Culture of Bilbao. Places to visit - old town, temples, theaters, museums and palaces

Bilbao offers its visitors to attend many interesting attractions. The city is home to various unique architectural monuments, unrivaled natural attractions, historical places of interest, and various cultural institutions. Nervión embankment is an interesting object of excursions. The embankment comes along the river that has the same name. The local landscapes never stop attracting numerous artists and poets. The landscape is truly marvelous - on the one side of the embankment flows the majestic river and on another side stand great mountains. Continue exploring the natural attractions of the city by making a walk to Dona Casilda Park, which is located in the heart of Old Town. Here, among ancient trees and gorgeous flower beds, adore meeting romantic couples. The locals have even made another name for this park and call it only "Paradise harbor".

The most famous monument of the city is located on its central square. The monument depicts Don Diego de Haro - the founder of Bilbao. According to historical data, the city on the bank of the Nervión River was founded in 1300. Starting from first days Bilbao has been distinguished by the atmosphere of cordiality and happiness. Even nowadays, seven centuries later, you can feel this atmosphere and unique spirit of the city. There are also various remarkable religious sites in the city. The church of Santiago is definitely one of them. The construction of the cathedral was started in the beginning of the 14th century, only several years after the founding of the city. Today the beautiful cathedral is known as the oldest building in Bilbao. The church has almost never been rebuilt or remade during its long history. The locals say that the church is distinguished by a truly unique and mystical atmosphere that reigns there. The bridge of San Anton is surely the most striking monument that belongs to the Middle Ages. The beautiful bridge unites two banks of the river. This construction has been preserved in almost original form till our days, so every traveler is surely recommended to visit this sight of architectural art.

Art connoisseurs will surely enjoy visiting the city’s Museum of Fine Arts, which exhibits a large collection of paintings by famous painters from the Middle Ages. A separate hall of the hotel is the location of a separate gallery dedicated to artists of the 20th century. The museum has already become a permanent venue for various exhibitions. This is the reason why visitors of the museum can see not only old masterpieces, but also works of contemporary masters. Guggenheim Museum is definitely a no less attractive cultural institution. The exposition of the museum provides visitors with a rich collection of works of contemporary sculptors and artists. The building, which houses a museum, is also considered one of the main architectural attractions of the city. The shape of the building resembles a ship. The plan for this unusual construction was designed by the means of computer. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

You can get to know that Bilbao is a very interesting city from an architectural point of view, from taking your very first glance at Estacion de Santander; that is, arriving by railway transport and immediately assessing the situation. You will find the building of the railway station really impressive. Also, in addition to the Guggenheim Museum, there are plenty of other interesting institutions in the city – for example, the Museo de Arte Sacro, where a large number of incredibly beautiful religious items are presented. The Arkeologi Museoa will delight everyone who enjoys anthropology and archeology as there are lots of interesting archaeological finds there. Nonetheless for those who want to get to know the local culture better, you are welcome to Euskal Museoa Bilbao Museo Vasco.

The Casco Viejo (Old Town) district is one of the best regions for walking and sightseeing. Here you can see narrow paved streets everywhere, beautiful old buildings with centuries-old history adjacent to shops and restaurants, which are specially stylized traditionally. But then again in order to gaze at the most modern building in Bilbao, it is enough to simply walk along Abandoibarra (however, every building on this street deserves the most worthy praises). The Palacio de Congresos y de la Musica Euskalduna can be said to be the most majestic among the rest. It was built in the style of a ship in 1999, and after some time was recognized as one of the best in the world.

Having arrived in any Spanish city, you should first of all look for the Plaza de Toros – as a rule, this is the most colorful place in the whole city. The arena in the city of Bilbao is not an exception; you should definitely visit it to get acquainted with the local coloring. The busiest area in ​​the city is Plaza Nueva. Nearby is situated a flea market, and around are cafes and restaurants, which generally form an interesting ensemble. Barria - Diócesis de Bilbao is also of an interest here. It is worth saying a few words about the Basilica of Begoña church, which stands out among other religious monuments by the fact that it is located on a high hill, and more than 200 steps lead to it.

There are many buildings in Bilbao that everyone who is obsessed with architecture would find interesting. One of such buildings is the Palacio Chavarri. Being without exaggeration the most original building in the city, the palace is an excellent example of eclectic architecture – a mixture of neo-gothic and Moorish style. It was built in the beginning of the 20th century. Today the government of the Basque Country which you would envy sits in the building – it is a pleasure to serve in such a building. The most interesting fact about this place is that the windows are built in pairs, but the second such pair cannot be found – they are all different.