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Well-known people from Ondarroa:
· Txomin Aguirre (1864 – 1920):
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A priest and writer of many articles in the press of that time. He founded the Academy of the Basque Language. One of his most important books is “Auñamendiko Lorea”, a historical novel that was of no particular interest.He laterwrote “Kresala “ and “ Garoa”. The first of these deals with the history of a marine town such as Ondarroa in Euskara Bizkaieraz and the second was written in Ggipuzkeraz and deals with life in a farmstead in Oñate.
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| · José Benito Bikandi (1894-1958): |
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An artist from Ondarroa, admired and acknowledged by Ignacio Zuloaga, Jorge Oteiza and others. He lived in Paris during the golden age, where he met Picasso, Braque, Fujita and Modigliani. In 1926 he moved to Argentina where he worked as a university professor in ceramics. During the Universal Exhibition of Paris in 1937, he was awarded the gold medal in the ceramics category.
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| · Agustín Zubikarai (1914-2004): |
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He studied in the seminaries of Vitoria-Gasteiz and Saturraran. At the age of 16 he started to write articles for the newspaper Eguna. He wrote articles for Zeruko Argia, Karmel, Argia, Egun, Boga Boga, Eguna,… During the Spanish Civil War, he was imprisoned, and exchanged for a journalist from Saragossa, and then exiled in France. He has written many works, including drama, short stories, fiction and books on the towns of Bscay.He was awarded many prizes, including the Toribio Alzaga. He was an Honorary Academic of the Academy of the Basque Language.
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| · Pedro María Unanue (1814-1845): |
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Historically speaking, Pedro María Unanue was the first Basque tenor to achieve international fame. His professional career spanned just one decade, and Unanue is referred to for the first time in a series of posters dated 1836. His last performance was in Trieste in 1845. During this brief period, he performed in the theatres of Andalusia, Madrid, Saint Petersburg, Bergamo and Trieste, thrilling his audiences with his passionate and intensely romanticsinging.
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Well-known people from Elantxobe:
· Andima Ibiñagabeitia Idoiaga (1906– 1967):
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He was born in Elantxobe on January 27, 1906, and died in Caracas, in 1967. He was a Jesuit andstudied in Tudela, Loiola, Oña and Marneffe (Begium). Heabandoned the Jesuit Order priori to be ordained as a priest and was forced to seek exile due to his political activities, firstly in Paris (1947-1954), and later in Guatemala (1954-1956), finally settling in Venezuela. He published many articles and letters, mostly in the magazine Euzko Gogoa, and also in Euzko Deya, Gernika, Alderdi or Egan. He also invented different methods of learning Basque and translated classical works into this language.His biography is a true reflection of the generation existing since the Dispersion and in Euskal Herria he was one of those who led the movement for the recuperation of Basque culture before the war.He was designated an Academic on August 25, 1961.
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| · Imanol Berriatua (1914 – 1981): |
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Born in Elantxobe on December 24 1914 and diedin Jerusalem on September 15, 1981. A Franciscan monk, he studied theology in Arantzazu, and later moved to Cuba, where hewas ordained a priest.He returned to the Basque Country in 1950. He had a good command of Greek, Hebrew, English and German, among other languages, and resided in the convents of Forua, Bilbao and Bermeo; he was chaplain to the fishermen in the latter and even accompanied them out to sea to help them with their permits and paperwork in African ports. After residing in Bilbao for a time,from 1967,he intensified his research work on the Basque language. He later travelled to Israel and made an important contribution in the field of methods and the teaching of Basque.He was designated an Academic on August 25, 1961.
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| · Gorgonio Rentetia (1868– 1940): |
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Born in Elantxobe on September 9 1868 and died in Baiona on January 27, 1940. He was a seaman (who spent many years in the Philippines as a ship’s captain) --, Mayor of Elantxobe and an MP in the ForalDeputation of Biscay. He was a reputed orator and the author of many texts. He published articles inthe following publications; Euskalzale, Baserritarra, Euskalduna, Ibaizabal, Euzkadi, Ekin and Eguna. His daughter Jule Renteria took charge of compiling all his articles and poems. They have all been published in a book under the title Izartu euskaldunak! elantxobetar baten olerkiak eta artikuluak published by Instituto Labayru and the BBK Foundation.The edition was prepared by the corresponding academic of Euskaltzaindia, Igone Etxebarria.
