Berriz

{{Infobox settlement

| name = Berriz

| settlement_type = Municipality

| official_name =

| image_skyline = BerrizLegañotik.jpg

| image_alt =

| image_caption =

| image_flag = Berriz bandera.png

| image_shield = Escudo de Berriz.svg

| nickname =

| motto =

| image_map =

| map_caption =

| pushpin_map = Spain Basque Country#Spain

| pushpin_map_caption = Location of Berriz within the Basque Country##Location of Berriz within Spain

| subdivision_type = Country

| subdivision_name = Spain

| subdivision_type1 = Autonomous community

| subdivision_name1 = Basque Country

| subdivision_type2 = Province

| subdivision_name2 = Biscay

| subdivision_type3 = Comarca

| subdivision_name3 = Durangaldea

| seat_type =

| seat =

| coordinates = {{coord|43|10|33|N|2|34|32|W|region:ES_type:city|display=inline,title}}

| coordinates_footnotes =

| elevation_m = 192

| elevation_min_m =

| elevation_max_m =

| area_footnotes =

| area_total_km2 = 30.07

| established_title =

| established_date =

| population_as_of = {{Spain metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}

| population_footnotes = {{Spain metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes}}

| population_total = {{Spain metadata Wikidata|population_total}}

| population_demonym = Berritzarra

| population_note =

| population_density_km2 = auto

| timezone = CET

| utc_offset = +1

| timezone_DST = CEST

| utc_offset_DST = +2

| postal_code_type = Postal code

| postal_code = 48240

| area_code_type = Dialing code

| area_code =

| leader_title = Mayor

| leader_name = Jose Jabier Azpitarte Ariño

| website = {{official website|http://www.berriz.org}}

| footnotes =

}}

Berriz (in Basque and officially, in Spanish: Bérriz) is an elizate, town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country, northern Spain. Berriz is part of the comarca of Durangaldea and has a population of 4.623 inhabitants as of 2019 and according to the Spanish National Statistics Institute.

Toponymy

Berriz belongs to a series of Basque toponyms with an -iz ending. Julio Caro Baroja defended that most of these toponyms came from an original Basque toponym plus the Latin suffix -icus. Caro Baroja considered that on toponymy, the suffixes -oz, -ez and -iz used to be combined with the name of the owner of the lands, with its origin being in some place between the Middle Ages and the Roman Empire.

In the case of Berriz, Caro Baroja suggested that the name might come from Verrius, the documented Latin name. Then, to the name Verrius it was added the suffix -icus (indicating that the lands were owned by Verrius) and became Verricus.{{cite book |title=Materiales para una historia de la lengua vasca en su relación con la latina |last=Caro Baroja |first=Julio |date=June 1945 |publisher=Acta Salmanticensia, tomo I, número 3}} From then, the name evolved to Verrici and from there to Verriz. The name of the town in Spanish used to be Vérriz.

Another theory about is origin negates the Latin origin and proposes a Basque origin. Berriz might come from Be(h)e ("under") and Oiz in reference to the Oiz mountain, and then "under Oiz" as of "in the or at the bottom of Oiz".

Notable people

Miren Amuriza (born 1990), bertsolari and Biscayan writer
Marino Lejarreta (born 1957), retired Spanish professional road racing cyclist

References

External links

[http://www.euskomedia.org/euskomedia/SAunamendi?idi=en&op=7&voz=BERRIZ Bérriz in the Bernardo Estornés Lasa - Auñamendi Encyclopedia (Euskomedia Fundazioa)] {{in lang|es}}
[http://www.berriz.org/ Bérriz Town Hall] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090916084356/http://www.berriz.org/ |date=2009-09-16 }} in Basque and Spanish

Category:Municipalities in Biscay

Category:Durangaldea