Uribe Arrieta

Routes

Leisure

HISTORY

View of Arrieta

Arrieta is located on the boundary between the regions of Uribe and Busturialdea. It is one of the highest municipalities in our region, located high up on the slopes of Mount Sollube, one of the five symbolic mountains of the province of Bizkaia. From this mountain horns were blown to summon members of the General Councils of the Domain to their meetings. It is a landscape characterised by steep slopes and abundant streams that flow together to the south through the meadows that line the river Butrón.

Throughout its history, the inhabitants of Arrieta have built their farmhouses on these mountain slopes, grouped together in several hamlets or communities: Agirre, Jainko-Oleaga, Libao and Olatxua-Olabarri, which, in turn, are divided into small boroughs, with their own organisational and socio-economic traditions. The important role played by these hamlets in the life of Arrieta has remained virtually unaltered to our days.

The spectacular views from Arrieta span the regions of Uribe and Busturialdea and some of the most symbolic peaks in Bizkaia: Anboto, Oiz, Gorbeia… in a beautiful setting, with woods, meadows and farmhouses. Several hiking routes and four recreational areas (Sollube, Otzagarai, Jainko and Landaguren) invite you to discover every corner of the landscape of this municipality.

A major feature of the cultural heritage of Arrieta is its group of hamlets dating from the 16th to the 19th centuries, an ethnographic treasure that includes Uribaster, Arrietatxu, Uribe, Elorreta and Osinaga Aurrekoa, among others. The Olatxu watermill, still in operation, is a reminder of the importance of rural industries in our region.

In the hamlets of Libao and Jainko you will also find the churches of San Martín and Andra Mari and several other buildings and features of historical value. Of special interest is the ancient Pre-Christian stele of the church of Jainko, an artistic treasure dating from the first century BC.