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Well-known people from Getaria:
· Juan Sebastián Elkano (1487-1526):
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Historians say that his love for the sea first became evident during his youth, when he sailed in fishing boats.In the year 1509 he took part in the expedition of Cardenal Cisneros thatconquered Oran and the one led by Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba in Italy. In 1519 he enlistedin the expedition of Magallanes; the expedition continued to the Moluccas, where it was decided that Elkano would continue with the ship Victoria along theroute of the Cape of Good Hope, while the rest of the crew would return to Panama.After completing his voyagearoundthe world for the firsttime ever, Elkano reached Sanlúcar de Barrameda on November 6 1522. In 1525 he joined theexpedition of Loaysa, back to the Moluccas.He died of scurvy while crossing the Pacific.
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| · Domingo de Bonaetxea (1744-1775): |
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A sailor, explorer, geographer and botanist.He was born into a family with a great seafaring tradition.After becoming a marine official, he sailed across the Mediterranean and along the Atlantic coast of the American continent. Many diaries and descriptions remain recording his adventures in Europe and the Atlantic seaboard of America. Bonaetxea also led two expeditions to the south seas that giverise to the discovery of several islands, including Tahiti, that were not indicated by the British. He was the author of many botanical and geographical treatises.
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| · Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895-1972): |
The son of a family of arrantzales, he first entered the fashion world in Palacio de Aldamar, the ancient residence of the Marquises of Casa Torre, parents of Queen Fabiola of Belgium. In 1915 he opened his first couture firm in Donostia–San Sebastián, and later in Barcelona and Madrid. Hewas adored by a select, exquisite clientele that included Marie Christine of Hapsburg and Victoria Eugenia, as well as the actress Jane Fonda. In 1958 he was awarded the distinction of the GEnteleman of the Legion of Honour. At the age of 72, after 30 years of activities carriedout in Paris, hefinally decided to retire and died in Valencia on March 24, 1972.He was buried in Getaria. |
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| · Joaquín María de Barroeta y Hurtado de Mendoza y Aldamar (1788-1866): |
At the age of 16he fought against the French in the Convention War. During the Carlist war, hetook the side of QueenCristina. He participated in the attack of Espoz y Mina and Montesdeoca. He became Mayor of Getaria in 1815 and senator to the Queen in 1844.During his time in this post, he energetically defended the integrity of the Basque regions.He received thedistinction of Knight of Santiago, and theGrand Cross of Isabel la Católica and Gentleman of the Chamber, and on his death, the provincial Deputation ordered his body to be transferred to Getaria, where he was buried in the chapel of La Piedad. He was an ancestor of Queen Fabiola of Belgium. |
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| · Pepita Embil (1918-1993): |
She devoted her life to lyric theatre and was one of the finest sopranos and interpreters of light operas, operettas and operas of the 20th century.She studied music and singing in Donostia-San Sebastián and participated in different music groups such as the Orfeón Eusko Abesbatza, Ereseinka and the Salle Pleyel in Paris.She made her début at the Teatre Liceo in Barcelona and was considered at one point the queen ofSpanish lyrical theatre. She married the baritone Plácido Domingo Ferrer and they settled in Mexico, where they formed their own lyrical company.The couple have two children, María José and the famous tenor Plácido Domingo Embil. |
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Well-known people from Mutriku:
· Antonio de Gaztañeta (1656-1728):
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Born in Mutriku in 1656, he started sailing at a young age,under the tutelage of his father, Captain Francisco de Gaztañeta. During trip to Veracruz, when aged just sixteen, his father died, and he was forced to bring the ship back to Pasajes. After participating in many expeditions and voyages, he was made a General Lieutenant.Hewas self-taught and in 1692 published the work “Norte de la Navegación hallado por el Cuadrante de Reducción”, which led to him being appointed Superintendant-General of the Cantabria Shipyards, in 1702, where he supervised the construction of several ships.
