Remains of an ancient settlement were found on the top of mount Malmasín, dated around the 3rd or 2nd century BC. Burial sites were also found on mounts Avril and Artxanda, dated 6,000 years old. Some authors identify the old settlement of Bilbao as Amanun Portus, cited by Pliny the Elder, or with Flaviobriga, by Ptolemy. There are also ancient walls, discovered below the Church of San Antón, dated around the 11th century.
In the fourteenth century, the then lord of Biscay, Diego López V of Haro, founded Bilbao through a municipal charter dated in Valladolid on June 15, 1300 and confirmed by king Ferdinand IV of Castile in Burgos, on January 4, 1301.
Diego López established the new town on the right bank of the Nervión river, on grounds of the elizate of Begoña and granted it the fuero of Logroño, a compilation of rights and privileges that would prove fundamental to its later development.
In 1602 Bilbao was made capital city of Biscay, title previously held by Bermeo. The following centuries saw a constant increase of the city's wealth, especially after the discovery of extensive iron resources in the surrounding mounts. At the end of the 17th century, Bilbao overcame the economical crises that affected Spain thanks to the iron ore and the commerce with England and the Netherlands. During the 18th century the city continued to grow and almost exhausted its small space.
The Basque Country was one of the main scenarios of the Carlist Wars, and the conquer of Bilbao, a liberal and economic bastion was of extreme importance for the Carlists. The city was besieged three times between 1835 and 1874, but all proved unsuccessful. One of the main battles of this time was the Battle of Luchana, when general Baldomero Espartero defetead the Carlists, freeing the city. Despite this, the city could prosper during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, when it rose as the economical centre of the Basque Country.
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| City Hall |
The Spanish Civil War started in Bilbao with small uprisings suppressed by the republican forces. On 31 August 1936, the city suffered the first bombing. On the next month, further bombings of German origin occurred. In May 1937, the Nationalist army besieged the city. The battle lasted until 19 June of that year, when Lieutenant Colonel Putz ordered to destroy all bridges over the estuary and the troops of the 5th Brigade took the city from mounts Malmasin, Pagasarri, and Arnotegi.
With the war over, Bilbao returned to its industrial development, accompanied by a steady population grow. In the 1940s, the city was rebuilt, starting with the bridges. In 1948, the first commercial flight took off from the local airport. Over the next decade, there was a rebirth of the iron industry, which led to the rise of slums in the hillsides. In this chaotic environment, on 31 July 1959, the terrorist organization ETA was born in Bilbao, as a split of PNV(The Basque Nationalist Party).
The first notion of Bilbao as a touristic city came with the inauguration of the railway between Bilbao and the coastal neighbourhood of Las Arenas, in the municipality of Getxo in 1872. This way, the city became a modest beach destination. However, the real touristic impulse would come with the inauguration of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in 1997, as shown in the increasing tourist arrivals since then. Most tourists come from within Spain, mainly from Madrid and Catalonia. International travellers come mostly from nearby France, but also from United Kingdom, Germany, and Italy.
If you take a stroll around Bilbao nowadays you will be constantly amazed by the ground-breaking structures designed by some of the most prestigious architects in the world.
As you visit the new spaces created on the banks of the city estuary, you will come upon buildings made of incredible materials: the metal Euskalduna Palace, the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum, whose titanium curves have turned it into the emblem of this increasingly modern destination, and Santiago Calatrava’s Zubizuri Bridge, which as you cross it will remind you of a glass-bottomed sailing boat.
On the streets of the city you will also find the unusual glass-covered entrances to the underground, designed by Norman Foster, and the innovative glass design of the Basque Health Department. The best way of discovering the avant-garde aesthetics of this “city of the future” is to set aside a couple of days and explore the whole of the modern expansion area.Shopping for antiques, typical ceramics, exquisite cakes and pastries or the latest fashions is one of the options offered by the shopping centres and shops of Bilbao. Going shopping in Bilbao is a unique occasion for enjoying the architectural heritage of the city and whilst out you can enjoy the many taverns or cafés lining the streets.
The Old Quarter, Indautxi and Ensanche are the main shopping areas in Bilbao. Here you will find a wide range of products in traditional establishments, shops selling the latest fashions and the modern shopping centres.
