Bilbao (Also Bilbo
in Basque) is the largest city in the Basque Country
and the
capital of the province of Biscay (Basque:
Bizkaia), Spain
.The
city has 353,168 inhabitants (2007) and is the most financially and
industrially active part of
Greater
Bilbao, the zone in which almost half of the Basque Country’s
population lives.
Greater Bilbao’s
953,152 inhabitants are spread along the length of the Nervión River
, whose banks are home also to numerous businesses
and factories, which during the industrial revolution brought
heightened prosperity to the region.
A major
seaport
and
industrial centre, the city is located on the Estuary of Bilbao, the city's suburbs
extending to the Bay of Biscay
. The
population of the city of Bilbao proper
was 353,168 in 2007. The population of the
urban area of
Greater
Bilbao ( the
conurbation) was
953,152 as of 2007 estimates. Population of the
metropolitan area (urban area plus
satellite towns) was 950,155 as of 2007 estimates, ranking as the
fifth-largest
metropolitan
area of Spain. , the
mayor of Bilbao is
Iñaki Azkuna.
Geography
In the
north, Bilbao’s city edge is considered to be around the towns of
Erandio
, Sondika
and Derio
, in the east
it is encompassed by Zamudio
and Etxebarri
.
The
southern border passes outside Basauri
and Arrigorriaga
and, in the
west, Barakaldo
and Alonsotegi
are the
furthest extremes. The urban area is enclosed by two small
mountain ranges called Pagasarri
(to the
south) and Artxanda
(to the
north); this gives the city its nickname, "el botxo", "the
hole".
Districts
The city of Bilbao is divided into eight different districts,
including the following neighbourhoods:
image=Distritos Bilbao numerados.svg|width=
|float= }}
|
- 3rd:
Otxarkoaga and Txurdinaga
- 4th: Begoña,
Santutxu
 and Bolueta
- 5th:
Casco Viejo
 , Bilbao La Vieja , San Francisco, Zabala, Atxuri ,(La Peña)
Iturrialde, Solokoetxe, Abusu and the
newly developed neighbourhood of Miribilla.
- 6th: Abando and
Indautxu
 .
- 7th: Rekalde,
El Peñascal, Ametzola, Iralabarri and
San Adrián,
- 8th: Basurto, Altamira,
Masustegi, Olabeaga and Zorrotza.
|
Climate
Bilbao has an
oceanic climate,
generally mild, with not too extreme temperatures. January average
temperature is 9°C and July average 21°C. Precipitation is around
per year, almost entirely rain, although in winter it snows three
days on average.
Jan 1985, strong blizzards covered
Bilbao in snow for 2 weeks.
Extreme heat is also common a few days each summer, mainly when
strong winds from the south blow through the mountains and
temperatures rise because of the
foehn
wind.
Extreme record observations in Bilbao are 42.2°C maximum (13 August
2003) and - 8.6°C minimum (3 February 1963). The maximum
precipitation in a day was in 26 August 1983 when severe flooding
was originated by the Nervión River.
History
Saint Anton church and bridge, the
symbol of the city, as viewed in the coat of arms.
Bilbao's Cathedral of Santiago.
Bilbao
was founded as a village by Don Diego Lopez de Haro
V, Lord of Biscay, on 15 June
1300 on the opposite river bank of an existing fishing settlement
(now known as Bilbao la Vieja or Bilbo Zaharra, "Old
Bilbao").
Prior to formal establishment as a township, a village and port
called "Bilbao" (the name designated in the founding village
charter of 1300) is believed to have been located near an ancient
wall (circa XII century) recently discovered by the "San Anton"
Bridge. Other evidence suggests that first settlements in Bilbao
came earlier near the "Malmasin" promontory.
The name of the city has unclear origins, some think it may come
from "
bel vado", ancient
Spanish for "
good river crossing"
while others proclaim it stems from
Basque "
bi albo" meaning "
two
river banks".
Nearby
places like Sestao
and Ugao-Miraballes
have the
same ending that could be Basque aho,
"mouth".