He was one of the best naval engineers of his time worldwide, and wrote many treatises and was the first to make a systematic rationalisation of shipbuilding. He also earned a great reputation as a military: the most significant was in 1727, when after managing to escape from several English squadrons, he brought back to Spain treasures from the Indies. This earned him a life annuity for himself and his children.
He ordered the construction of the palace of Arrietakua, a beautiful Baroque construction in ashlar masonry.He died in 1728 at the age of 71, after enjoying a full and eventful life.
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| · Cosme Damián de Churruca (1761-1805): |
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Born in 1761, he lived in the palaceof Arrietakua, amidst the books and objects belonging to Antonio de Gaztañeta. After studying at the conciliary seminary of Burgos, he joined the academy of Cádiz as a marine guard. He continued his studies in Ferrol, and took a series of courses in mathematics and astronomy, following which he taught at that academy. He later became one of the important figures in the elite of scientific officers belonging to the Spanish Enlightenment.
In 1787, during his career as a Ship’s Lieutenant, he played an important part in the expedition to the Magellan strait. In 1792, he left for America as a Frigate Captain during which time the maps of the West Indies were drawn, which would later earn international recognition.In the year 1801, when he was in Brest, he had a book published on military ordinance. During a visit to Paris, Napoleon Bonaparte gave him a valuable gift in recognition of his work.Hereturned to Mutriku in 1803, due to health problems, ad became Mayor of the town.
We owe the construction of the existing parish church to his enlightened thought. On October 21 1805, while in command of the San Juan de Nepomuceno, he died in the battle of Trafalgar after being hit in the leg by a cannon ball. His bravery during the battle was praised by all. |
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Well-known people from Orio:
· Gabriel De Hoa (s. XVII):
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Secretary to the Council of the Indies under King Felipe II, and mayor of Orio, he managed to raise 14,000 ducats for the construction of the port of Orio. |
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| · Anjel Lertxundi (1948): |
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Born in Orio (Gipuzkoa), in 1948 in the farmstead Andu, under which name he is known today. Lertxundi is a well-known and loved author, an exceptional and fecund writer.His contributions are not restricted to Basque literature, as he has also made great contributions to the whole of Euskaldun culture, as he is also a lecturer, journalist, script writer and cinema director. Lertxundi is a highly acclaimed writer, and currently one of the best prose writers in Basque literature, in addition to the fact that some of his latest works have been translated into Spanish (Las últimas sombras published by Seix Barral, Un final para Nora published by Alfaguara and El huésped de la noche published by Alberdania), he is also one of the clearest representatives of Basque literature in other cultural spheres in Spain. Lertxundi is without doubt an author to be admired and respected by future generations.We have been fortunate enough to be his contemporaries.
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| · Benito Lertxundi (1942): |
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Benito Lertxundi is one of the greatest musicians and singers in the Basque Country. He is a true bard, an epic-lyric poet, half Basque and half Celtic. In addition to being the best-known person from Orio in the field of music, he is also one of the most important Basque musicians of all times. A bard, born in the wrong century, with an impressive a sensitive spirit, a creator of special depths, Benito Lertxundi launched seven singles from 1967 to 1969 (which were later compiled in his first LP).Even then, it was clear that this was just the beginning of a successful career as a singer. Benito Lertxundi later became what is probably the greatest protagonist of new Basque music. Between the years 1969 and 1971 he was forbidden to sing in Gipuzkoa and Biscay, butLertxundi did not give up;on the contrary, no-one was able to stop him.In 1973 his second record, Oro laño mee batek, was launched, based on a series of poems by Lizardi (a cultured poet, and renovator of Basque poetry from the beginning of the 20th century). The following year he launched a record with songs by Zuberoa (a region in the French BasqueCountry) ...eta maita herria, ükhen dezadan plazera, followed by Zuberoa-Askatasunaren Semeei (1977), Altabizkar (1985) Itzaltzuko bardoari (1981), Gaueko ele ixilen balada (1985), Mauleko bidean... izatearen mugagabean (1987), Pazko gaierdi ondua (1989), Hunkidura Kuttunak (1993), Hunkidura Kuttunak (1994), Hitaz oroit (1996)... Zuberoa and the ancient songs of Zuberoa were especially attractive for Benito Lertxundi, and the singer also had a weakness for Celtic music. Benito has reinterpreted the treasures left by his ancestors and also cultivated new Celtic trends. This composer from Orio is a bridge between tradition and modern times.Three generations have acclaimed the lyricism and voice of this 21st century troubadour from the Basque Country.
