Entrambasaguas

Entrambasaguas is one of 102 Cantabrian municipalities. It is located in the Trasmiera region (tras Miera, meaning behind the River Miera), 25 km southeast of the bay of Santander. Adjacent municipalities are Ribamontán del Monte, Marina de Cudeyo, Medio Cudeyo, Riotuerto and Solórzano.

Entrambasaguas consists of six towns, namely Entrambasaguas (proper), El Bosque, Navajeda, Puente Aguero, Hornedo, Hoznayo and Santa Marina, which extend over an area of 43.2 km².[3]

Old iron mineral mine in Monte Vizmaya, Cantabria.

Entrambasaguas lies in the southern arc of the Bay of Santander and has a smooth topography. Two rivers, the Miera River and its tributary the Aguanaz, flow through its traditionally rural landscape of moderately high mountains and patches of woodland and cow pasture. Mount Vizmaya forms the gentle relief of Entrambasaguas; it is a 249 meter high rugged limestone massif with various caves and the vestiges of a Cantabrian castle serving as a vantage point at its peak. There are remains of 19th century iron mining and lime kilns from mining of limestone.[4]

The Miera is one of the main rivers of Cantabria and has been declared a 'site of community importance' for being a natural area that helps preserve habitats and endangered species. The Miera has fishing reserves and originates in the portillo de lunada (lit.: halfmoon passage). After passing through San Roque de Riomiera it disappears from the surface, embedded in rough limestone slopes up to the town of Liérganes, where it resurfaces again. After passing through La Cavada and the landscape of the Trasmiera, it ends its course in the ría de Cubas, leading to the Bay of Santander. The Aguanaz is also born by a karstic spring located in the district of San Antonio, which after crossing Entrambasaguas and Hoznayo passes through the natural bridge of the Fuente del Francés joining the Miera River in Villaverde de Pontones.[4]

Entrambasaguas has several communal mountain forests of eucalyptus and native species for logging. The forests also contain oaks, beeches and birches, pine trees and a barberry shrub (arbusto espinosa) used in homeopathy, with fruits that are edible when steamed. An otherwise rare tree species in Cantabria is the poisonous lluvia de oro (Laburnum anagyroides, lit.: "rain of gold"), with its name-giving yellow flowers. The municipality has a communal hunting ground with rabbits, deer and wild boar. Though there are no actual mountain routes, there are field paths up and around Mount Vizmaya and through the villages.[4]

Past economic activities in Entrambasaguas define a good part of its cultural heritage, and are directly related to the rivers that run through them. The Spa at the Fuente del Francés, the many water mills, and the Max milk powder factory owe their existence to the river Aguanaz.

The spa at the Fuente del Francés opened at the end of the 1870s. The Hotel and bath house were built within a forest. In 1891 the Spa sprouted water from four thermal springs at 23 degrees Celsius, which was alkaline, rich in sodium chloride and bicarbonate, and was named Dela Virgen, de los Remedios, Santa Lucia, Dela Grotto and San Roque, respectively. In the 1890s the spa began to decline. As of 2016, a mill from the lock, and one of two mills that were part of the Fuente were in good condition and part of the 2001 general inventory of cultural heritage of Cantabria. Another mill, La Tejera, was added to the inventory in February 2003.[9]

A total of 23 water mills once operated in Entrambasaguas. The high number and strong social significance of mills is reflected in the official coat of arms with three water wheels. The mills stood on the river Aguanaz, and to a lesser extent on the Miera River. Historical documents indicate that the flow of these rivers was generally sufficient to keep them active during droughts when other nearby mills stopped, which brought business to Entrambasaguas. The mills were small, with one, two or three wheels; some belonged to the community while others were private and sold milling days to whoever wished to use them at a certain time.[9] Of the 23 original mills, 14 remain on the river Aguanaz, none of them active. bearing witness of an era in which mills were regulated, such as umpiring water use outside the main channels, prescribing minimum distances between them, prohibiting excessive water use that could lead to shortages or contamination of drinking water which the community depended on. Ordinances also established marital quotas for millers and gave them moral recommendations on conduct.[10]

A former milk powder factory, (fábrica de productos dietéticos Max) still stands in San Antonio, a district of the town of Entrambasagas. It is an example of industrial architecture built in the rationalist style of the 1930s. It was built by Maximilian Berlowitz Feinstein (1882), a German pharmacist who graduated from the University of Würzburg, and successfully established himself in Spain. In 1935, the Ministry of Industry and Trade asked him to build the factory, as Spain had to import milk powder at the time. Berlowitz chose Entrambasaguas as a location for the new factory because it had cows, good forage, and the water of the river Aguanaz, which was not only clean but also had the right temperature. As of 2016, the factory houses a center of environmental education for children.[9]

The Puente Agüero bridge over the Miera river, built in the Middle Ages, was key for East-West travel; its present state is from 1737, as restored in 2001.[9]

Two palaces in Entrambasaguas from the 17th and the 18th century have been declared "assets of cultural interest" as historical monuments: the Renaissance Palace of Acebedo of Hoznayo and the Palace of Fernández de Velasco.[9]

In 2007, several portals were included in the general inventory of the cultural heritage of Cantabria: those in the Carasa Arredondo and Sierra neighborhood in Hoznayo; those of Pezuela, Ocina, and Arenas in Entrambasaguas proper; and those of the Palace of Navajeda and of the Tigu(n)din neighborhood in Hornedo. Of these, Carasa Arredondo from around 1680 stands out as one of the most remarkable examples of art stonework in Entrambasaguas. Like the San Martin house in Ocina, it is unique for its early introduction of Baroque work.[9]

• via the federal highway system either on the autovía from Bilbao, exit 194 in Hoznayo (A8) or from Santander, exit 197 Hoznayo (between kilometer 195 and 198), which connects to N-634, CA-146 and CA-423.
• through the national highway network N-634, (between kilometer 194 and 198) corresponding with Alto de Marín crossing the river Miera.
• in combination with the network of regional conventional roads, the "Carreteras de Cantabria":CA-146: Hoznayo - Galizano, CA-161: Solares - La Cavada[13]
• A dense network of roads between Navajeda and Entrambasaguas connects with Riotuerto and the road to Alisas,[4] as well as CA-422: Orejo - Villaverde de Pontones, CA-423: Fuente del Francés - Villaverde de Pontones, CA-424: Hoznayo - Villaverde de Pontones, CA-651: Alto Marín - La Cavada, CA-652: Hoznayo - Riaño.

As of 2016 a FEVE train from Santander to Lierganes stops in nearby Solares.[14]

As of 2016, the nearest ALSA stop for the municipality of Entrambasaguas is in Solares. A bus on the thoroughway to Santander for example stops every 60 minutes.[15]