Bilbao

Bilbao ( Bilbo in Basque also ) is the capital of the province of Biscay (Spanish: Vizcaya) and largest city of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country in Spain.

Next it is the most important industrial and port city in the Basque Country and the surrounding region has plus almost 900,000 inhabitants. With 349 356 inhabitants in the urban area Bilbao is one of the ten largest cities in Spain.

Geography

The city lies on the Bilbao estuary, which opens at Portugalete in the Bay of Biscay ( Cantabrian Sea). In Basauri the rivers Nervión and Ibaizabal unite (Basque for Broad River ) and flow together from there into the estuary. The tidal limit is located in the old town at about the San Antón Bridge.

Boroughs

The city of Bilbao is divided into a total of eight so-called " distritos " ( German: Districts ). These are:

History

Diego López de Haro V founded the city at the mouth of the Nervión in the field of predecessor church of Begoña on 15 June 1300. Legal basis was written on June 15, 1300 in Valladolid, and on January 4, 1301 by Ferdinand IV of Castile in Burgos confirmed founding letter ( carta puebla ). The introduction to the founding letter states:

En el nombre de Dios é de la Vgen vienaventurada Sancta Maria. Sepan por esta carta quantos la fours é oieren como yo Diego Lope de Haro, Señor de Vizcaia, en uno con mi fijo Don Lope Diaz é con placer de todos los vizcaynos, fago de Bilvao de parte de Vegonna nueva elements población é villa torturous dizen el puerto de Bilvao ... (English: In the name of God and of the Blessed Virgin Mary Know that through this letter, if you see him or hear about it like it, like me, Diego Lope de Haro Count of Vizcaya, agree with. my son Don Lope Diaz and the joy of all Vizcaynos, spending Bilvao on the part of the Vegonna ( Begoña ) of a new town and municipality, which should be called the port of Bilvao ... )

Earlier here and Others already a Roman settlement called Bellum Vadum exists. This is about the intermediate Bilbaum the present city name, the Shield, so that one could speak at Bilbao on German Schön ford. Other theories attribute the name to the Basque bi albo (German: two sides, on the two banks of the estuary referierend ) or back to the castle Biribilbao, which was located near the Church of San Anton.

At the time of establishment was located where now stands Bilbao La Vieja, a small village of iron forging, sailors and farmers. The first streets of Bilbao were Somera, Artekale and Tenderia.

Agriculture disappeared with time, but the iron and the sea have been preserved as determining elements of Bilbao in the course of history. The quality of the nearby iron mines has already been appreciated and exploited by the Romans. The fact that the Ria a great piece is navigable, made it possible, in fact situated harbor, which was safer than those on the coast, to load the goods Castile for export to Europe.

A product of the iron industry of Bilbao, even if this is not a very creditable one, has even found the entry in the world literature. Thus in Shakespeare's Hamlet: " Methought I lay worse than the Mutinies in the bilboes. " With Bilboes iron rods are meant to which the sailors were tied for punishment with their feet.

Although middle of the 19th century began the construction of the first blast, the development of Bilbao until after the last siege should start up properly in 1874 Carlist War. At that time united the municipal districts of Abando and Begoña, it was which Barcelona for example participating scheduled expansion ( Ensanche ) of the city center and such important buildings such as the Arriaga Theatre, the market or the Alhóndiga (former wine and spirits warehouse ) were created.

The industrial development of the Ria, the establishment of ironworks and shipbuilding companies, drove forward the banking and trading Bilbao and made the capital of the Basque economy.

The industrial decline since the 1970s has made ​​itself felt in the region. However, with positive consequences, as Bilbao 's known to diversify its activities and has strayed from its image of an ugly, gray, dirty city since the early 1990s, which it had suffered for decades.

The now Bilbao effect (also called " Guggenheim effect " ) called Boom offset the encumbered by high unemployment in prosperous industrial city of Bilbao swash and also had an impact on the entire country. Requirement was the integration of protracted over 15 kilometers along the estuary of the Nervión heterogeneous neighborhoods that donated incoherent as in Wuppertal before the monorail, hardly urban identity. An important element of the modernization was planned by Sir Norman Foster Metro route. Their minimalist design received a " declaration of love ": The Bilbaínos named the Disposals " Fosteritos ".

Climate

The climate in Bilbao is determined by the humid sea air, which is influenced by ocean currents, with mild temperatures almost all year round. The wind speeds are higher in the spring or autumn. The average temperature is 21 ° C in summer and 9 ° C in winter. With 1200 mm of rainfall annually Bilbao is one of the wettest cities in Southern Europe.

Demographics

1970 Bilbao was the sixth largest city in Spain, and had 410 490 inhabitants, and 1981, the population increased to 433 115, but after that it went to 2003 353 567 inhabitants back in 2004 and further to 352 317 inhabitants.

Attractions

In the 1990s, Bilbao, which was previously off the beaten track, has undertaken a far-reaching redesign of its city center. This created until 1995, a 28 km long metro line, the stations were designed almost all of Sir Norman Foster.

Another new development is the bridge Zubizuri the architect Santiago Calatrava, which is modeled on a bloated sail.

Center of tourist interest is next to the oldest transporter bridge in the world, the Puente de Vizcaya over the river Nervión (also called Puente Colgante "Hanging Bridge"), which was built to 1997 after plans of U.S. architect Frank O. Gehry, Museo Guggenheim Bilbao. The spectacular museum of titanium, glass and limestone is one of the most important examples of avant-garde architecture of the 20th century world. Here, the museum corresponds to the otherwise often faceless shape -industrial Bilbao, by about the adjacent bridge La Salve with its walls " enclosing ". The collection focuses on modern and contemporary art, which is shown in changing exhibitions. Outside the museum a work of art by Jeff Koons is issued, the puppy which has been planted with flowers and really should be there only in the opening year. Following protests by the population of Puppy could but stand in front of the Guggenheim Museum and is planted each spring with flowers that are exchanged continuously when they are faded.

