History of Sea and fishing heritage museum in Santurtzi

The Santurtzi Itsas Museoa tells the story of Santurtzi’s connection to the sea in all manners: professional, social, cultural and recreational.
The experience pairs perfectly with a trip to the beautiful Agurtza Tuna Fishing Boat, one of the last traditional wooden fishing boats on our coasts.

Go to content

A bit of history

  • The museum is located in the building that is most emblematic of the history of Santurtzi: the Fishers Guild. The Santurtzi Itsasoa Sea Museum tells the story of Santurtzi’s connection to the sea in all manners: professional, social, cultural and recreational. Santurtzi has been one of the ports of Bizkaia with the most boats dedicated to inshore fishing. The Agurtza is an example of one of these boats. It is one of the last traditional wooden fishing boats on our coasts, which are part of our heritage.

  • Diferentes medios audiovisuales muestran a lo largo del recorrido esa unión de las y los santurtziarras con el ámbito marítimo desde 1600 hasta la actualidadA variety of audiovisual resources along the route show the relationship of people from Santurtzi and the sea from 1600 to today. Visitors will be able to learn about the significant work done by sailors to get around the sandbar, which made it difficult for ships to enter and exit the Bilbao estuary, as well as how his serious navigation issue was solved.

  • The museum also shows the exciting lives of the privateers and pirates that sailed these seas, the mid- 16th century adventures of one of the most well-known smugglers of Santurtzi, the origin of regattas and the fishing boat tradition in this community. Of course, it does not forget to make space for one of the most important and emblematic figures of Santurtzi, the sardineras, the sharp women who were always on the lookout for the arrival of the fishermen and wandered the entire bank selling their wares, even reaching places as far away as Plentzia and Balmaseda.