The high street and site of many of the town’s most singular buildings. The eaves of its houses overhang, some of them are double and others single, with the carved corbels, cast-iron balconies and coat of arms.
Observe the houses at no 26, 24 and 22. Casa Consistorial (local government), no 20, of baroque style (1735); the Casa de Casadevante, no 5, where the terms of the truce to the 1638 Siege were negotiated; The Casa Zuloaga, no 8, noble house of the Torre-Alta count, where the Historical Archive and Municipal Library are located; Casa Iriarte (entrance through the street Tiendas no 2), striking because of the framework of its façades, the wood modillions and its beams. The Casa Ladrón de Guevara, no 2, whose façades are of vitrified blue brick, unique in its style.
Here one can find the ancestral home of the Eguiluz, where, according to tradition, Joanna the Mad (Juana la Loca), daughter of the Catholic Monarchs, and Philip the Handsome (Felipe el Hermoso) stayed when they were going from Brussels to Toledo to be proclaimed crowned princes and stopped three days in Hondarribia (1502).
It served the garrison for exercising with weapons and the City for proclamations, receptions, bullfights and other popular celebrations.
Plaza de Gipuzkoa, or Gipuzkoa Square, can be accessed along the walkway which runs in front of Eguiluz House. Although of recent construction, the charm and beauty of the square makes it the ideal setting for concerts and spectacles.
Calle del Obispo is one of the oldest streets in Hondarribia and has in fact been known by its current name since the 16th century. One end is marked by the Urbana de Palencia Tower-House, also known as Echevestenea Tower. It was here that Don Cristóbal de Rojas y Sandoval, the future Archbishop of Seville, chaplain to King Charles V and protector of Saint Theresa was born. The city of Hondarribia erected a statue to this illustrious local figure in front of his family home, in the square that also bears his name (Plaza del Obispo literally translates as “The Bishop’s Square”).
A street with interesting houses, ground floors of ashlar stone blocks with lintelled spaces. The upper floors grow on top of the walls. The Casa Rameri, no 146, stands out, and is the headquarters for the “Asociación de Amigos de la Historia de Hondarribia” (Association of Friends of the History of Hondarribia) and future City museum.
To see
To do
Where to stay
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