Parzonería de Iturrieta Iturrietako partzuergoa | |
|---|---|
Parzonería | |
  Iturrieta Location of within the Basque Country Show map of Álava Iturrieta Iturrieta (the Basque Country) Show map of the Basque Country Iturrieta Iturrieta (Spain) Show map of Spain | |
| Coordinates:42°47′36″N2°20′40″W / 42.79333°N 2.34444°W /42.79333; -2.34444 | |
| Country | Spain |
| Autonomous community | Basque Country |
| Province | Álava |
| Comarca | Montaña Alavesa |
| Area | |
• Total | 10.64 km2 (4.11 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 987 m (3,238 ft) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Official language(s) | Basque Spanish |
Iturrieta (Basque pronunciation:[ituri.eta],Spanish pronunciation:[ituˈrjeta]) is anexperimental farm inÁlava,Basque Country,Spain. It is located within theParzonería de Iturrieta (Basque:Iturrietako partzuergoa), acommon land managed by neighboring villages.
The name is composed ofiturri, the Basque word for "spring" or "source"; plus the common toponymic suffix-eta.[2] Thus, the placename literally means "place with fountains" or "the fountains".[3]
The area has a large number of prehistoricmegalithic monuments,[4] but their dating is uncertain.[5]
The first mention of Iturrieta was in 1563. By that time, the village was alreadyabandoned, with its lands and St. Mary's chapel (the former parish church) managed jointly by the neighboring villages ofSalvatierra,San Vicente de Arana,Kontrasta,Ullíbarri-Arana,Alda,Onraita andRóitegui.[6]
On 27 May 1803, the authorities ordered the demolition of the chapel. The image it housed was first moved to the nearbySanta Teodosia chapel. Only two years later, in 1805, the neighboring villages decided to draw the image among themselves in order to avoid potential disputes. The hamlet of Onraita was selected, where the image still remains.[6]
In 1933, during theSecond Spanish Republic, the government taskedJosé María Díaz de Mendívil with devising a plan to improve the agricultural output of the province. A plot of land in theParzonería de Iturrieta was selected as the location of theEstación de la Mejora de la Patata (Spanish for 'Station for the Improvement of the Potato'), commonly known as theGranja de Iturrieta (Spanish for 'Iturrieta Farm').[7] The location was chosen due to its high altitude, which makes the risk of viruses infecting the cultivars less likely.[8]
The project was resumed after thecivil war, with the currently existing chapel starting construction in 1946[9] and the farm starting operations in 1948.[10] TheMonumento al Patatero was built next to the chapel in 1984.[8]
As of 2022, the farm is operated by NEIKER, an organism of theBasque Government dedicated to research inagronomy.[10] Iturrieta is also the site of small observatory operated by theSociedad Astronómica de Álava[11] withMPC code J44.[12]
TheParzonería de Iturrieta is acommon land, conterminous with themonte de utilidad pública [es] 608. It is shared by the municipality ofSalvatierra and theconcejos ofAlda,Kontrasta,San Vicente de Arana,Ullíbarri-Arana,Róitegui andOnraita.[13] Its territory isunincorporated, not being part of any municipality. Despite often being shown in maps as part of the neighboringParzonería de Entzia (another common land), it is a different entity.[1]