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| · Jorge Oteiza (1908 –2003): |
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There is no doubt that Oteiza was one of the greatest sculptors ever to exist in the Basque Country. His work is known and acclaimed internationally, and Oteiza himself was a creative genius, a man with an exuberant and exceptional character.As occurred with many great artists, for many years, Oteiza’s work was misinterpreted or simply not understood.Perhaps this was due to the depth and great hidden meaning in his metaphysical work: space, time, God, Nihilism...are all key concepts in the works of this great artist.The artistic proposal made by Oteiza had little to do with the modernisation of Basque culture and his contributions were of vital importance, especially in terms of sculpture.Although he was also poet, in which facet can be seen his extraordinary personality and forceful character, sculpture was the field that brought him international fame. Oteiza was not a figurative sculptor, but emptied the stone.The area occupied by space was of great importance in his work. The foundations of Oteiza’s work are in Orio. The beach of Orio was where the sculptor discovered the importance of space. Space as protective space, as a place that afforded protection against fear and death… Oteiza used this idea as a basis for his thought and works. During his childhood, he used to lie face upwards on the beach in Orio, in the spaces left by the carts passing by, searching for sand; while lying there, he would gaze at the sky to discover the protective void. Looking from the depths of that void, he was able to perceive the sacred sky; from that dark void he saw the light of God.This is why Oteiza once declared that all aesthetic experiences are religious, in addition to his stressing the importance of circular and empty Cromlechs, and why Oteiza decided to empty stone, in a search for the sculpture hidden inside it. Jorge Oteiza died on April 9, 2003.
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| · Aita Lertxundi (1836-1896): |
A Franciscan monk who went to Morocco as a missionary.He wrote the first Spanish-Arabic grammar text book. |
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| · Juan Zaragueta Bengoetxea (1883-1974): |
A theologist and academic of the Royal Academy of Ethical and Political Sciences. |
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| · Victor Embil: |
Born in Orio in 1868, and a famous Basque rural sportsman, whose bust was sculpted by Jorge Oteiza and is exhibited in the historic centre of Orio. |
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Well-known people from Pasaia:
· Blas de Lezo (1689– 1741):
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The wooden-legged Admiral Blas de Lezo, General of the Armada, was born in Pasaia (Gipuzkoa), in 1689. He joined the navy as a marine guard in 1701 and in 1704, during the War of the Spanish Succession, entered into combat as a member of the French squadron, fighting the British and Dutch forces opposite the port of Vélez Málaga, in which he lost his left leg after being hit by a cannon ball.He showed such bravery during this terrible ordeal, that he earned the praise of the Admiral himself.He also took part in defending the Castillo de Santa Catalina in Tolón, where he lost his left eye. In 1713 he was promoted to Ship’s Captain and one year later, sent to the second siege of Barcelona where he lost his right arm. In 1732, as Chief of the Naval Squadron of the Mediterranean, on board the Santiago, he went on an expedition to Oran, with 54 ships and 30,000 men under his command, Oran was capturedbut Bay Hassan reorganised his troops and besieged the city, placing it in grave danger. He then patrolled those seas for many months, to stop the Algerians from finding reinforcements from Constantinople ntil an epidemic forced him to return to Cádiz. In 1734 the King rewarded him for his services by promoting him to General of the Armada. In 1737 he returned to America on the ships Fuerte and Conquistador and was designated Commander-General of Cartagena de Indias, which he defended from the attacks of the British Admiral Sir Edward Vernon, a time of great glory for the Spanish Armada.
