The Government has started the file to designate the Herri Antzokia as a monument in Ordizia

Andoni Iturbe Amorebieta, Vice-Minister of Culture of the Basque Government, has initiated the file to designate the Herri Antzokia as a monument and has opened it for public information and hearings for interested parties. He proposes to recognize the building located at number 9 Etxezarreta street in Ordizia (Gipuzkoa) as a Cultural Asset of Special Protection, under the Monument category. The resolution is dated September 15, 2026, and was published in the Official Gazette of the Basque Country (BOPV) on October 15, 2026, in issue number 197, with official reference 2026/4309.

The Basque Government has exclusive competence in the field of Cultural Heritage, under the protection of Article 148.1.16 of the Constitution and Article 10.19 of the Statute of Autonomy. The regulation applicable in this field is Ley 6/2019, de 9 de mayo, de Patrimonio Cultural Vasco, which regulates the designation procedures for assets of cultural interest in the Basque Autonomous Community. The file was initiated as a result of the resolution proposal presented by the technical services of the CAPV Center for Basque Cultural Heritage, and the process was managed by the Department of Culture and Language Policy.

The protection regime is applied immediately

The first section of the resolution decides to initiate the file, based on the limitation established in Annex I, the description contained in Annex II, and the special protection regime in Annex III. The initiation entails the immediate and provisional application of the special protection regime for the asset, as well as the general and specific regime provided by Law 6/2019 for assets of Special Protection.

The third section notifies the Ordizia City Council and the Department of Culture, Cooperation, Youth and Sports and the Department of Mobility, Tourism and Territorial Planning of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa that the initiation of the procedure results in a prohibition on granting subdivision, construction, or renovation licenses in the protected areas, as well as the suspension of those already granted. In any case, works that must be carried out immediately will require the authorization of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa.

The period for submitting allegations is twenty days

The second section opens the period for public information. From the day following the publication of the resolution in the BOPV gazette, allegations and appropriate documentation may be submitted within a period of twenty days, as provided for in Articles 82 and 83 of Ley 39/2015, de 1 de octubre, del Procedimiento Administrativo Común de las Administraciones Públicas. The file is available for viewing at the CAPV Center for Basque Cultural Heritage, located at number 1 Donostia-San Sebastián street in Vitoria-Gasteiz.

The fifth section specifies the list of notifications:

• Ordizia City Council.
• Department of Culture, Cooperation, Youth and Sports and Department of Mobility, Tourism and Territorial Planning of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa.
• Department of Housing and Urban Agenda of the Basque Government.
• Fermin Suquia Goicoechea.

The sixth section orders the publication of the resolution in the BOPV journal and the Official Gazette of Gipuzkoa, for the knowledge of all.

From a cinema to becoming a monument

According to the description in Annex II, the building is located in the urban center of Ordizia, at number 9 Etxezarreta Street. Originally named the Echezarreta Cinema, it was projected in 1927 and inaugurated on November 10, 1928, within the context of the industrial peak and the expansion of cinema.

• The promoter was Juan José Echezarreta, a paper businessman from Legorreta.
• The project was designed in 1927 by the Ordizian architect Domingo Unanue, who was 26 years old; it was his first professional work.
• The initial capacity was more than 700 seats, divided between the patio and the amphitheater.
• The entire structure is made of reinforced concrete, with flat roofs and without ornamentation, according to the characteristics of rationalism.
• The current building is inserted into a slope of approximately 7.5 meters between Etxezarreta Street and Domingo Unanue Square.

Elements to be preserved and usage

The binding nature of the special protection regime in Annex III recognizes its prescriptions, and the urban, territorial, and environmental planning tools must be subordinated to it. It is specified that the primary use of the Herri Antzokia is dotational, and uses that damage the asset or go against its cultural values are not considered acceptable.

Among the elements to be preserved are the configuration of the building’s current volume, the composition of the facades, the reinforced concrete structural network, and the original internal distribution. Elements considered degrading include, among others, non-original PVC and aluminum carpentry, installations attached to the facades, and external elements not part of the original design. Interventions will require the authorization of the body with competence in the cultural area of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa.

Impact and next steps

The initiation provides immediate legal protection to the building, even before the appointment procedure is completed. This means that, in practice, demolition or changing the volume is prevented, and any intervention remains subject to the authorization of the Provincial Council. If the procedure progresses, the Herri Antzokia will be included in the catalog of cultural heritage of the Basque Autonomous Community as a Monument, which will bring permanent and binding protection.

Source: BOPV, issue 197, October 15, 2026, Other Provisions, pp. 1-13 (official reference: 2026/4309).