One of the most significate aspects of the city of Bilbao is its location. Situated on the ibaizabal-nervion in northern Spain, which would become a common passageway for merchants selling goods. Along with selling goods, the city would also export iron ore found in the ibaizbal-nervion. The ironwork done in Bilbao would produce goods that would sell all around Europe. This port city would become one of the main attractive factors under the kingdom of Castile under King John. This would cause Bilbao to become an economic mecca for the basque region with many foreign workers coming to the city to find work. Iron mining would be a staple of the region for the coming centuries. In the early 20th century workers would form a metal works company called Altos Hornos de Vizcaya which would become one of the largest producers of iron goods during the time in Spain. Supporters of the Altos Hornos de Vizcaya would come from major cities like Madrid, Vizcaya, Barcelona, and even London England. But in the late 1990s, the Altos Hornos de Vizcaya would see a decrease in production due to new European tariffs on imported iron and metal goods. 

One of the best museums I’d recommend visiting is Itsasmueum which is a museum that is the Euskalduna ship yeard recreated into a museum covering maritime history. In the museum, you will have a ton of different permanent exhibits. Many exhibits explore maritime sea rescue, navigation, industrial port, shipbuilding, and many more. With admission being free some days the museum is definitely worth a visit and is a good way to learn about the history of the port city and also the economical value of the port. 

In 1937 during the Spanish civil war as Nationalists were invading the city of Bilbao, the Spains government would create Bilbo’s Iron Ring. This Iron Ring would consist of a line of fortifications which included trenches, bunkers underground fortifications, used to defend the city and surrounding regions around Bilbos. The Iron Ring would quickly fall to the nationalist when Alejandro Goicoechea would switch sides with the nationalist giving up the groundworks of the fortification which would be easily taken out within the coming days with modern weapons. These weapons would include German airplane bombing raids that would destroy most of the city. But today the Iron Ring is still seen in the mount sides of Artxanda which is the mountain range around Bilbao. The Artxanda is available to the public as you can take a day trip up the mountain to see the fortifications and also get a view of the city. 

Bilbao in the 20th century saw itself go from a booming industrial city after the reconstruction of damages caused by the Spanish Civil War. To a down fill-in, economic strength due to local terrorism by the Euskadi Ta Askatasuna has started to recover over the past few decades. Bilbo still stands as one of Spain’s cities that have a rich history of industrialism, art, and culture. 

Who doesn’t love a good celebration? Bilbao is a city full of festivities, amazing traditions, and unique festivals. From BBK Live to Basque Fest, Bilbao is famous for having the most unforgettable, action packed celebrations in Spain. Not only are the festivals unique, but there are also many traditions that the people of Bilbao partake in. During all these festivals, Bilbao does a great job at celebrating their Basque culture to the fullest. Let’s take a better look at what Bilbao’s traditions and festivals have to offer! 

Do you like music? Hip-hop or maybe punk rock? Well then you would love to attend the Bilbao BBK Live Festival! This festival takes place every summer in the beautiful city of Bilbao where you get to see some of your favorite artist perform in front of thousands of people. It starts on the first weekend of July and lasts for 3 days. Artists from all over the world come and perform on 12 different stages, with all types of music from indie to pop, and even electronic. 

While Bilbao celebrates modern holidays, there is one traditional holiday celebrated in Bilbao and that is Semana Grande de Bilbao, or the Big Week of Bilbao. This is a festival that lasts 9 days starting on the last Saturday before the 22^nd of August. Locals gather at the Arriaga Theater and wait for a rocket to be shot in the sky and moments later Marijaia, the festival mascot, appears in the balcony of the theater and that’s where the fun begins! During this festival, Basque culture is at its peak and there is traditional music and dancing everywhere! There are so many festivities during these 9 days such as stone carrying, wood chopping, and other Basque sports. Want to take your children to this festival? Bring them along! There is a special event for children of all ages called the parade of giants with huge “monster” called the Gargantua, enter his trap, if you dare! At the end of each day, there is a nightly fireworks competition, but the party doesn’t stop there! Go enjoy the late night festivities at the local bars and clubs. While the festival starts off with singing and dancing, at the end of those 9 days, Marijaia it set ablaze in the middle of the street. What a turn of event! It’s worth the experience!

Last, but certainly not least, is the famous Basque Fest. This festival was created to showcase all the beauties of Basque culture, while also discovering new ways to show it. Starting in April, Basque Fest lasts up to 5 days, giving us plenty of time to enjoy the avant-garde twist on Basque culture. There is a plethora of activities to enjoy during this time like art exhibitions, dancing, concerts, and gastronomy to name a few. If you’re feeling athletic, you can partake in the traditional sports played during the festival like pala and jai alai. 