1300–1600
Don Diego gave the city rights and privileges along with land for
growth.
At first there were only three streets:
Somera ("Upper"), Artekale ("middle street") and Tendería
("Shopkeeper's"), following the pattern of three parallel streets
found in other Basque towns, and the Santiago
church
, surrounded by a city wall. Bilbao was in the
northern
branch of the Way of Saint
James
, thus the name of Santiago (Saint James')
church.
The city grew slowly but steadily, its area is now known as the
"Seven streets", after the new parallel developments.
The privileges
conceded by the successive Lords of Biscay were resented, sometimes
violently, by other chartered villas like
Portugalete
and by the
unchartered villages.In the 15th century wars between noble
families disrupted the city, which had reached a population of
almost 3000.
Bilbao in 1575.
Three floods and a fire shook the city, and Santiago Church was
almost totally destroyed. But once again the city recovered and it
grew beyond the wall.
In 1511
the Consulate of Bilbao was granted to the city by the Spanish
Crown, this allowed Bilbao to be the main export port for Merino wool from Castile to northern European cities
such as Antwerp
.
Bilbao became the most important commercial and financial hub of
the Spanish north coast during the
Spanish Empire era. The swords exported
through Bilbao were known in England as "
bilboes".
1600–1900
In 1602
Bilbao was made capital city of Biscay,
replacing the former capital Bermeo
. The
following centuries saw a constant increase of the city's wealth,
especially after the discovery of extensive iron resources in the
surrounding hills.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.
1876 Extension plan, by Alzola,
Achúcarro and Hoffmeyer architects.
The 19th century's
industrial
revolution was crucial for Bilbao, with the developing of
strong mining, steel and shipbuilding industries.At the beginning
of the 20th century Bilbao was the wealthiest city of Spain, where
the main banks (
BBVA) and insurance companies
were established.
Bilbao was besieged four times by the
Carlists during the
Carlist
Wars, but due to the defenders (the regular Spanish army and
local Liberal volunteers), it was never conquered, as is recorded
in the city's title ("undefeated").
In 1886 the
University of
Deusto was established by the
Company of Jesus and a major plan for the
city was announced after the village of Abando was annexed.
The
Alzola, Achúcarro and Hoffmeyer "Ensanche" (extension)
project of 1876 almost doubled the city's area and was developed
during the following decades, as it happened in other cities
like Barcelona
at that
time.
20th century
In 1901 half of the original
"Ensanche" project was built.
In 1925, the village of Deusto was annexed and several other parts
of the city were developed including Basurto and Begoña.
Bilbao sided with the
Republican
Government in the
Spanish Civil
War and was the capital of the first Basque Autonomous
Government led by
José Antonio Aguirre.
A defensive ring, called "
Cinturón de Hierro"
(
Iron Belt) was built around the
city, with heavy
artillery and many
bunkers linked by kilometers of tunnels.
Despite
these efforts, on 19 June 1937 Bilbao
succumbed
to
Franco's troops' siege (aided by
the betrayal of the engineer Goicoechea, designer of the defensive
ring); the bridges were destroyed to stop the enemy, but the city
survived relatively intact.
During Franco's dictatorship the city's heavy industries fuelled
Spain's economy and thousands of immigrants from central and
southern Spain moved to Bilbao, the city and surrounding towns
expanded greatly and sometimes chaotically. In an effort to
accommodate the influx of immigrants in the city's limited space,
the towns in the adjacent
Txoriherri
valley (Erandio, Derio, Zamudio, Sondika, Lezama) were annexed.
This annexation was reversed in 1981 after the
transition to
democracy.
In 1983
heavy floods struck the city, killing many people in the province
and causing great damage to the old part of the city; the old
Arriaga Theater
was
devastated. Since then the "Casco
Viejo
" (the old
district) has been renewed, along with the general trend of renewal
seen all around the city.
Regeneration and renewal
Euskalduna Palace, one of the major
developments in the former industrial district of
Abandoibarra.