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| · José Joaquín de Ferrer y Cafranga (1763 – 1818): |
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Located opposite the wharf of San Pedro, the house of the Ferrer family forms a part of the elements to be found in different places of the town in relation to this family from Pasaia. José Joaquín de Ferrer y Cafranga was born in that house, and died in Bilbao in 1818. He lived during the last period ofsplendour in colonial trading, which was based in the port of Pasajes during the 18th century.As many other men from Guipuzcoa, during the decade of 1770 he embarked when a young man on one of the ships of the Real Compañía Guipuzcoana of Caracas, that was based in the port of Pasaia.However, his ship was captured and the crew and passengers taken to England. But, through the influence of his family, who owned an establishment in London, his time as a captive was transformed into a fecund period of training during which he showed his aptitude for mathematics and astronomyHis scientific education, acquired in America through taking different astronomical measurements, earned him recognition as a member of the Philosophical Association of the United States, where he lived during the first decade of the 19th century.At the end of the War of Independence against Napoleon, he returned to Europe and at the end of 1814 worked in the observatory of Cádiz, preparing geographical statistics on Spain which earned him international fame, and the title “the Spanish astronomer”.
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| · Joaquín María de Ferrer (1777-1861): |
The younger brother of the above, who was born in Pasaia in 1777 and died in Santa Águeda (Gipuzkoa) in 1861. Like his brother, he started his career associated to the trading activities of his family and also, like his older brother, had the chance to study in London. At the age of thirty, he was an active trader in America and worked to combat the invasion of Napoleon, being one of the repatriated persons who joined those responsible for setting up the liberal regime. He was elected MP for Gipuzkoa in the Court that reigned during the Trienio Liberal (1821-1823). Following the return to absolutism under Fernando VII, he was exiled in Paris.He returned to Spain immediately after the outbreak of the First Carlist War and was one of the principal leaders of the liberal cause; he was again elected MP for Gipuzkoa in 1837, and was one of the founders of the Constitution of1837, and collaborated with Espartero upon his coming to power in Madrid. He was mayor of Madrid in 1840 and later Minister of State. In local circles, he carried out certain initiatives to improve the port ofPasaia. In around 1850 he took part in founding the lead smelting factory of the Real Compañía Asturiana de Minas, a multinational company managed by Belgian industrialists, which was built on the former site of the Capuchins Convent in Errenteria, which was demolished during the Carlist war.This was one of the first and most important industrial initiatives in this port. He built Villa Salinas, on the site where the NauticalSchool stands today, on one of the walls of which still remains the coat-of-arms of this family.
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| · Paco Rabanne (1934): |
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Paco Rabanne or Francisco Rabaneda (his real name) was born in Trintxerpe (Pasaia) in 1934, to an Andalusian father and Basque mother.When he was a child, his father (head of the Republican army) was shot during the Spanish Civil War. Afterwards, he fled to Francetogether with his grandmother and brother. During the four years of German occupation, the family remained hidden in Brittany where Rabanne lived until the age of sixteen. His passion for fashion came from his mother, who had worked as a seamstress in the workshop of the designer Balenciaga in Donostia-San Sebastián. After finishing his studies in Architecture, he started to design costume jewellery, after which he began designing clothes. He worked in this field and finally becameone of the most important fashion designers in the world. Coco Chanel called him the metallurgist. Guided by a silver thread, this iron man of haute couture launched his first experimental outfits in 1964, made of contemporary materials. The inventor of chain mail in the 60s became a figure of reference for many designers, based on his models made of metal and his dresses made of paper. Almost thirty years afterwards, in his workshop and laboratory, he continued to use plastic, metal and his faith in the future. His favourite instruments are, apart from the pencil, pliers and a blowtorch. His muse is none other than the Joan of Arc of the 2000: a women who fights to dominate men in an amazing manner. After receiving many honours and distinctions, and organised fashion shows all over the world, he is included as a fashion designers-conceiver.The most important thing for him is creating volumes, unique models designed as moving objects in space:“picnic” outfits adorned with plastic cutlery, boleros made of bottle necks, tunics made with articulated plates. His name is engraved in silver letters for all the world to see, on 140 licences. Rabanne is famed as a mystic and is an extremely reserved, sensitive person who likes to delve deeply into the most transcendental and philosophical aspects of life.
