City Grounded On the Sea and A River
Bilbao is on the western end of the province of Bizkaia (Biscay) whose coast runs from Ondarria on the French border of the Bay of Biscay to Zierbena, just west of the port of Bilbao. The people here are Basques, a seafaring people with a distinct language all their own, fishermen and whalers and who were among the first to fish cod off Newfoundland’s shores. They also played an important role during the age of discovery.
Since the first settlements, the Nervió River has been at the heart of Bilbao’s success, transporting wool from Castile and iron from the surrounding mountains that were both processed here before shipping. Shakespeare mentions swords from the city. Not itself part of the Hansa trading league, Bilbao’s products were sold all over Europe through shipment to European ports that were involved with the league.
The Old City, Casco Viejo, is Bilbao’s Heart
The city began with a small settlement in a bend of the river, an area now known locally as the Seven Streets. This Casco Viejo – old town -- is a good place to start ta walk through history. To get there, cross the Ponte Arenal, built in 1940. To the right is the Arriaga Theater, built in 1890 and designed by Joachim de Rocoba in eclectic classicist style. Some say it was inspired by the Paris Opera. Diagonally across from it is the Church of Saint Nicholas, a baroque structure designed and built in 1756 by architect Ignacio Ibero. Its façade is attractive but austere, and the interior is based on an octagon within a square. It is noted for its octagonal tower, domed nave and an arcaded side porch.
Plaza Nueva, A Place to Kick Back
Nearby find the entrance to the Plaza Nueva, built in 1849 and today the home of the Royal Academy of the Basque Language. The entire large plaza is of a single piece, designed in restrained neoclassical style. The entire interior wall of the first (ground) floor is an arcade with a number of bars and cafes that make it a popular place to come in the evening for a wine or a beer and some Basque tapas called pinchos (pintxos in Basque). In 1872 sandbags lined the arches and the entire plaza was flooded to float gondolas to honor a visit of the Duke of Savoy. There is a painting of the event, complete with the gondolas, at the Bilbao Museum of Fine Arts.
Leave the plaza by the south gate to Calle Sombrerria and go left to Plaza Unamuno, named for the great Basque writer whose home is in the square. Follow Calle la Cruz south to Santos Juanes church, which dates from the 17th century and was built as part of a Jesuit complex. Follow Calle España back to Calle Correos. Streets in this section are narrow and lined with buildings four to six stories tall. Here one enters the very heart of the medieval town, where houses retain their historic features, such as balconies and shuttered porches that overhang the streets. Calle Correo leads to Plaza Santiago.
Tracing the Way of Saint James in Bilbao
The Way of Saint James, the centuries old pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela passed through Bilbao, stopping at the chapel of Saint James (Santiago). The original chapel was replaced in about the 15th century by the Gothic St. James Cathedral. It has a beautiful portal, a cloister and the main vault has carvings of early merchants. The neo-Gothic steeple was added in the nineteenth century.
Take Calle Tenderia toward the river, noting the buildings along the way. This ancient heart of the city has been occupied for more than a millennia. The street leads to La Ribiera Market, a rationalist public market built in 1929-30. It has has retained much of its exterior design. Just beyond is one of the city’s most revered churches, St. Anton, with a double arcaded portal. Walk west along the river a short way, then venture again into the streets of Casco Viejo, searching out more signs of antiquity on the way back to Ponte Arenal.
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