Etxe Beltz

Azkoitia, Spain, Spain

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Etxe Beltz, also known as the Idiakez Tower or "Black House," is a medieval tower house in Azkoitia, Gipuzkoa province, Basque Country, Spain, located next to the Church of Santa María la Real and the old defensive walls.

Originally constructed in the late Middle Ages by the powerful Idiakez family—who used it as a base to acquire nearby manors—it gained its distinctive black appearance after being set ablaze during the Second Carlist War around 1872, when attackers surrounded it with burning straw that charred its exterior stone walls.

Bearing coats of arms from various Basque lineages on its facade, this fortified residence exemplifies Gipuzkoa's transition from defensive towers to Renaissance palaces and now forms part of the town's protected historical complex declared a cultural site in 2005.