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Well-known people from Zumaia:
· Angeles Sorazu (1873-1921):
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She was born into a family of fishermen from Zumaia and is considered a writer.Angeles Sorazu (1873-1921) was also beatified in Rome by Pope John Paul the Second.At age 19, she entered a Franciscan convent, where she wrote the mystic works entitled “La vida espiritual coronada por la triple manifestación de Jesucristo», and the biography «Vida de la Reverenda Madre Ángeles Sorazu», among others, which were published after her death. |
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| · Baltasar de Etxabe (1540-1620): |
Baltasar Etxabe was a writer, man of law and artist, who was born in Oikia.He was known as “El viejo” (the elder), and was the father of the artist Baltasar Etxabe «El joven» (the son). His works include the book «Los discursos de la antigüedad de la lengua cántabro-vascongada», printed in Mexico in 1607. With respect to his artistic works, we should mention that he was responsible for creating the Schoolof Painting in Mexico. The most important works of this famous person from Zumaia include the altarpiece of the church of Tlatelolco and “La oración de huerto” which is exhibited in the Fine Arts Academy of Mexico.
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| · Bonifazio Etxegarai (1878-1956): |
Bonifazio Etxegarai (1878-1956) was a reputed man of law, and also a member of the Academy of the Basque Language (substituting his brother Karmelo in Euskaltzaindia).He published several works on the Basque language, the history of the Basque Country and ethnography, both in Basque and Spanish. He also published many short stories, descriptions and the first roughoutlines of a novel entitled «Aquí fue la Arcadia».
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| · Elbira Zipitria (1906 – 1982): |
Elbira Zipitria was born in Zumaia on May 28 1906. She studied as a teacher in the Teresian School of San Sebastián and soon started teaching in San Sebastián. When the Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936, she was forced to stop working in the Ikastola de los Muñoas in San Sebastián. Elbira Zipitria then took refuge in Sara, in the French Basque Country.However, she soon returned to San Sebastián. In 1942 she created the first Ikastolas (which means a school organised under its own governance, in the Basque language) and began teaching in the house of the Arriola family in calle Prim. She later continued his teaching activity in the house of the Goenaga faily in calle Urbieta. Since that time, and during the last few years of the Franco regime, she taught on the second floor of calle Fermín Calbetón nº 26, until finally starting to teach at the Ikastola Orixe. Elbira Zipitria was a founder member of Ikastola Orixe and also collaborated in setting up Ikastola Urumea in Hernani. She dedicated 50 years of her life to teaching Basque, working not only with children, since the andereño (school mistress) Zipitria also organised Night School classes for teaching Basque to Basque-speakers citizens (a person who understands and speaks Basque). She was responsible for a great step forwards in the teaching of Basque: when teaching the Basque verbs, she left out words from non-Basque grammar and used the “nor-nori-nork” system for the first time.
