Hondarribia under Francoism
III. Urban development in the postwar period (1941-1959)
In 1941, the former mayor of the Dictatorship, Francisco Sagarzazu, returned to office, where he remained until 1958. One of the most notable aspects of his return was the revival of the old urban plans of the Sociedad Progreso de Fuentarrabía. According to Eunate Beperet (Beperet, 2000), shortly before resuming the presidency, Sagarzazu consulted José Múgica, lawyer of the Sociedad Inmobiliaria Vascongada, regarding municipal lands at the Puntal de España. Múgica advised him to present to the council a proposal to “smoothly and quietly dismantle all the apparatus set up during the Republic with great fanfare,” that is, to return to the 1930 situation (Beperet, 2002: 158). He also recommended terminating municipal contracts with the Society, concerning land sales on the slopes of Jaizkibel and at the Puntal.
Once Sagarzazu gained control of the municipality and resolved the Sociedad Progreso de Fuentarrabía issue—all agreements adopted against the Society by the Republican council were revoked on February 5, 1942—an important phase of urban reorganization began. This period extended from 1944, with the inauguration of Plaza del Obispo, to 1963, when Mayor Fernández de Casadevante inaugurated the Murales de Beruete. This development has been widely studied by J.M. Susperregui (Susperregui, 1996). Below is an overview of the works carried out the 1940s and 1960s that transformed Hondarribia’s appearance under Franco.
Collaboration with architects and historical projects
To carry out these projects, Sagarzazu collaborated with the Guipuzcoan architect Pedro Muguruza Otaño, who, together with the Frenchman René Petit, authored the proposed Alfonso XIII International Bridge and the 1926 Puntal de España expansion project, both canceled in January 1931. After the war, Muguruza became Director General of Architecture and, in 1945, Commissioner for the reconstruction of Madrid, participating in the construction of the Valley of the Fallen.
The Muguruza-Sagarzazu collaboration made the mayor’s projects a reality. For instance, Plaza del Obispo, inaugurated in 1944, was first proposed in 1927, and the Murales de Beruete, completed in 1964, were based on ideas from 1914. In 1947, regarding the breakwater project by engineer Ramón Iribarren, Sagarzazu turned again to Muguruza after disagreements with Iribarren, although the final project was never uted.
Main urban works
Significant works include:
- “Azken Portu” fishermen’s neighborhood: built under the Cheap Housing Law of 1939, inaugurated in 1949 with Foreign Minister Alberto Martín Artajo present. Sagarzazu often invited Regime authorities; in 1943, the Minister of Education attended the Plaza del Obispo inauguration.
- Statue of Saint John of God (1947): located on the roundabout connecting Sabino Arana and Lapurdi streets.
- Madrid Park: intended to connect the expansion with the Old Town, inaugurated in 1955. Conflicts with René Petit, landowner, were resolved with the construction of an access ramp.
Collaboration with artists
Sculptor José Díaz Bueno created:
- Plaza del Obispo sculptures (1944)
- Saint John of God statue (1947)
- Newfoundland Whalers reliefs (1954)
- Madrid Park sculptural ensemble (1955)
- Murales de Beruete (1964)
The Sagarzazu-Díaz Bueno-Muguruza trio was largely responsible for Hondarribia’s urban appearance until the late 20th century.
Plans and urban reforms
Other notable initiatives under Sagarzazu:
- Fuentarrabía Zoning Plan and Old Town Reform Plan (1951), replacing the 1927 plan by Gutiérrez Soto and Cánovas del Castillo, which the mayor disliked.
- Participation of architect and future minister José Luis Arrese in projects such as the rehabilitation of Miramar Building and Pampinot Street.
- Inauguration in 1948 of the Carlos V Castle Hotel, started in 1929 and halted in 1941.
Sagarzazu summarized his philosophy in an interview in La Voz de España on April 7, 1943: the mayor must “even with his technicians, be in love with architecture and gardening, devote himself to the common good, even sacrificing private interest.”
Hondarribia owes much of its current appearance to Sagarzazu, who also opposed industrial installations in the municipality. His image remains in the niche of the Fishermen’s Guild Arch, and in 1968, his bust was placed in the Council Hall in tribute.
Sources et bibliographie
- Archivo de la Presidencia del Gobierno (A.P.G.)
- Archivo General de la Administración (A.G.A.)
- Archivo Municipal de Hondarribia (A.M.H.)
- Beperet Olaberri, Eunate: Incidencia de la II República en Hondarribia, Ayuntamiento de Hondarribia, Trabajo inédito.
- Jiménez de Aberasturi, Juan Carlos: De la derrota a la esperanza. Políticas vascas durante la II Guerra Mundial (1937-1947), I.V.A.P., Oñate, 1999.
- Morente Valero, Francisco: La Escuela y el Estado Nuevo. La depuración del Magisterio Nacional (1936-1943), Ámbito, Valladolid, 1997.
- Portu, Florentino: Hondarribia: Notas históricas y curiosidades hasta 1969, Ayuntamiento de Hondarribia, 1989.
- Rodríguez Álvarez, Mikel: Maquis. La guerrilla vasca, 1938-1962, Ed. Txalaparta, Tafalla, 2001.
- Sáinz de los Terreros, Ramón: Horas críticas. Cómo se desarrolló el movimiento revolucionario en las orillas del Bidasoa, Burgos, 1937.
- Susperregui, J.M.: Crónica monumental de Fuenterrabía, Siglo XX, Ed. Luma, Donostia-San Sebastián, 1996.