The city has recently undergone major
urban renewal, in order to move away from the
region’s industrial history and instead focus on
tourism and services.
The developments are
centered around the new metro system
by Sir Norman
Foster (see Metro Bilbao) and, most
of all, the Guggenheim Bilbao
Museum
by Frank Gehry. A
new
tram line(
EuskoTran) was introduced in 2002.
The Port of Bilbao, formerly on
the river, has been moved and expanded downstream on the Bay of Biscay, opening a
great deal of central real estate on the river that has been the
site of most of the new building. Other new landmarks
include the Santiago Calatrava-
designed Zubizuri
Bridge
and the Euskalduna
Palace
, a cultural centre, further downstream. The
two points are linked by a new riverside passageway opposite
University of Deusto, which
provides an open green space for the city’s inhabitants to
relax.
A major landmark tower, designed by
César Pelli, to house the
Iberdrola electric company will also be built and
there are ambitious plans to regenerate the peninsula on the river
known as
Zorrozaurre.
Main sights
As well
as the famous Guggenheim
Museum
, the city acts as home for the Fine Arts Museum
recognised as one of Spain’s finest art museums and
recently refurbished and the Maritime Museum on the
Nervión’s banks, which recently hosted the RMS
Titanic
exhibition which has been touring Europe. Museums are only a
part of the city's attractions.
Since the inauguration of the Guggenheim museum in 1997, eight new
hotels have been opened in the city, reflecting the increasing
interest for the city.
Old Town or "Casco Viejo"
The medieval neighbourhood is the most colourful part of Bilbao, a
maze of narrow streets full of taverns, shops and monuments.
File:Plaza nueva de Bilbao.JPG|Plaza
Nueva.File:Portal de Zamudio.JPG|Casco viejo, Zamudio
Gate.File:Mercado de la Ribera.JPG|La Ribera market .File:Teatro Arriaga
exterior 2.jpg|The Teatro Arriaga opera
house.
Museums and cultural centres
The Guggenheim Museum.
Churches
Fine Arts Museum.
Civil buildings
Other
Economy
Greater Bilbao is the Basque Country
's main
economic area and one of Spain's most
important. The metropolitan area concentrates several key
industrial sectors:
steel,
energy production,
machine tool,
aeronautics industry,
electronics and
IT. The municipality of Bilbao has
been an industrial one for decades, but the heavier industries have
been moved from the city center to the periphery and the city has
centered its activities in the
services sector which accounts for the 75’5%
of the city's
added value. The
GNP per capita is
19,648
€ (
FY 2000),
slightly above the average of the Basque Country and well above the
average of Spain. The city is the corporate seat of the
BBVA bank and
Iberdrola
electric company.
The International Trade Fair, now
Bilbao Exhibition Centre
(BEC) hosts many international level exhibitions, especially
the
Biannual Machine Tool Fair (BIEMH), that help
dynamizing the economic life.
On top of BEC, Bilbao has the Euskalduna Palace as a congress center.
The
port of Bilbao is the most
important one in the north of Spain and one of the most important
in the Bay of Biscay.
In 2005,
the port moved 36.8 million tonnes, being
the fourth port of Spain after Algeciras
, Barcelona
and Valencia
.
Demography
| Historical
populations |
Census
year |
Population |
|
|
| 1842 |
10,243 |
| 1860 |
17,969 |
| 1877 |
35,227 |
| 1887 |
51,314 |
| 1897 |
74,076 |
| 1900 |
81,956 |
| 1910 |
92,116 |
| 1920 |
115,014 |
| 1930 |
156,920 |
| 1940 |
192,351 |
| 1950 |
216,417 |
| 1960 |
294,174 |
| 1970 |
405,908 |
| 1981 |
433,115 |
| 1991 |
369,839 |
| 2001 |
349,972 |
| 2003 |
353,173 |
| 2006 |
354,145 |
| 2007 |
353,168 |
| 2008 |
353,340 |
In 1970, Bilbao was the sixth most populated city in Spain and the
third-highest ranked metropolitan area. In 1981, its population
peaked at 433,115. From there on the population of the city proper
started to decline.