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| · Julio Beobide (1891-1969): |
Julio Beobide was born in Zumaia in 1891, and died in 1969. His life was dedicated to sculpting which he always did in a very personal fashion.Most of life was spent in Zumaia and he is the best known artist from Zumaia outside his birthplace. He can be classified as the generation of Basque artists who were born at the end of the 19th century. This is the generation that existed during the Civil War, and among its most important characteristics is what is known as traditional realism. Beobide thus worked using popular Basque figures and religious motifs.In selecting his themes, he chose the essence of shapes in vogue at the start of the century, without using any decorative elements.For this reason, his sculptures are simple and basic, often renewing the traditional reality of images, and exaggerating the forms of expression (for example, his Christs). Although he worked with different materials, he preferred wood, and was, in fact working with this material at the time of his death, leaving his image of the dead Christ unfinished. His studio, the house known as Kresala, has been converted into a museum, and here one can see some of the works by this artist from Zumaia, who was a member of the San Fernando Academy of Fine Arts. |
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| · Mendaro the sailor: |
Juan Martínez de Mendaro, or Mendaro the sailor, as he is called, was a commander in the battle of Gibraltar in 1475, which he won. He led the combat from the ship “La Zumaya”, but despite winning the battle, he lost his son. In memory of the event, Mendaro offered the parish a painted board, on the lower part of which was painted a combat at sea.This was the first of its type depicting that kind of scene. The top part shows the enthroned Virgin, accompanied by Saint Peter and Saint Catherine. |
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| · Juan Mari Zubia (1809-1866): |
Juan Mari Zubia was born in Zumaia on March 15, 1809. At the age of nine, his father taught him to fish, and took him out to sea. From the age of 21 and until he was 40, he crossed the Atlantic on a great many occasions, after which he started up a fishing business in San Sebastián.On July 13 1861, the boat San José of San Sebastián was sunk.Mari and another nine men managed to rescue three of the seven oarsmen alive, but one died on their way back to port. On January 9 1866, another strong gust of wind sank two boats in Getaria, one at the entry to the port of Pasajes and the other overturned while attempting to enter the port of San Sebastián. Mari immediately went out to save the fishermen, but his boat was sunk by the strong waves on his way out. Mari and another 37 men disappeared at sea. Two monuments were erected in commemoration of Mari, one at the end of calle Mari de Zumaia and the other in the dock of San Sebastián. |
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| · Julene Azpeitia (1888 – 1980): |
Julene Azpeitia did a lot to support Basque culture. She was a highly committed school teacher, and in 1988 several short stories, novels and books she had written on the study of the Basque language, and for which she had won several prizes, were published. |
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Well known people from Bermeo:
· Juan de Acurio:
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In 1526 a man from Bermeo named Juan de Acurio enlisted as a boatswain for the expedition to the Moluccas isles in Indonesia.This adventure in which the polemical explorer Magallanes intended to prove that a short-cut to the East Indies existed. Although he achieved his aim, he never completed the return journey in the same way as most of the crew of 265 forming part of the expedition. Juan Sebastián Elcano arrived, leading the eighteen men who succeeded in sailing around the world, one of whom was Juan de Acurio.
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| · Nestor Basterretxea (1924- ): |
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The sculptor, painter, cinemadirector and designer Nestor Basterretxea was born in Bermeo in 1924. He is a very complete artist and one of the greatest names in contemporary Basque and universal art. He was exiled in 1936, and lived in France for 5 years, and for 11 years in Argentina.Upon his return, he won the contract for painting the murals in the crypt of the new Basílica de Aranzazu. He was selected for participating in the Venice Biennial and theBiennial of Sao Paulo, Brazil. He is the joint founder of the experimental art group "Equipo 57", and the "Gaur" group of painters and sculptors that were pioneers of the new Basque school.He is also well known as a cinema director and famous for his work Ama Lur, a film that gave riseto modern cinema in the Basque Country. His many sculptures include the "Serie Cosmogónica", made in oak, on the subject of popular deities of the archaic Basque cosmogony, and the sculpture and symbol of the Basque Parliament. At the present time, thirty of his sculptures are displayed in public places in Spain, Argentina, the United States. He was artistic adviser to the Department of Culture in the Basque Government, among other posts, and also President of the San Sebastián FilmFestival, and is a member of the San Fernando School of Fine Arts.He ha earned the recognition of his fellow countrymen by being designated favoured son of Bermeo. He currently lives in Hondarribia, Gipuzkoa.
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