Pasaia

Pasaia Pasajes
Municipality
Pasaia
Pasaia
Pasaia Location of Pasaia within the Basque Autonomous Community Show map of the Basque Country Pasaia Location of Pasaia within Spain Show map of Spain
Coordinates: 43°19′31″N 1°55′16″W
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Basque Country
Province	Gipuzkoa
Eskualdea	Donostialdea
Government
• Mayor	Izaskun Gómez Cermeño (PSE-EE)
Area
• Total	11.34 km^2 (4.38 sq mi)
Population  (2018)[1]
• Total	16,128
• Density	1,400/km^2 (3,700/sq mi)
Demonym	Pasaitarra
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	20110
Official language(s)	Basque, Spanish
Website	pasaia.eus

Pasaia (Spanish: Pasajes) is a town and municipality located in the province of Gipuzkoa in the Basque Autonomous Community of northern Spain. It is a fishing community, commercial port and the birthplace of the famous admiral Blas de Lezo and of the fashion designer Paco Rabanne.

Pasaia lies approximately 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) east of Donostia's centre, lying at the foot of Mount Ulia and the Jaizkibel massif. The municipality numbers 16,056 inhabitants (as of 2008^[update] estimates), clustering around the Bay of Pasaia in four nuclei, namely Pasai San Pedro, Pasai San Juan (or Donibane in Basque), Antxo and Trintxerpe, with each part showing distinctive features.^[2]

History

Launch of a boat at the San Roque shipyards, Pasaia (1920)

Reconstruction of a traditional Basque whaling boat at the Albaola Maritime Culture Factory in Pasaia

The first documented mention of this place, written in 1203, calls it Oiarso. The name was later changed to "Pasage" (first attested in the 15th century), which means 'port' in Gascon. Gascons had come to inhabit the area side by side with the Basque people at the beginning of the 13th century.^[3]

It was a major source of revenue for the municipal coffers on the strength of its position on commercial sea routes. The Guipuzcoana Company used this as its main port, and there were as many as seven shipyards here in the mid-17th century. Historically the area was controlled by two competing baronies: Hondarribia, controlling Donibane, the right bank; and Donostia (San Sebastián), with jurisdiction over San Pedro, the left bank. Donibane separated from Hondarribia in 1770, and San Pedro separated from Donostia in 1805.

The district of Antxo was formed in 1890, when the Irun-Madrid railway came through. Trintxerpe, next to San Pedro, was the last district to form. Trintxerpe and Antxo eventually became a continuous urban strip with the eastern districts of Donostia.

References

1. Municipal Register of Spain 2018. National Statistics Institute.
2. "Habitantes y geografía de Pasaia". Council of Pasaia. Archived from the original on 2009-03-19. Retrieved 2009-04-14.
3. "LOS GASCONES EN GUIPÚZCOA". IMPRENTA DE LA DIPUTACIÓN DE GUIPÚZCOA. Retrieved 2009-04-11. Article in Spanish

External links

• Official Website Information available in Spanish and Basque.
• PASAIA in the Bernardo Estornés Lasa - Auñamendi Encyclopedia (Euskomedia Fundazioa) Information available in Spanish