitants (2023). The town is crossed by three rivers (as illustrated in the town symbol). The Ibaizabal river

330-625: The Alzate and his son were killed, Lord Fernando of the Gamboa family of Gipuzkoa married his son to the daughter and heiress of the Alzate. In consequence he led an attack on Juan de Sant Pedro to avenge his daughter-in-law's family. He was defeated and killed and 150 men died in the battle. Around 1420 the Gamboinos extended their feuding with an assault by night on the Oñaz family, also of Guipúzcoa. On Christmas,

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360-567: The Balda fought against the Oñaz and the Lezcano at Zumarraga in 1446. The Oñaz were victorious and burnt the Gamboino fortress at Azkoitia . Seventy men and twelve of the leaders were killed. The families, with every wider networks of allies, engaged again in 1447 and 1448. As early as 1390 and 1393 warring in Biscay had been reduced by the intervention of the royalist hermandades , capable of drawing on

390-610: The Bands The War of the Bands ( Basque : Bando gerrak , Spanish : Guerra de los Bandos ) was a civil war , really an extended series of blood feuds , in the western Basque Country , Cantabria , Gascony , and Navarre in the Late Middle Ages . The main primary source for the War is Las Bienandanças e fortunas by Lope García de Salazar , written c .1471. The war is named after

420-562: The Basque original one, e.g. a state in Mexico called Durango , whose principal city is called Durango . During the 17th century, the town of Durango had to face up to the enormous human and economic cost incurred on the various wars the Crown of Castile embarked upon against France. Following heavy human losses suffered in battles and an episode of cholera epidemic, the town ended up virtually ruined. At

450-669: The Castilian king. In the 15th century, Durango got engaged in the wider War of the Bands , with various conflicts involving the Ibarguen, Zaldibar and Unzueta families. During this period, tower houses belonging to different clans were erected, such as the ones of Arandoño, Asteiza, Etxebarria, Lariz, Monago, and Otalora. Henry III (1393) and Henry IV (1457), the Castilian Kings, were both received in Durango, as well as Queen Isabel of Castile ["The Catholic"] (1483), who enticed Durango and

480-522: The Lordship of Biscay to her cause in exchange for ratifying their laws and institutions, i.e. she swore the fueros , and favourable trade conditions. According to the municipal records, both monarchs took shelter in the Lariz Tower. In 1517 Durango was devastated by a terrible epidemic of plague that caused many deaths amongst the inhabitants. Some years after the epidemic, in 1544, heavy flooding inundated

510-564: 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

540-482: The Oñaz' manor was set alight and the head of the house plus nine others died in the blaze. The Oñaz family lands were then ravaged by the Gamboinos and their allies, but the allies of the Oñaz came to their defence. Of the latter, the Lezcano attacked the Gamboino-allied Balda family and killed its leader. With the end of this little war a whole new network of blood feuds had come into being. The Gamboinos and

570-502: The area with an increasing growth. Durango was for many years the home of Euskal Telebista . This public television company broadcasts in Basque and Spanish. It also has a global presence with satellite channel beamed across the world. ETB has moved to a new headquarters in Bilbao. In Durango, besides Spanish, the Biscayan variety (bizkaiera) of Basque is spoken, with the characteristics of

600-531: The aristocratic networks of familial alliances and their armed followings, known as bandos (bands), that carried out constant wars for power and honour across three kingdoms. The wars ceased only with the imposition of royal authority under Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella of Castile , the Catholic Monarchs . The wars resulted partly from the destabilising effect of the Castilian Civil War and

630-576: The end of the 19th century, exactly in 1882, the railway line from Bilbao to Durango was inaugurated. While the construction was expensive, during the early 20th century Durango flourished. The Nationalists started an offensive against Republican held Biscay and 31 March 1937 saw the Bombing of Durango by the Aviazione Legionaria and the Condor Legion . Durango was a town of 10,000 inhabitants and

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660-666: The ensuing political weakness of the House of Trastámara . That the Seniory of Biscay effectively ceased to exist after 1370 and was subsumed in 1379 into Castile only exacerbated the effects of political anarchy on Biscay. The rise of the towns, notably Bilbao and Bermeo , caused jockeying for municipal power between the rich urban families. The landed nobility, enfeoffed in the heavily encastellated countryside, nursed feuds that dated back centuries. The Legizamon and Zamudiano had been enemies since 1270. Many minor noble families were caught in

690-457: The feuds of the great families by ties of marriage. In 1362, in the early stage of the conflicts, the Legizamon and Zurbarán families fought a battle in the streets of Bilbao. They battled again in the market of Bermeo in 1413. Thereafter until 1433 the fighting between the two bands continued without a truce. The Basurto, who had been enemies of the Legizamon over the rights to a salmon, fought on

720-545: The higher parts consist of limestone peaks with gullies, cliffs and caves and are included in the Urkiola Natural Park . The town of Abadiño has a number of historic buildings. The Muntsaratz Tower is a good example of ninth century Renaissance architecture . 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

750-560: The name Duranco , probably used in the early Middle Ages. Other authors suggest the name to be a derivation of Urazango or an evolved form of Padurango . The Royal Basque Academy of the Language postulates that the name Durango stems from the Latin name Turanicus , possibly a Roman fundus like many others in the Basque Country (cf. Kuartango). In the confirmation of the town's fuero it

780-400: The new 4 km tunnel beneath the town of Durango on December 17. The €232m project was funded by the Basque government and included the construction of an underground station in the town centre. It allowed for the closure of the original line, which cut through the centre of the town. The tunnel opened in 2012, 130 years to the day after the first train from Bilbao arrived in Durango, and is

810-453: The region. Municipal Elections 2011 : Municipal Elections 2015 : Municipal Elections 2019 : Every half an hour there is a BizkaiBus bus service to Bilbao . There are two routes, one via the AP-8 motorway which takes about 30 minutes. This bus runs on the hour. The other slower crosscountry route stops in all towns and takes about 50 mins. There is also a once an hour bus to Eibar ,

840-480: The revenues of royal estates. In 1415 the corregidor , the royally-appointed governor of the hermandad , acting on royal orders, siphoned off Biscayan wheat to the Asturias , inciting a rebellion. The Biscayans were defeated at Erandio with the loss of sixty men and the wheat transfers continued. In 1442 the hermandades interfered successfully in Bilbao and Mondragón , but the peace established did not endure. In 1457

870-612: The side of the Zurbarán. The urban warfare was less fatal than the pitched battles often fought in the countryside: only five men died in a fracas in Bilbao in 1440 and only ten in the streets of Bermeo in 1443. In 1413 a private war broke out between Juan de Sant Pedro , from the Labourd in the English Duchy of Gascony, and the Navarrese houses of the Espeleta and the Alzate. After the head of

900-501: 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 . This article about a location in the Basque Country, Spain, is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Durango, Biscay Durango is a town and municipality of the historical territory and province of Biscay , located in

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