Llodio, Province of Álava, Basque Country, Spain

🇪🇸 Laudio/Llodio is a town and municipality located in the province of Álava, in the Basque Country, northern Spain. Laudio is the name in Basque language and Llodio in Spanish; both are used indistinctly.

History The historical origins of Llodio are not very clear. The oldest vestige of the town is the medieval bridge of Vitorica over the Nervión River, of which an arch remains. This bridge would have been part of the road that linked the Llanada Alavesa with the Roman port of Flaviobriga. It was rebuilt in the Middle Ages and almost completely changed. Part of its structure was damaged during the terrible floods of 1983.

The archaeological remains (hipocresacum) that demonstrate a Roman presence are reinforced by the theories of linguists who believe that the name of the valley is an evolution of the Latin name Claudius oClaudianus, which would have evolved over the years giving rise to the two names of the population: the Basque, Laudio, which is more similar to the Latin original; and romance, which Although the fact that the name may come from Falvio or Flavius, both extremes have been considered unconfirmed.

Geography and Demography Llodio is an important industrial centre located at 50 km NW from the provincial capital of Vitoria and at 20 km SE from Bilbao. It is the second municipality of Álava, in population. The municipality has an area of 37,56 km² and an Altitude: Minimum: 130 m, Maximum: 782 m.

Neighborhoods Llodio has six main neighborhoods: • Ugarte • Areta • Gardea • Landaluze • Arraño • Latiorro • Lamuza, zona centro

There are also several rural neighborhoods: • Isusi (Santa Lucía) • Larrazabal • Luja • Zabala • Galmaka.

Localities bordering The municipality borders the municipalities of Oquendo and Ayala, and the Biscayan municipalities of Arrancudiaga, Aracaldo and Orozco.

Sport The town has a local athletics club, Club de Atletismo de Laudio, which has its own track and field stadium (the Estadio Ellakuri). The club has hosted the Cross Internacional Valle de Llodio, an annual international cross country running event, since 1985.

Parish Church of San Pedro de Lamuza The church of San Pedro de Lamuza was built in the sixteenth century on an old temple of the sixteenth century. The building was later rebuilt, and the works lasted until the 18th century. Its bell tower and the sculptural images of its interior stand out. It is located in the Herriko Plaza, the town hall square, in the centre of the town.

Sanctuary of Santa María del Yermo The Sanctuary of Santa María del Yermo is located about 500 meters above sea level, on the slope of Mount Kamaraka, on a rocky promontory called Torrontegieta. It is popularly known as "Saint Lucia", for the devotion to the holy holder of a hermitage attached to the sanctuary.

The temple is a building of the S. XV in Gothic style (artistic style XII-XV centuries) advanced Basque. Its portico and the carvings and paintings of its altarpiece stand out. The bell tower is reminiscent of Italian bell towers.

City Hall Building and Herriko Plaza The Herriko Plaza has historically been the nerve centre of the town, since the entire life of the town was concentrated in the square. Next to the church of San Pedro de Lamuza, an annex building was built, which served as a town hall until 2001. It was on March 3 of that year when the new town hall, which is the service centre of the consistory, was inaugurated.

House-tower of Ugarte The house-tower of Ugarte, located in the neighborhood of the same name, is the only house-tower that remains standing today, of the ten that came to rise in Llodio. It was erected in the fifteenth century and consists of two townhouse bodies, one of which is known as "the palace". The tower has a square plan, consists of four floors and measures more than twelve meters.

Katuxa Palace It was built in the second half of the 18th century, on the remains of a tower house destroyed by a fire in 1779. Ordered to be built by Pedro Antonio de Ugarte, it stands out in its main ashlar facade, in the Baroque style and with a porch of two semicircular arches. On the facade you can see the coat of arms of the Ugarte family. It was declared a cultural good by the Basque Government in 2005.

Etxebarri Farmhouse This hamlet is located in Goikoplaza and dates back to 1575. The construction belongs to the group of hamlets with a flat facade without a doorway, with one-size-size poles, double housing, a short development in height and easel perpendicular to the main facade developing a moderate flight sustained by jabalcons. In 2011, the Etxebarri hamlet was designated as a Cultural Asset, with the category of monument, in the General Inventory of the Basque Cultural Heritage.

Anuntzibai Bridge The Anuntzibai bridge was built by the Marquis of Falces (Originally written as Falzes in 1741), the work of the architect Martín de Larrea y Leguerzana, in 1741. Ten years earlier, the Cantabrian stonemason Antonio de la Vega y Sarabia had made the traces of the bridge.

The bridge was built to connect the Marquis' house-tower, ironworks and mill, located on the right bank of the river, with the hermitage of San Miguel, located on the left bank. It has a length of 28 meters and a maximum width of 4.80 m. For the most part, it is built in limestone ashlars. The eye of the bridge reaches a height of 10.50 m. Its ashlar arch topped by an ordeal stands out.

Lamuza Park It is an extensive park of more than 8.5 hectares that stands out for the great richness and variety of trees it has. Among these you can note cedars, cypresses, araucarias, ltles, magnolias, fir trees, yews, sequoias, etc. All this constituted the old gardens of the estate of the Marquisate of Urquijo. There are currently 79 different tree species, including a Monterrey cypress, with 130 years of life and more than four meters of perimeter at its base, the red plums of Japan or the cedar of Lebanon.

The buildings of the palace and other dependencies house the House of Culture. The casino building, a pond and a stone pediment complete this frame.

Nestled in the heart of the town, which with such a whim and care was traced and cared for by its former owners, it is open to all visitors, converted into an extraordinary municipal park.

Transport: Road • AP-68: Highway that connects with Bilbao, Vitoria or Zaragoza and serves as a link to other state roads. • BI-625: Highway that connects Llodio with Orduña and Bilbao and also crosses regional towns such as Amurrio. • A3632: Regional road that connects Llodio with Oquendo, through the Port of Garate. • A4616: Regional road that connects Llodio with Oquendo, through Malkuartu.

Train Llodio has a train station with service on the following long-distance lines: • ARCO: Bilbao-Abando / Vigo • ALVIA: Bilbao-Abando / Madrid

Likewise, it has two stations on the C-3 line of Cercanías Renfe Bilbao: the aforementioned Llodio and Areta, in addition to the Santa Cruz de Llodio stop.

Transport: Bus In Llodio, the following bus lines, belonging to Bizkaibus and Álava Bus, pass (stop) • Bizkaibus (intercity)14 • A3613 Bilbao - Ugao-Miraballes - Orozco • A3641 Alto Nervión - Arrigorriaga - Hospital de Galdakao • Álava Bus (intercity)15 • Line 15 Llodio - Vitoria • Line 16 Ocondo - Llodio - Arciénaga

Transport: Air Although Llodio does not have its own airport, Bilbao airport is just 30 km away in the municipality of Loiu, which can be reached in just half an hour. Foronda airport, close to the capital of Álava, is 45 km away.