.PNG/200px-Demograf%C3%ADa_Bilbao_(Espa%C3%B1a).PNG)
Demographics of Bilbao
(1900–2005)
This was
due to the fact that the towns surrounding Bilbao that were merged
into the city during the 1940s and 1960s (Erandio, Loiu, Derio, Sondika and Zamudio) regained
independence and because of a population movement into the suburban
towns in The right bank, like
Getxo
and
Leioa
, whose
populations increased sharply. In 2008, Bilbao’s official
figures counted 353,340 inhabitants.
Decreasing population
Whilst the overall region’s population continues to climb, the city
centre has noticed a drop in residents. This is a result of the
steady and seemingly unbreakable trend of the city’s people
flocking to the coastlines which has been underway since the 1990s,
caused mainly by high
real-estate prices
in Bilbao.
Bilbao is the fourth most expensive city in
Spain, after Madrid
, Barcelona and San
Sebastian
.
% of immigrants in Bilbao's
districts.
Industrialised areas have been left in favour of the
coast.
In fact, of the 18 towns around Bilbao with
more than 10,000 inhabitants, only eight - Amorebieta-Etxano
, Arrigorriaga, Durango
, Gernika
, Getxo, Leioa, Mungia
and
Sopelana
– have
increased their number of inhabitants. Sestao has been
worst hit, losing nearly 11% of its population in eight
years.
Immigration
Since 2001, the number of immigrants in the city has risen steadily
each year as a result of increasing migration into Spain. In 2000,
2% of Bilbao's population consisted of immigrants, in contrast with
the national average of 11,3%.
Education
Main building of the University of
Deusto
The
Basque Government is in charge of
education in the Basque Country
.
In Greater Bilbao there are two Universities:
- University of Deusto:
founded in 1886 by the Society of
Jesus. The University has another campus in
San Sebastián
. The Bilbao campus offers the following
studies: Law, Philosophy, Education, Business - La
Comercial, Theology, Politics and Sociology, Engineering -
ESIDE.
- University of the
Basque Country: created in 1968 as University of
Bilbao and renamed to its current name in 1980. It is a public
university with the following studies in Greater Bilbao: Business
school of Sarriko (Bilbao), Education (Bilbao), Engineering and
Telecommunications(Bilbao), Technical Engineering school of La
Casilla (Bilbao), Medium grade Business school (Bilbao), Nautical
school (Portugalete), Mining (Barakaldo), Elderly University
(Bilbao), Medicine and Odontology (Leioa-Erandio), Sociology and
Communication (Leioa-Erandio), Fine Arts (Leioa-Erandio), Laboral
Relationships (Leioa), Nursing (Leioa).
Infrastructure and transportation
Road
A-8 motorway in Bilbao.
The city has 13 bridges connecting both sides of the river, it is
connected to the European road network by the
AP-8 toll motorway and to the north of Spain
by the
A-8 motorway and to the rest of Spain by the
AP-68 toll motorway.
Underground
The underground network (
Metro Bilbao),
inaugurated in 1995, is used by more than 85 million passengers
every year. It has 2 lines that connect both banks of the
Bilbao Metropolitan Area. There is a project
under way to build a third line.
Bus
The city has 43
Bilbobus bus
lines, 28 for normal buses, seven "micro-buses" for zones of the
city that a normal bus can't access, and eight night lines. The
inner-city bus network has recently won a prize for its efficiency
and quality of service. In addition, there are more than 100
BizkaiBus bus lines, connecting Bilbao
with almost every point in Biscay and part of Alava. The city's
main bus station is called
Termibus and is
located near the San Mamés stadium.