Tourist in the shadow of these new buildings is the busy, dominated by narrow streets of Bilbao 's Old Town ( the Casco Viejo with the Siete Calles, the seven streets ) and the medieval Gothic Catedral de Santiago from the 14th century. The city has an architecturally interesting mix of old and new buildings of various styles.

Other museums include the Museo de Bellas Artes " Museum of Fine Arts ", one of the major public art museums in Spain, which has been recently renovated and located in the Casco Viejo " Old Town " Museo Etnográfico Vasco " Basque Museum ", Museo Marítimo Ría de Bilbao " maritime Museum " and the fledgling Museo de la Industria " industrial museum " in Portugalete. Another major attraction is the Basilica of Begoña ( Basilica de Nuestra. Sra. De Begoña ).

The motley cityscape can be referred to both as innovative as well as unregulated, in all cases the result is an interesting and vibrant city. Helped in particular by the many parks and green spaces in the city center adjacent to the slopes which are easily reached on foot from the center and allow a unique view of the city.

In Bilbao, the extremely popular football club Athletic Club, which is traditionally occupied by only Basque players plays an important role.

1917 the German school Bilbao, the Colegio Alemán San Bonifacio, established as a bi-cultural encounter school.

Portal of the Catedral de Santiago in the heart of Casco Viejo " Old Town "

Stadium of the Athletic Club

Church of San Vicente de Abando

Traffic

Main carrier of public transport are the Bilbao Metro ( subway) and tram EuskoTran. There are also several bus lines, operated by Bilbobus and Bizkaibus.

Bilbao Airport is not in the area of the city itself, but four kilometers north at the village Loiu, and is named after this Bilbao - Loiu. From the airport there is a bus shuttle to Bilbao.

Twinning

Twinning exist between Bilbao and

  • France Bordeaux, France, since 2000
  • Argentina Buenos Aires, Argentina, since 1992
  • Colombia Medellin, Colombia, since 1998
  • United States Pittsburgh, United States
  • People's Republic of China Qingdao, China, since 2006
  • Argentina Rosario, Argentina, since 1988
  • Sant Adrià de Besòs Spain, Spain ( with the district of San Adrián )
  • Georgia Tbilisi, Georgia.
  • Italy Milan, Italy, since 2011

Sons and daughters of the town

  • Miguel de Unamuno (1864-1936), philosopher
  • Andrés Isasi (1890-1940), composer
  • Rafael Moreno Aranzadi (1892-1922), football player
  • José Antonio Aguirre (1904-1960), politician
  • Pedro Arrupe (1907-1991), general of the order
  • Tomás Blanco (1910-1990), actor
  • Blas de Otero (1916-1979), poet
  • José Arribas (1921-1989), football coach
  • Juan Xiol Marchal (1921-1977), film director and screenwriter
  • Juan Ángel Belda Dardiñá (1926-2010), Bishop
  • Ricardo Diez - high Leitner ( b. 1928 ), President of the Club of Rome
  • Wladimiro Bas Zabache ( born 1929 ), jazz musician
  • Jesús Garay (1930-1995), football player
  • Gabriel Aresti Segurola (1933-1975), poet, patron of the Basque language unit
  • Jon Cortina (1934-2005), Spanish - Salvadoran Jesuit and human rights activist
  • Fritz Rudolf Fries ( * 1935), German writer and translator
  • Pedro Olea ( b. 1938 ), director
  • Jesús Mosterín (* 1941), politician
  • Iñaki Sáez ( born 1943 ), football player and coach
  • Joaquín Almunia ( * 1948 ), politician
  • Carlos Ruiz Herrero ( b. 1948 ), football player
  • Josu Ortuondo Larrea (* 1948), politician
  • Juan Manuel López Iturriaga ( born 1959 ), basketball player
  • Wolfgang Ratz (* 1959), writer
  • Julio Salinas (born 1962 ), football player
  • Jaime Smith Basterra (born 1965 ), CEO of O ₂ Germany
  • Álex de la Iglesia (born 1965 ), film director and screenwriter
  • Kepa Junkera (born 1965 ), musician and composer
  • Francisco Javier García Gaztelu, aka Txapote (born 1966 ), a former leader of the Basque separatist group ETA
  • Rafael Alkorta ( b. 1968 ), football player
  • Aitor Larrazábal (born 1971 ), football player
  • Javier Salinas ( * 1972 ), writer
  • Alberto Berasategui (born 1973 ), tennis player
  • Mikel Garikoitz Aspiazu Rubina ( b. 1973 ), alleged leader of ETA
  • Tontxu (born 1973 ), singer-songwriter
  • Espido Freire (* 1974), writer
  • Gaizka Mendieta ( b. 1974 ), football player
  • Javier Otxoa Palacios ( b. 1974 ), cyclist
  • Gaizka Garitano Aguirre ( b. 1975 ), football player
  • Francisco Yeste ( born 1979 ), football player
  • Gari ( Garikoitz Badiola ), member of the Spanish ska punk band Ska -P
  • Txikitin (Alberto Iriondo ), member of the Spanish ska punk band Ska -P
  • Klaus Pérez- Salado, band member of Christina Stürmer
  • Javier Casas ( b. 1982 ), football player
  • Jon Kortajarena (* 1985) Model
  • Miguel Mínguez (* 1988), cyclist
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