Industry and mining changed the economy, society and the physical environment of Bilbao Bizkaia. The vestiges of that era still live on all around us.

When Character is Forged in Iron

The city and the estuary of Bilbao were very different in the past. This city that today bases its economy on services, and which has been praised as an example of urban regeneration, was a major industrial centre decades ago.

Beyond the city, the industrial and mining history of this land extends throughout Bizkaia. Learning about its history means immersing oneself in a fundamental part of the character of Bilbao Bizkaia.

The Heritage of the Industrial era along the Bilbao River

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the city of Bilbao underwent an accelerated transformation from an exhausted industrial model to one based on services.

Much of the industrial heritage disappeared at that time, but both in Bilbao and along the banks of the Nervión-Ibaizabal river there are still many vestiges of the prosperous past linked to factories, iron and shipyards.

From the Deusto bridge, which at the time would open to allow ships thorugh, to the Carola crane and the docks in front of the Itsasamuseum. The majestic railway stations that allowed the movement of goods and people. The ore loading bays such as those that are still in Sestao or Barakaldo. The Iron Wharf in Portugalete and the impressive Bizkaia Bridge, a great work of engineering. And we should not forget the luxurious villas of the bourgeoisie in Getxo.

The historical heritage of the industrial era along the Bilbao river is, in short, rich, varied and very revealing as a witness to an entire era.

Iron, Mountain and Sea

The first source of Bilbao Bizkaia's industrial prosperity was iron, which was easy to extract and of exceptional quality.

The extraction of this mineral for decades, sometimes called "red gold", has left countless examples of heritage and industrial remains that allow us to follow the journey of this mineral from the mines of Meatzaldea to the washing and loading bays on the coast and by the river.

Mining had an immense impact not only on the character, customs and traditions of the people of the area, but also on the physical environment.

For example, in the former mining village of La Arboleda the old mine shafts have been converted into intricate and beautiful lakes. And in the open-cast mine of Bodovalle, next to the Basque Country Mining Museum, one can admire a deep scar on the earth that tells us about how human activity can transform the landscape.

Bilbao Bizkaia's industrial past is still alive, on many levels. It can be seen in the numerous examples of architecture and engineering that have survived to the present day. We can trace it in the character and values of a population that to this day values effort and innovation. And we can even admire it in the natural environment, modified over the decades of the Industrial Revolution.