The town of Soraluze-Placencia de las Armas is surrounded by the characteristic mountains of our area. Beautiful walks that pass through the numerous farmhouses and hermitages of authentic rural flavor. A delight for nature lovers.

The Route of the Dolmens, the watchtower from which the coast can be glimpsed
In the Karakate-Irukurutzeta mountain range, we can find an important concentration of dolmens and burial mounds, monuments related to the funerary rituals of the ancestral culture of the shepherds. The Dolmens Route, called PR-Gi 94, comprises a 20-kilometre route across the Karakate-Agirreburu divide and connects the towns of Elgoibar, Soraluze and Bergara.

The trail crosses places of great beauty and great cultural value. The Route of the Dolmens, as Aita Barandiaran called it, introduces us to a territory that was since ancient passage route between the valleys of the Deba and Urola rivers. Here we can discover the legacy of our ancestors, dolmens and burial mounds that make up the megalithic station of Elosua-Plazentzia, scattered along the ridge drawn by the peaks of Karakate, Irukurutzeta and Agirreburu, whose interest is increased by the extraordinary panoramic views that the route offers us.

In the town centre we find architectural heritage of interest: the Church of Santa María la Real with its beautiful portico, which combines Renaissance motifs with other Baroque ones, and the interesting Houses of Arregigaraikua, Ormaetxea, Solagüen, Jauregi, Mendikute or the Casa Torrea and the remarkable Town Hall in Baroque style.

Soraluze-Placencia de las Armas was the first place in the Crown of Castile where the manufacture of firearms began in series. Thus, in 1573, King Philip II established “The Royal Arms Factory of Placencia” which evolved until its closure in 1865. It was succeeded by the “Euskalduna” rifle factory, which passed into foreign hands at the turn of the 20th century, becoming in 1935 the “Sociedad Anónima Placencia de las Armas”.