Walks in Irun

Church of Nuestra Señora del Juncal

From the fall of the Roman Empire to the late Middle Ages, there is very little information about the history of Irun, although it is known that it was an important milestone in the pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela.

The church of El Juncal, located in a marshy area, stands on wooden piles. Built in the Middle Ages, the church was extended and renovated throughout the 16th century and the first decades of the 17th century, i.e. during the Renaissance period. It is a hall church with three naves and classical columns supporting ribbed vaults; it is 45 metres long, 24 metres wide and 22 metres high, which are considerable proportions taking into account the size of Irun’s population at the time. The sacristy, the altarpiece and the doorway are from the Baroque period, the latter featuring a door with a wooden frame and four relief carvings under the arch, dedicated to the Virgin

Roman Irun

Thanks to archaeology, we know that Irun was Oiasso in Roman times (1st-3rd centuries), located at a strategic point on the road that connected Lapurdum (Baiona) with Pompaelo (Pamplona).

The main activities must have been trade and mining, and it was also an important city with an anchorage (Asturiaga, near Higer) and a commercial port (located near Santiago Street), a necropolis and a residential area (the latter located between the hill of Beraun and Plaza San Juan square, according to the material remains recovered to date).

It was organised in a grid pattern and had important buildings: a theatre, thermal baths… The Museum of Romanisation is the best place to learn about this period, together with the chapel of Ama Xantalen, which houses the remains of the necropolis and a pagan temple, converted to a Christian sanctuary in the Middle Ages.

Town Hall

The town hall was built in the 18th century in San Juan Harria square, according to a project by the engineer Felipe Crame, in a classicist Baroque style.

It was built in ashlar stone, with five arches and a continuous balcony with windows decorated with pediments and a balustrade. A short distance away is the Palace of Arbelaiz, a Classicist Baroque building as can be seen on its façade, home to famous personalities.

In the vicinity, the column erected in the 16th century symbolises Irun’s special identity. We must not forget that Irun-Uranzu was a council under the jurisdiction of Hondarribia, until its total independence in 1766, during the reign of Charles III, whose effigy in the form of a medallion stands out above the entrance door to the town hall.

Paseo Colon – Plaza del Ensanche

Throughout the 19th century, Irun underwent population growth and changes that completely transformed its urban and social structure. The two events that explain this were the moving of customs from the Ebro river to the Bidasoa river (1841) and the arrival of the railway (1863).

The Paseo de Colón and the Plaza del Ensanche, with its Eiffelian kiosk, were created to connect the old quarter with the train station. Since the time of the Romans, the city had always been turned towards the Bidasoa river, but after the expansion it was physically directed towards Hondarribia. From then on, Irun’s urban character prevailed over its rural past.

The new street, soon to become the main axis of the city, was lined with buildings of great importance such as the “Palace Hotel” and others of bourgeois character and varied styles, most of which were destroyed in a fire during the Spanish Civil War.