Nanclares de la Oca facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nanclares de la Oca / Langraiz Oka Nanclares de la Oca / Langraiz Oka
Village
Coat of arms
Nanclares de la Oca / Langraiz Oka Location in Basque Country Show map of Basque Country Nanclares de la Oca / Langraiz Oka Location in Spain Show map of Spain
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Basque Country
Province	Araba/Álava
Kuadrilla / Cuadrilla	Añana
Area
• Total	21.03 km2 (8.12 sq mi)
Elevation	501 m (1,644 ft)
Population  (2014)
• Total	2,281
• Density	108.46/km2 (280.92/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	nanclarino, -na langraiztarra
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	01230
Official language(s)	Spanish, Basque

Nanclares de la Oca in Spanish and Langraiz Oka in Basque, is a village located in the province of Álava, (Basque Country, Spain). It is also the seat of the municipality of Iruña de Oca and the most populated village of the region named Cuadrilla de Añana.

Until its merger with the municipality of Iruña in 1976, Nanclares de la Oca was a separate municipality which comprised the villages of Nanclares de la Oca, Montevite and Ollávarre.

The village is located in the western part of the Llanada Alavesa (plains of Álava), just about 12 kilometers far from the capital city of the Basque Country, Vitoria-Gasteiz.

History

First settlements and Roman Age

The first term related to Nanclares De La Oca was found in a Celtiberian stela which referred to the towns as "Langrares". Is for this reason, that experts think there were pre-Roman settlements in the area.

Roman ruins have also been found not just in Iruña-Veleia, an ancient city located near Nanclares, but also in some recent excavations made in Nanclares. The arrival of the Romans changed completely the style of life and turned Iruña Veleia and its surroundings into an important area.

The Middle Ages

There are data about several Templar settlements in The Middle Ages. The suffix "Oca" is thought to be related with the Templars, as they called the area where they lived "Tierra de la Oca", which means "The Land of Geese". Still, the origin is not certain.

The Village of Nanclares de la Oca is included in the Catalogue of Álava's Towns which is part of the Reja de San Millán, written in 1025. The village is mentioned as Alfoces Langrares. In the Middle Ages, an alfoz was the name given in the Iberian Peninsula to a territory which belonged to a villa and was divided in different councils; in this case the councils of Transponte, Adanna, Lermanda, Margarita, Suvillana, Quintaniella de Sursun, Billodas, Langrares, Oto, Mandoiana and Lopeggana.

Until the 19th century

During the Spanish Independence War there were many English soldiers near the village, especially in the Battle of Vitoria. The soldiers belonged to the fourth and light military divisions, which were under the order of Wellington. Besides, there were some British cavalry troops commanded by Robert Hill, Grant and Ponsonby; and a Portuguese one led by D'urban. Their mission was to wait in Nanclares de la Oca until Hill's troops conquered the heights of La Puebla; so that they could cross the Zadorra river and attack directly the rival.

The Carlist Wars did also take place in Nanclares. As a consequence, nowadays there are three castles (Almoreta, Vayagüen and El Encinal) in the surroundings.

In the second half of the century a spa, which was known as Bolen or Bolem, was built. It had a great success; moreover, it was catalogued as one of the bests in Europe. At the end of the 19th century, the spa fell in decline and had to be closed. Some years later, in 1914, La Mennais Brothers settled in the area, rebuilt and restore the spa, and turned the place into seminary, where future Brothers were indoctrinated. Nowadays, the building is a Secondary School called Colegio San José de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria.

20th and 21st centuries

Landscape

In the 20th century, the town grew considerably not just in length, but also in terms of population in consequence of the various migratory movements inside the Iberian Peninsula.

In the Spanish Civil War a concentration camp was built near the town. It was used during the war and in the post-war era; many republican prisoners were kept in there. In the early 1980s, it was remodeled and a jail was opened in its place.

In 2011 a new jail was built in San Miguel mountain. This one is much bigger and modern than the previous and is supposed to replace the old one.

Population

The first census dates of 1802, at that time there were only 47 people living in Nanclares. The following official census date of 1960: 1.164 people; 1970: 1.369; 1978: 1.531; 1981: 1.345.

From the year 2000 on, a census has been made every year.

Tourist places

Herriko Enparantza

Fuente de los Doce Caños

This square is located in the centre of the town, it is dominated by the fountain "Fuente de los 12 caños", built in 1901, and the ancient wash-house. From the square, a little stone bridge can be seen; a stream called El Torco goes under it, which turns into a waterfall in winter.

The three castles

Vayagüen Tower

These three small towers were built by the Isabelline army during the Carlist Wars in the 19th century. They were used to guard, communicate and defend the area. They are called: Vayagüen, Almoreta and El Encinal.

• Vayagüen: With an area of 115 square metres (1,240 sq ft) and a height of 7.5 metres (25 ft), is the biggest tower in Nanclares. It was used as an optic telegraph. It is located in the East, in front of the old jail.
• Almoreta: This small castle can be found in the south part of the town, behind the train tracks. This tower, which is the smallest one, just 70 square metres (750 sq ft), was used both as an optic telegraph and a fort. Nowadays it is a youth hostel.
• El Encinal: This tower is located in the Badaia Mountains, in the north of the town, and has an area of 94 square metres (1,010 sq ft).

El Calero

El Calero

El Calero was a lime oven built in 1850. It was a non-stop oven, since it was very high (15 m) and stones could be put inside the tower while the ones at the bottom were ready. The stones were heated at 1000°C and the process lasted a week. In 2013 El Calero was rebuilt, and now anyone can visit it.

See also

In Spanish: Nanclares de la Oca para niños