The Bilbao Fine Arts Museum is located in Doña Casilda Iturrizar and displays art from the Middle Ages! It was founded in 1908 and opened in 1924 to the public. This is a fantastic place to visit to learn more about the art history of Bilbao and the significance of these historical pieces. The following artwork below you can visit yourself at the Museum.

The Retrato de Martín Zapater, painted by Francisco de Goya in 1797, is an oil painting portrait of Martín Zapater. Zapater was a wealthy Aragonese merchant and was best known for his friendship with the painter of this portrait. In enlightenment related institutions, he was an initiator and was co-founder of the Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País. He lived from 1747 to 1803.

The Paul Gauguin’s Washerwomen in Arles is an oil painting done on a 30×36 inch canvas by Paul Gauguin in 1888. He created texture in his brush strokes to depict the nature landscape shown at the top of the painting. The scene shown demonstrates the women’s toil. This is a very successful painting due the attention to detail and accuracy of the movement shown by the women.

The Annunciation was an oil painting done by El Greco in 1609, influenced by the Venetian style. In this painting it shows the Virgin Mary listening to a message from the angel Archangel. The message is that she is pregnant with a son, Jesus Christ. Above shows the heavens and other angels. El Greco was a famous painter during the Spanish Renaissance and Mannerism era.

The Renaissance painting, Lucretia, created by Lucas Cranach is an oil on beech panel created in 1534. Lucretia was the wife of Collatinus and the daughter of Spurius Lucretius. In the Roman Empire, she was known as one of the most beautiful women at the time. In this painting, it depicts the scene when Lucretia took her own life. The viewer is able to see the blood upon her stomach and the emotionless look on her face. The jewelry around her shows her ranking in society, as she was well known royalty.

This figure of Christ was carved into wood in the 13th century. It shows his body being nailed onto the cross with is hands and feet. The Virgin Mary and St. John are painted on either side of the beam his arms are on. On the bottom, it shows Adam rising from the dead with the tree of the Original Sin. The carvings show the the blood running from his hands and feet, signifying the scene that is taking place. The sculpture is a perfect example of Spanish mediaeval art. This was donated by Banco de Bilbao in 1961.

These are some of the amazing pieces of art you can see for yourself at the The Bilbao Fine Arts Museum. To have a better understanding for the history of Bilbao, it is beneficial to see the artwork that is influential to this place.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Francisco_de_Goya_-_Retrato_de_Mart%C3%ADn_Zapater.jpg

Washerwomen by Paul Gauguin, https://www.paulgauguin.org/washerwomen/.  

Bilbao Fine Arts Museum, 1 Dec. 2021, https://bilbaomuseoa.eus/en/home/. 

Theotokópoulos), Greco (Doménikos. “The Annunciation.” Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, https://www.museothyssen.org/en/collection/artists/greco-domenikos-theotokopoulos/annunciation-0. 

 “Annunciation.” Annunciation by El Greco, https://www.el-greco.org/annunciation/. 

Bilbao has some amazing and intricate churches filled with rich histories that provide a more personal lesson into the history of Spain. There is much to see around Bilbao, and many important sites are only a short walk from each other! The Basilica de Bagoña, for instance, is a beautiful building with an interesting origin story as it is said that the wooden statue of the Virgin Mary planted itself at the site and that is where the church was built.  There is also a complex history that seats the building in the middle of much of Spain’s history, especially during the 1800s when the church saw much of the conflict through Napoleon’s invasion and the Carlist Wars. The locals have close ties to Mary and their money is what built up the church and kept it afloat because it served as such a central part of their community. These historical elements can provide a much more interesting lesson to students to be able to see the enormous building firsthand while taking in the art that is the eye-catching sanctuary. The Sanctuary is almost entirely gold with a statue of Mary at the center and this is one of the most prized possessions of the church which they heavily protected during war. https://www.barcelo.com/guia-turismo/en/spain/bilbao/things-to-do/basilica-begona/