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| Santiago Cathedral |
Gastronomy is an art in Bilbao. The city is home to prestigious restaurants which offer dishes ranging from traditional cuisine to the most avant-garde culinary creations. Eating well is easy, almost an obligation. You'll find varied menus featuring delicious dishes made with top-quality ingredients. Bilbao is famous for being the capital of cod, because of the wide variety of mouth-watering recipes made with this fish.
We recommend indulging in the local custom known as "chiqueteo" (having pintxos with a drink) in a few of the city's numerous bars before sitting down to have a meal. The counters of these establishments are piled high with the famous pintxos, miniature culinary works of art which will make your mouth water as soon as you lay eyes on them. At the first bite, you’re bound to become a fervent admirer of the Basque custom of “going out for pintxos” –basically, talking a walking tour of several nearby venues to sample the greatest possible number of pintxos. We recommend the areas in the old part of town, Abando and Idautxtu, which are the most popular and always guarantee a great atmosphere.
The tradition of going out for pintxos can be enjoyed all year round, but if you’re lucky enough to be in town in May or June, you can experience the annual pintxo contest, when the best-known bars in Bilbao compete to decide the best pintxo of the year.
Bilbao’s Top 5:
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| The Basilica of Begoña |
- Santiago Cathedral is a Catholic Cathedral in the city of Bilbao that was officially declared cathedral in 1950. Its origins probably date to well before the foundation of the city in 1300, when Bilbao was little more than a small enclave of fishermen.
The temple is consecrated in honor of the apostle Saint James the Great (Santiago in Spanish), by virtue of being a point of transit for the pilgrims that followed the Northern branch of the Way of Saint James. Architecturally, the present building is a mixture of styles: from the 15th century Gothic of the cloister and the main vault, where of special interest are the cloister and the beautiful portal that gives access Correo street (Puerta del Angel), to the ostentatious Gothic Revival façade and spire. A curious custom is the addition of stone carvings of local merchants along the buttresses of the main vault. - The Basilica of Begoña (or Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Begoña in Spanish) is a basilica, dedicated to the patron saint of Biscay, the Virgin Begoña. The basilica started life in the 16th century, designed by Sancho Martínez de Arego. It has three naves, to which the addition of vaults was completed in the 17th century in construction work that took a century, having started in 1511. During the time of this work, the Gothic style developed somewhat, with the main entrance being built in the middle of the 16th century in the shape of a magnificent arch as a reminder of the works of Spanish architect Gil de Hontañón. The rest of the building retains the unitarian Gothic style.
- The Zubizuri (Basque for "white bridge"), also called the Campo Volantin Bridge or Puente del Campo Volantin, is a tied arch footbridge across the Nervion River. Designed by architect Santiago Calatrava, the bridge links the Campo Volantin right bank and Uribitarte left bank of the river. Opened in 1997, the bridge's unusual design consists of a curved walkway which is supported by steel suspension cables from an overhead arch. The structure of the bridge is painted white and the bridge deck consists of translucent glass bricks. Access ramps and stairways are located on both banks. The Zubizuri offers pedestrians a convenient route from hotels to the nearby Bilbao Guggenheim Museum. Since its opening, it has been subjected to praise as a symbol of the new Bilbao and as a draw for tourism. The bridge has also been accused of impracticality: it is locally infamous for the glass bricks set into its floor, which can become slippery in the wet climate of the city.
- The City Hall in Bilbao is set on the bank of the river. It was inaugurated in 1892 on the site of the old San Agustín Convent. The building was designed by the architect Joaquín Rucoba, and artists of the period contributed to this elegant, highly ornamental construction. The interior décor features a range of items including furniture, lamps, paintings, windows, sculptures and busts, vases... The Arab Hall is especially outstanding, and was designed by the artist José Soler, who painted the room to imitate marble, wood and ivory.
- The Guggenheim Museum is a museum of modern and contemporary art, designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry, built by Ferrovial. It is built alongside the Nervion River, which runs through the city of Bilbao to the Atlantic Coast. The Guggenheim is one of several museums belonging to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. The museum features permanent and visiting exhibits of works by Spanish and international artists. One of the most admired works of contemporary architecture, the building has been hailed as a "signal moment in the architectural culture", because it represents "one of those rare moments when critics, academics, and the general public were all completely united about something." The museum was the building most frequently named as one of the most important works completed since 1980 in the 2010 World Architecture Survey among architecture experts.
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