Bolibar

Bolu is the Basque word for mill, a loanword from the Latin molinum with the loss of the intervocalic -n- cluster (characteristic Basque medieval lenition) and simplification of the -l-. The second element, ibar, specifically designates the meadow or cultivable river plain, as opposed to haran (valley) or mendi (mountain). The combination documents a hydraulic mill set in the Artibai meadow, the river that crosses the municipality of Markina-Xemein to which the freguesia belongs. The Basque milling industry was notable from the Middle Ages: the network of flour mills, cider presses, iron forge hammers and textile fulling mills took advantage of the abundant slopes of the Biscayan relief. But Bolibar is famous, above all, for a historic pilgrim trace: in the late 16th century, a neighbour called Simón de Bolívar emigrated to Venezuela; his descendant five generations later was Simón Bolívar, liberator of five South American countries. The family tower-house preserves the coat of arms.