Elgoibar | |
|---|---|
 Town hall of Elgoibar | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Elgoibar Location of Elgoibar within the Basque Country  Elgoibar Elgoibar (Spain) | |
| Coordinates: 43°12′51″N 02°25′01″W / 43.21417°N 2.41694°W | |
| Country | Spain |
| Autonomous community | Basque Country |
| Province | Gipuzkoa |
| Comarca | Debabarrena |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Maialen Gurrutxaga (PNV) |
| Area | |
| • Land | 39.11 km2 (15.10 sq mi) |
| Population (2018)[1] | |
| • Total | 11,582 |
| • Density | 292.46/km2 (757.5/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 20870 |
| Area code | 34 (Spain) + 943 (Gipuzkoa) |
Elgoibar (Spanish: Elgóibar) is an industrial town located in the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, northern Spain. Located in a valley, it is traversed by the Deba river. Elgoibar is nicknamed the "capital city of the Machine tool".
Originally the town was called Villamayor de Marquina, but it had been founded in a place called before Elgoibar field. The town came to be known by this name a few centuries of its foundation. Until the mid-15th century it appears in the documentation as Villamayor de Marquina, but in the statutes of the Brotherhood of Gipuzkoa of 1457 and 1463 years appears with the Elgoibar name and it has prevailed until today. Elgoibar name has been used in Spanish and in Basque in order to refer to the small town. The only difference is that in Spanish the name Elgoibar has an accent mark above its "o".
Elgoibar etymologically comes from the Basque language and is possibly composed of the word elge (meaning "field", usually cultivated), and iba - a word which means "valley" or "plain". Therefore, "elge ibar" would be a similar term to "vega" or "a cultivated field". This etymology would fit quite well with the mention of Elgoibar field that appears in the settlement charter of the town.
- ^ Municipal Register of Spain 2018. National Statistics Institute.