{"id":17401,"date":"2018-11-02T13:18:20","date_gmt":"2018-11-02T12:18:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/goierriturismo.com\/?page_id=17401"},"modified":"2026-01-30T08:23:44","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T07:23:44","slug":"culture","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/goierriturismo.com\/en\/culture\/","title":{"rendered":"Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"
A full valley of<\/div>\n

Culture<\/h1>\n

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The variety of our folklore<\/h2>\n
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Pre-history men, mythological beings, kings and princes, malefactors and traders, travelers and pilgrims have crossed Goierri through History. Its strategic location connecting Europe to Castile make Goierri a really good place to catch a whiff of history and culture.<\/p>\n

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+
\n50<\/strong>
witches, giants and some other criatures<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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9<\/strong>
museums
\nand Interpretation Centres<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\n2<\/strong>
medieval towns<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\n1<\/strong>
father
\nof Basque culture<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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SEGURA AND ORDIZIA<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Medieval towns<\/div>\n
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A\u00a0<\/span>medieval village<\/b>\u00a0<\/span>build under the mandate of Alfonso X of Castile to protect the San Adri\u00e1n\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>Royal Path<\/b>. Segura is a beauty! Admire their palaces and other buildings. Ordizia has been holding a\u00a0<\/span>local products market<\/b>\u00a0<\/span>for the past 500 years. Back in 1512, the Queen Juana of Castile wanted to help the town after a terrible fire, and awarded Ordizia the right to have its own free market, every Wednesday all year round.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n Medieval towns <\/span><\/a>\n <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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FEARED BY TRAVELERS AND PILGRIMS<\/div>\n
San Adri\u00e1n tunnel<\/div>\n
Nowadays, you can go up to the tunnel easily, but it wasn\u2019t always like that. It used to be a mythic place where nature overcame the human being. San Adri\u00e1n\u2019s path used to be the main communication route between\u00a0<\/span>Europe and the Kingdom of Castile<\/b>. In the Middle Ages, a\u00a0<\/span>fortress<\/b>\u00a0<\/span>was built and guarded by 100 soldiers. San Adri\u00e1n was a royal path and also the reference to those pilgrims that chose this\u00a0<\/span>route to get to Santiago de Compostela.<\/b><\/div>\n

\n Natural history <\/span><\/a>\n <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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GOIERRI, A PLACE OF GIANTS<\/div>\n
Basque mythology<\/div>\n
Tartalo, a one-eyed giant, is a shepherd who takes good care of sheep but hates people. Goierri\u2019s nature is loaded with\u00a0<\/span>magical connotations and special creatures.<\/b>\u00a0<\/span>The Goddess Mari, her children Atarrabi and Mikelats (the first being a good son; the latter, not so much), witches shaped as hens and bears, oxen\u2019s skin filled with gold\u2026the Barandiaran Museum of\u00a0<\/span>Basque Mythology<\/b>, in Ataun, is the place to be to get to know all this in detail.\u00a0<\/span>Enjoy!<\/b><\/div>\n

\n Creatures and legends <\/span><\/a>\n <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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BARANDIARAN AND ZUMALAC\u00c1RREGUI<\/div>\n
Historical figures<\/div>\n
Did you know that Carlist General\u00a0<\/span>Tom\u00e1s Zumalac\u00e1rregui<\/b>\u00a0<\/span>introduced beret -today, a symbol to Basque people- and made it fashionable? It got so popular that during the\u00a0<\/span>Second Carlist War<\/b>\u00a0<\/span>more than 75,000 were sold. The great anthropologist and priest Jos\u00e9 Miguel de Barandiaran, who lived for more than 100 years, knew everything about Basque mythology. He was also very attached to his beret -txapela in Euskera-. Both of them were born in Goierri. We recommend visiting Zumalac\u00e1rregui Museum and Larruntza windmill, where you will find Barandiaran Museum. Jos\u00e9 Miguel de Barandiaran dedicated his whole life to study\u00a0<\/span>Basque folklore and ancient religious myths<\/b>. You will learn lots of stuff without even realising!<\/div>\n

\n Barandiaran and Zumalakarregi <\/span><\/a>\n <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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THE MOUNTAIN OF IRON<\/div>\n
Zerain<\/div>\n
Iron<\/b>\u00a0<\/span>has shaped the land and history of the Basque Country, and especially in Zerain. You can visit the old mines of Aizpea, known as the Mountain of Iron, and\u00a0<\/span>know how iron was extracted<\/b>\u00a0<\/span>in the old days, as well as visiting one of the galleries. This mines have been declared Monumental Complex by the Basque Government\u2019s Ministry of Culture. Every weekend from 12PM on, you can join a guided visit from Zerain Tourist Office.<\/div>\n

\n Industrial heritage <\/span><\/a>\n <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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CULTURAL LANDSCAPE<\/div>\n
Zerain<\/div>\n
Get in to a real 18th century prison or admire the machinery of an old sawmill still working! Every weekend from 12PM on, you can\u00a0<\/span>join a guided visit<\/b>\u00a0<\/span>from Zerain Tourist Office.<\/div>\n

\n Cultural landscape <\/span><\/a>\n <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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HISTORIC-ARTISTIC SITE<\/div>\n
Igartza<\/div>\n
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The\u00a0<\/span>Igartza family<\/b>\u00a0<\/span>was really powerful in the\u00a0<\/span>Middle Ages<\/b>, building their own palace out of wood and stone, next to Oria river in Beasain. The site, full of\u00a0<\/span>architectural and historical value<\/b>, displays a forge, a wooden dam, a windmill and a bridge. The workers at the forge would end up building what today is CAF, the company responsible for manufacturing high-speed trains, trams, and undergrounds all around the world.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n The palace of Goierri <\/span><\/a>\n <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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GOIERRI MINING PARK<\/div>\n
Mutiloa, Ormaiztegi, Zerain<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The mining past of the region can be seen in the\u00a0<\/span>Goierri Mining Park<\/b>, the place where we can move to times when mineral extraction was the way of life of the people from the region.<\/div>\n

\n A walk through history <\/span><\/a>\n <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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TOURIST INFORMATION<\/div>\n
Museums and tourist offices<\/div>\n
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The Camino de Santiago (St. James\u2019s Way) and the Camino Real (Royal Way) pass through the region, which is full of attractions, including museums of historical figures, monuments declared Assets of Cultural Interest and the medieval towns of Ordizia and Segura. Gastronomy and its interpretation centers occupy an important place in Goierri and what to say about the entrances to the Natural Parks. Discover our museums and interpretation centers related to culture, gastronomy and nature.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n Museums and interpretation centers <\/span><\/a>\n <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Explore other activities in Goierri<\/h3>\n