LOCATION AND TOPOGRAPHY
The town of Contrasta is found in the valley of Arana, between the Sierra de Urbasa and the Hills of Santiago de Lozquiz.
The early settlement was established upon a promontory with a North - South orientation with ravines on either side giving it a commanding position over the lands to the east and west.
    HISTORIC EVOLUTION AND URBAN STRUCTURE

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND		  
Contrasta is mentioned for the first time in 1257, although nearby there are remains from prior to the 11th century. From Roman times it was a resting place on second class routes, as is shown by the number of Roman tombstones found in the hermitage of Nuestra Señora de Elizmendi.
King Alfonso X el Sabio founded the town of Contrasta and he granted it the charter of Vitoria, possibly around 1256. This charter was extended to the villages dependent on Contrasta: Ullíbarri Arana, Alda and San Vicente de Arana.
It was an independent town until 1367, when it became dependent on the noble family of Ruy Fernández de Gauna, the Gaonas. In the mid-15th century it passed over to the Lazcanos, who sided with the Oñacinos in the hostilities with the Gamboínos. The town was attacked by the latter, who burnt down the tower house located in the north of the town.
At the end of the 17th century, the town passed into the hands of the Espinar-Lazcanos y Arteagas. In the late 18th century, the Marquis of Campovillar became the Lord of Contrasta, Ullíbarri and Alda.
During the War of Independence, it fell victim to various attacks, being a centre of communications; this reoccurred, with greater intensity, during the first Carlist War.

URBAN LAYOUT  
Two main areas, whose foundations correspond to two different periods, can be distinguished in the urban layout of Contrasta:
 The Gothic Town; Typical of walled Gothic towns, it was formed by two streets, running from north to south, with plunging ravines on either side and defensive bastions at both ends: in the north, a tower-house and in the south, a fortified church.
The tower house of the Lazcanos was demolished in 1479, during the wars between the various families and reconstructed in the 17th century; nothing of it has survived to the present day.
The church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción was of a defensive nature, especially as regards its tower, in whose base was the southern gate of the town.
The city walls are largely intact in the eastern section, with modifications being made throughout its history, such as the opening of doorways and windows or the building of structures abutting onto the exterior of the walls. The western section, on the other hand, has practically disappeared, except for the remains of a few buildings.
The two entrances to the walled enclosure have been conserved, one in the church tower and the other in the eastern section, both in the form of lancet arches.

 The extramural quarter; In the 16th century, as a result of the sharp rise in the population, a quarter grew up to the south of the Gothic town, more scattered in layout since it was not constrained by the walls. It was based around an informal square situated next to the southern gate of the walls and three streets, absolutely parallel to the hill and the Gothic town, with the central one of these leading to the hermitage of Nuestra Señora de Elizmendi.
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