OTHER DISTRICTS

There are other places worth visiting in San Sebastián, but lack of space does not allow us to discuss them at length.

Aerial view of the city.

Parks and gardens are important in San Sebastián, where apart from the already mentioned Plaza de Gipuzkoa, Alderdi-Eder, and Miramar Park, there are others such as Cristina Enea Park, and Aiete Park; the latter belongs to the palace of the same name, which commands good views over the bay.

As for the different parts of the city, we have mentioned only the centre of San Sebastián, and the main buildings built between the end of the 19th century, and the beginning of the 20th century. But there are other distinctive districts, both in terms of their configuration and their location which, whilst having their centre in the Cortázar development, spread out radically towards the outskirsts.

Then, towards the south, we find the highly populated Amara district that links up with Loiola district, and the more distant district of Martutene.

Walking towards the east, there are the districts of Gros, Egia, Intxaurrondo, La Paz, Herrera, Altza and Trintxerpe.

Gros district deserves special attention. Built on dunes, it emerged from the early urban settlements, and developed late in the 19th century with Gogorza Plan, and from 1894 onwards, with the development designed by Tomás Gros, who gave his name to the district. Finally, the Kursaal Society rounded up the district by claiming land from the sea.

Built in 1905, Atotxa football ground is located in this district, not far from it is Cristina Enea Park, one of the most beautiful spots in San Sebastián, which has preserved the romantic atmosphere of the 19th century.

The last bullring called the Plaza del Chofre, now demolished, was located in Gros. Its name came from a farmhouse situated in the area, as well as from a fountain, which was famous at the time for the purity of its water.

Not far from the bullring was the old Hospital of Charity located on the grounds of Manteo House, stately home of the Oquendo, a family of illustrious seafarers. Built in the 17th century, the house is a good example of stately archi- tecture in Gipuzkoa. Donated to the City Council, it was, after its restoration, turned into a cultural centre.

Towards the west, we go through the districts of El Antiguo, Igara, Añorga and finally, like an enclave in Lasarte-Oria, we arrive in Zubieta. In the same direction, but a little higher-up, we come to Igeldo district, located close to the park of the same name.

To sum up, we can say that they are a group of well located districts which, even though they lack direct links among them in same cases, they do link up with the city centre, which is an exceptional example of town planning architecture in Gipuzkoa, and of course, the amusement and business centre of the people of San Sebastián.