Rail
File:Bilbao-Abando2.jpg|Bilbao-Abando
, main
station of RENFE.File:Tranbia.jpg|The
tram going down Navarra
street.File:Bilbao-Concordia1.jpg|
Estación de la
Concordia, the main station for the
FEVE
trains.There are 7
commuter rail lines
operated by three different companies:
Renfe (Spanish railway
network) operates
3
Cercanías lines in metropolitan Bilbao:
- *C1,
Bilbao-Abando-Santurtzi
- *C2,
Abando-Muskiz
- *C3,
Abando-Orduña
FEVE (Spanish Narrow Gauge
Railways) operates one line:
- *Abando (Concordia)-Balmaseda
.
EuskoTren (Basque
railway network), operates three lines:
- *Deusto
-Lezama
- *Atxuri-Ermua
- *Atxuri-Bermeo.
In 2002, the new tramway,
EuskoTran, was
inaugurated. It has one line connecting Atxuri with
Basurto. Plans are afoot to greatly expand the
network over the coming decade.
Airport
A new
airport terminal
designed
by Santiago Calatrava was opened in 2000,
expanding the capacity of the former facility, and allowing growth
in tourism fuelled by low-cost flights by
airlines such as EasyJet and Vueling. The airport handled
4,277,610 passengers in 2007.
By sea
A
P&O ferry
service links Santurtzi, near Bilbao, to Portsmouth
(UK
). The Pride of
Bilbao ferry departs from the port of
Bilbao,
north west of the city centre. A service operated by
Acciona Trasmediterranea served the
same route from May 16, 2006 until April 2007.
Transportation links
Culture
City Hall.
Bilbao
has several theatres and concert halls (Teatro
Arriaga,
Palacio Euskalduna), cinemas, and opera season. The
Bilbao Symphony Orchestra was
founded in 1922, its current conductor Günter Neuhold being
appointed in 2008.
Museums
include the famous Guggenheim Museum
Bilbao of contemporary art and the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum, with a great collection of Spanish
painting.
Like in other Spanish cities, night life is long and vibrant, with
clubs that offer live music (
Kafe Antzokia,
Bilborock).
Bilbao was briefly featured at the start of the 1999
James Bond film
The World Is Not Enough.
The
Bilbao Live Festival,
initiated in 2006, is another measure of new interest
Festival
Marijaia, the symbol of the
Aste Nagusia saluting from the Arriaga Theatre.
Semana Grande (Spanish for
Big Week,
Aste
Nagusia in Basque) is Bilbao's main festival attracting over
100,000 people and takes place each year, lasting 9 days. It has
been celebrated since 1978 and begins on the Saturday of the 3rd
week of August each year. People from around Spain, and
increasingly from abroad attend the celebrations.
The celebrations include the strongman games, free music
performances, street entertainment,
bullfighting and nightly firework displays. The
best views of the display are from the city's bridges. Each year,
there is something different occurring, thus a festival programme
(these are available all over the city) is strongly
recommended.
you can also get a crackin night out there too so yi can.
Sport
Like in most of both Spain and the Basque country,
football is the most popular
competitive sport, followed by
basketball.
The main football club is Athletic Club, commonly known as
Athletic Bilbao in
English.
It plays at the San
Mamés
stadium, which is Spain's oldest built stadium and seats 39,750
spectators.Athletic Bilbao was one of the founder members of
the Spanish football league,
La Liga, and
has played in the
Primera
División (First Division) ever since - winning it on eight
occasions. Its red and white striped flag is to be seen throughout
the city.
In addition, Bilbao offers the possibility of many outdoor
activities owing to its location in a hilly countryside,
hiking is very popular as well as
rock climbing in the nearby mountains.
Watersports, specially surfing is practiced in the beaches of Sopelana and
Mundaka
, easily
accessed from the city centre by car, metro or train.
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
Bilbao is
twinned with:
Famous people
Writers
Musicians
Artists
Science and Technology
Sports
Politicians
Military
Media
Night panorama of central Bilbao from
Etxebarria Park.
References
External links
, Argentina
, Argentina
, Colombia
, France
, People's Republic of China
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