Only a 17-minute walk or 5-minute drive away from the Basilica is the Cathedral de Santiago de Bilbao especially known for being the heart of the oldest neighborhoods in Bilbao. It also has a rich history as the church was built in 1300 and only after the help of some indulgences were the funds raised to build what stands today. The Cathedral is grand with many complex structures to see as it has three naves, towering ceilings, and beautiful stained glass windows. Students will have plenty to see while walking the grounds of the cathedral, and even an element of mystery as there is a hidden crypt in the cathedral. There is much academic value to this site and plenty of art and people that bring the cathedral to life like the La Capilla de la Música which is a vocal/instrument ensemble that fills the building with music. https://www.barcelo.com/guia-turismo/es/espana/bilbao/que-ver/catedral-de-santiago-de-bilbao/
https://www.disfrutabilbao.com/catedral-santiago

To round out the day and relax only 2 minutes down the road is the La Ribera Market where much food and entertainment can be found. It recently won the Guinness World Record for being the largest covered food market. To accompany the sights of two historic buildings a perfect way to end the day is at the market which is located on the Nervión River which is a scenic place to eat at once walking through nearly 180 vendors that sell fish, meat, fruit, and vegetables. The market is welcoming as locals visit the market every day, and the natural light that comes through the Art Deco stained glass windows only adds to the warmth that can be felt alongside the many conversations that can be heard through the market. The market is also not limited to simple groceries as it may seem, but there are many small food courts and restaurants within the market building that offer a wide selection of food to sample. https://www.barcelo.com/guia-turismo/en/spain/bilbao/things-to-do/ribera-market-bilbao/

The Basque Country is well know for it delicious and unique cuisine specifically in cities like Bilbao. This city produces many traditional Basque meals, stews, and many more. Bilbao is know for pintxos is a Northern Spanish version of tapas. Tapas are a small savory appetizer like food made with vegetables and fish or a kind of meat that is typically served at bars and restaurants. The traditional meals are usually made of fish and other seafoods, cod and spider crabs. The stews are typically made of lamb, fish, other meats and vegetables. This city is also know for having excellent wine and cheese and tours to go along with them. Bilbao actually also host some world famous restaurants like Gore Toki, Nido Bilbao, and many more.

Next, let’s get more into the details of some of the famous and traditional Bilbao cuisine. To begin with, lets talk about Bilbao’s most popular and loved creation pintxos. Pintxos are made of small pieces of bread, topped with ingredients such as meat, peppers, cheese or pieces of Spanish omelette and croquetas, which are deep fried bread-crumbed bites filled with bechamel sauce. Another great thing about Pintxos as a dish is that you aren’t listed to those topics. This dish can be created with a wide variety of topping in order to accommodate to your liking. This food is also typically eaten at bars as a self serve food. Second, a very iconic Basque dishes that is served at basically every restaurant in Bilbao is Bacalao pil-pil. In Basque Country Bacalao means cod fish which is often found in other dishes also. In the Bacalao pip-pic dish the cod fish is fried with garlic, olive oil, and other natural spices until the skin on the fish is cooked to perfection and crispy. The pil-pil is added on to the dishes name because of the noise the skin begins to make from being fried. Another famous Bilbao dish is Marmitako which is a well-know stew. The stew is made of Basque tuna, potatoes, Green and red peppers, onions, tomato sauce, garlic, olive oil, parsley and paprika. This stew is primarily eaten during winter. Furthermore, another well know Bilbao cuisine is Txangurro which a very famous in Basque Country. Txangurro is made up of spider crab, bread crumbs, tomato and onions then mixed with garlic and parsley in order to enhance the flavors. Txangurro is also usually prepared by being stuffed and oven baked until perfectly crispy.

Finally, on top of all these great Bilbao cuisines we can’t forget about the great deserts the city has also. Pastel Vasco or Gâteau Basque which means Basque Cake in French, is a pastry wrapped around vanilla flavored custard and sometimes topped off with fruits or other sweets. This dish is very similar to the cheesecake we eat here in America. Another typical dessert in Basque Country cities like Bilbao is Goxua. Goxua is dish made of a multiple layers that begins with a base of whipped cream, followed by a layer of airy sponge cake which is finally topped off with a rich caramelized custard. Lastly, another Bilbao dessert favorite is Pantxineta. This dish is a light tart with a flaky puff-pastry crust filled with a thick custard cream. topped off with crushed almonds and powdered sugar. In conclusion, the city of Bilbao has many famous dishes, desserts, and restaurants that look and sound very appetizing and would be something I would like to try and recommend to others.

Pastel Vasco

Bibliography:

https://devourtours.com/blog/typical-desserts-from-basque-country/?cnt=US https://theculturetrip.com/europe/spain/articles/10-traditional-dishes-you-need-to-try-in-bilbao/ https://www.thediscoveriesof.com/best-places-to-eat-in-bilbao/