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Basque Country
Make the most of your time in Basque Country, use the information provided on this web site by clicking on the links to plan your visit.
The Basque people has traditionally guarded its autonomy more than any other group in Europe and it indeed one of the oldest traceable ethnic groups in the continent with many of its age-old customs and traditions still being practiced today. It painfully lost its sovereignty and the use of its language during the reign of General Franco from 1936-1975 but after his death it soon reclaimed its autonomy with the introduction of the community system in the country. The Basque Country is particularly decentralised and even sought to extend this in 2003 with a further claim, however it was refused by the central government on the grounds that it was unconstitutional.
The region’s capital city is Vitoria-Gasteiz, although Bilbao is larger, more populous and has seen much investment in recent years. In fact, approximately half of the division’s two million people live in the Greater Bilbao urban area. Bilbao is the capital of the Biscay province however, while there are two other provinces in the Basque Country – Araba and Gipuzka. The community has a section of coast which looks out onto the Atlantic Ocean while internally it borders Cantabria, Castile and Leon, La Rioja, Navarre and a small slither of France. Historically, the Basque Country claims three small territories in the south west of France (including Biarritz) and another of Spain’s communities, Navarre. In addition the Basque people have their own language – Euskera - which joins Spanish as the co-official language of the region.
The Country has much natural countryside and protected ecosystem areas as well as Natural Parks, Biosphere Reserves and Protected Biotopes throughout its 7,000 square kilometres of land. The region has also seen a rise in cultural attractions in recent years with the likes of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao among others.
When it comes to food the Basque Country is thought to be one of the best places, if not the best place to go in Spain. It has something of a reputation for seafood due to its position on the coast while other specialities on its many menus are dried beans, peppers, truffles, sardines and cheese, which have gone to ensure the region has a particularly high density of Michelin star restaurants. In San Sebastian there are in the region of 75 gastronomy societies which march through the city at festivals each year and embark on feasts. It is the job of the mayor to eat at each of the societies’ gatherings. Other cultural originalities see Basque people proudly wearing large berets, and stories being told in public places in rural towns and villages
Under the suppression of General Franco the Basque Country was put out in the shade as a kind of punishment for its opposition to nationalism and their striving for regionalism. This led to a regionalist movement being set up in the 1950s which was closely followed by the emergence of the violent ETA (Basque Nation and Liberty) group. Since its inception ETA’s violence has led to around 800 deaths in 30 years as it has pressed for full independence. What has always been clear about the Basque Country is that it has sought its own homeland and that it jealously guards any autonomy that it has while, if at all possible, seeking to gain even more.