WHAT TO SEE
Elvira Larrazabal – A sporting route around Getxo
Photograph on loan from Getxoko Liburutegiak - Getxo Municipal Libraries
Getxo has always had very close ties with the world of sport, being one of the first places nationwide to hold football matches, given the enthusiasm for all things British among the local upper-middle classes that spent their summers here. Since those days, sport has been increasingly popular in the area, and Getxo was named European City of Sport in 2014.
This route, designed to be followed either on foot or by bike, introduces us to Getxo’s sports facilities via the Bidegorriak network of cycle lanes and riverside paths, making a stop on the former site of the golf club, Real Sociedad de Golf de Neguri (where Elvira first held her golf-sticks), and then takes us into the Bolue wetlands.
This route celebrates Elvira Larrazabal not only as an élite sports personality, but also as an example for all the sportswomen in Getxo that are battling to receive the recognition they deserve in surfing, sailing, cycling, racket sports, handball, beach volleyball, karate, athletics, rugby and hockey... to name just a few of the sports with current and future champions.
ELVIRA LARRAZABAL (1933)
Elvira Larrazabal Bengoetxea was Spanish golf’s first female professional player, and in 1958 she became the first woman to receive an instructor’s licence from the Spanish Federation. She began playing at the Real Sociedad de Golf de Neguri where her father, Angelín, was an instructor.
According to her husband, the international football referee José Mª Ortiz de Mendibil: “Elvira’s the star in this house. Between 1952 and 1955 she won every single competition she took part in, including four Spanish Championships and two Spanish Opens.” After a few years away from the game, which she dedicated to caring for her family, Elvira returned to the greens as a sign of her love for her favourite sport.
In 2011, Getxo Town Hall paid tribute to her sporting career at the Sasoi Sasoian-Ports Awards, honouring her with a silver replica of the Aixerrota windmill.
1. The park Parque Arenas Club (2009).
Name given to mark the centenary of Arenas Club (1901), one of the teams that founded the competition known today as Spain’s La Liga.
2. Gobela-Getxo Kirolak Sports Centre (2005).
A municipal sports centre that has swimming pools, football pitches (also Arenas Club’s home ground), paddle courts, etc. designed by the JAAM architects’ studio.
3. Antiguo Golf residential area (1973).
It stands on the site that for 50 years was home to the Real Sociedad de Golf de Neguri, until it moved to La Galea in 1962. The project, a revolutionary design at the time, is by the brothers Iñiguez de Onzoño.
4. Magnolio House (1955) .
The building’s L-shape arose by chance, as the plans were to build a roundabout where that fascinating magnolia tree now stands. Designed by Eugenio Aguinaga.
5. Kabi Maite (1920, 2010).
Its original design by Bilbao Lopategui has undergone several renovations (one even to turn it into a hotel) until it was refurbished to house the seven dwellings it now contains.
6. Bidarte (1919).
A signature building (literally, it is signed on the facade) by an architect that played a key role in developing the neighbourhood of Neguri: Emiliano Amann.
7. Casa doble/semi-detached house (1923).
Built by Diego Basterra. The left-hand side is typical of the popular Neo-Basque style, while the other follows the style of a Montañés house.
8. Las Ardillas building (1981).
Manene designed an architecture-sculpture that stood out from its neighbouring buildings, also innovating with the ceramic cladding on the façade.
9. Villa (1930) .
Designed by Manuel Galíndez, it belongs to the popular Neo-Basque regionalist style.
10. Figols-Leku Eder Palace (1950).
Designed by Ignacio Mª Smith for the shipowner Eduardo Olano (Count of Figols). It has been converted into a hotel-restaurant.
11. Jolaseta-San Esteban (1929)
Built by Emiliano Amann, it is a late example of the Baroque and stately style. It now houses a retirement home.
12. Real Club Jolaseta (1933).
Sport facility built by the Sociedad de Terrenos de Neguri. Both Athletic Bilbao and Arenas Club played matches here.
13. Bolue wetlands.
It provides a habitat for an array of different flora and fauna. It occupies the site of an old reservoir for supplying mains water that became obsolete in the 20th century
14. Fadura-Getxo Kirolak Sports Centre (1916, 1971) .
Fadura, 'the place that floods when the river rises' in Basque. A pioneering facility, it contained, among other installations, the Bizkaia Stadium and a racecourse.
EXTENDED ROUTE: + 4 STOPS
1- Aula Ambiental/Nature Centre
Housed in a renovated farmhouse, it is designed to raise environmental awareness and promote sustainable development through local resources.
2- Ibarrekoerrota farmhouse (1610).
'Valley mill', in Basque. At first, the Errotaetxe farmhouse (next stop) was its mill-house.
3- Errotaetxe farmhouse (1613)
‘Mill-house’ in Basque. This property had two allotments called Aurrekomendi and Urbieta.
4- Chapel of Santa Coloma de Rotaetxe (s. XVII, 1955).
The caserío itself, the chapel, and the mill down the hill formed a single property. With a traditional design, it provides an excellent vantage point over the Bolue Valley.
Have any of the landmarks on the route conjured up a memory?
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