Description
Historic port in the Spanish Basque Country, with diversified activity including fishing (whale, cod), shipbuilding, trade, and privateering. Controlled the neighboring port of Pasaia for centuries.
Year of Foundation or Oldest Source
Maritime activity documented since the Middle Ages.
Country (State or Region)
Spain (Basque Country)
Location
San Sebastián / Donostia and Pasaia, Gipuzkoa, on the coast of the Bay of Biscay.
Structuring
Natural port in La Concha Bay and the Pasaia estuary. The port complex included both localities. It had shipyards and infrastructure for fishing and trade.
Notes
Strong maritime tradition encompassing various activities. Controlled the port of Pasaia until the early 19th century. Disputed wool exports with Bilbao and Deva in the late 16th century. The intrinsic relationship with the sea shaped the cultural identity and urban Landscape of the region.
Sources
OJEDA SAN MIGUEL, Ramón. El comercio marítimo de la villa de Bilbao en el comercio cantábrico del siglo XVI. Bidebarrieta, n. 26, p. 151-173, 2015.; UNSAIN, José María. Naufragios en la costa vasca. Donostia-San Sebastián: Untzi Museoa, 2012.; VIVAS ZIARRUSTA, I.; LEKERIKABEASKOA GAZTAÑAGA, A. Una ciudad marítima: Donostia-San Sebastián. [s.d.].
