WHAT TO SEE
Marina Ybarra – Route around the neighbourhood of Andra Mari de Getxo
Photograph on loan from Getxoko Liburutegiak – Getxo Municipal Libraries.
The Marina Ybarra route is a journey back to Getxo’s origins. This neighbourhood, Santa María de Getxo (Andra Mari), gives the town its name, and according to the earliest remains found, it is here that its history began in the 12th century.
Long forgotten are those images in which the church stood alone in a vast landscape punctuated by solitary farmhouses, now replaced by residential areas.
Yet what was life like for the farmers, the baserritarrak, in Andra Mari, and what key role did women play in the daily chores in the farmhouse, the caserío? We will be finding out as we walk through the streets where these farmhouses once stood, and when we look at the belfry on the church of Andra Mari, whose façade bears the names of the neighbourhood’s caseríos.
On your way, you will see how its lanes, woodland areas, traditional Basque sports, historical buildings...help to preserve the neighbourhood’s original atmosphere.
MARINA YBARRA (¿?- 1680)
Marina Ybarra was a baserritarra (which in Basque means a farmer) who lived in Andra Mari in the mid-17th century. Like so many other women at that time, she lived in a society in which husbands wielded authority over their wives to a greater or lesser extent. In those days, women dedicated their lives to housework, working the land, bringing up their children, and caring for the elderly.
Marina Ybarra’s work, like that of so many women in those generations, was invisible yet essential. Nonetheless, her name appears in the annals of history for a circumstance that is just as sad as it is courageous: she was the first woman in Getxo to report her husband for domestic abuse.
Marina Ybarra married on 17 December 1663, making the accusation a year later. She died on 7 June 1680, after spending her whole life working these lands.
1. Patxoena House (first half 20th century)
Patxo’s house, 'la casa de Patxo', is the only original building still standing in this area, beside the school.
2. Former farmhouse of Jauregi (end of 17th century)
All that remains of this farmhouse, or caserío, is a wall abutting the villa that now stands here. It was built on the ruins of the ancient Tower House of Getxo and Martiartu, to whom the farmers, the baserritarrak, paid their corresponding feudal dues.
3. La Venta (1848, 1852, 1891, 1932)
This was a shop that sold groceries and wines, as well as being somewhere where travellers and local people could stop off. It was a council property that was rented out to a private individual, although the person was required to provide local people with somewhere to meet.
4. Chapel of the Ángel de la Guarda (1649, 1981)
This little chapel’s significance does not involve its architecture, but instead its location: at the crossroads where the Royal Highway, the Camino Real (which linked Algorta to Andra Mari) met the road from Andra Mari to Berango. It has two statues (Ángel de la Guarda – Guardian Angel, and Virgen del Rosario – Our Lady of the Rosary).
5. Altzuri House (1964)
Juan de Madariaga’s detached house stands on a hill, which gives it a more imposing presence than all the other buildings in the area.
6. Town houses (1990)
Despite the type of buildings involved, this development has managed to blend in with a landscape of numerous detached houses used as summer homes. Designed by Eduardo Escauriaza, Rafael Olabarri and José Luis Nolasco (who also designed Getxo’s courthouse, the Palacio de Justicia).
7. Sans Gironella dwelling (1968)
Designed by the architect César Sans Gironella for his own use, a highlight is the hip roof, with cedar wood tiling, and a peripheral window that illuminates and ventilates all the studio’s diaphanous interior. This aesthetic arrangement is of Japanese influence, as is its internal distribution.
8. Egape House (1964)
It has the same architect as stop no. 5, and its design reflects a beautiful, serene and peaceful building that was originally conceived as a year-round home.
9. Church of Andra Mari (12th century, 1745, 1868, 1973)
Built on 12th century ruins, the present Baroque-style church is a project by Juan de Borda. Back in the 20th century, Cándido Arrieta and a sculptor called José Luís Butrón were responsible for its refurbishment. Besides being a place of worship, this church has been an important focal point for social life in the community.
10. Belfry of Andra Mari (1745, 1868, 1973)
The tower consists of four sections with a dome at the top. It is made of ashlar sandstone from the nearby quarries in Berango. Its façade bears Getxo’s coat of arms and the names of the farmhouses, the caseríos, in Andra Mari.
11. Probadero (Oxen proving ground) - Getxo Kirolak sports centre
Sports centre designed by the Bigalbi architects’ studio, with an outstanding feature being the oxen proving ground (a venue for popular Basque sports).
12. Batzoki (former School of Andra Mari) (1770)
It was initially Getxo Town Hall, then a state school for girls, a home... It is now a clubhouse for the Basque National Party (PNV/EAJ), with a bar/restaurant that is open to the public.
13. Bostgarrena farmhouse
A building with great historic value, as it is one of the area’s best-preserved farmhouses, or caseríos. It was not designed to be used as a typical farmhouse, but instead as a home for the cemetery’s employees.
Have any of the landmarks on the route conjured up a memory?
Or perhaps a building, a landscape, an image has caught your eye...
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¿Ganas de saber más?:
You still have another 13 routes, with the following being the closest:
