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BASQUE COUNTRY GUIDE APRIL 2017 Erasmus Student Network Vigo Local de asociaciones 3, edificio Miralles, Plaza Miralles, Campus Universitario Lagoas Marcosende s/n 36310 Vigo www.esnvigo.org 1 INDEX BURGOS Burgos Cathedral Burgos Castle Plaza Mayor Plaza España Museum of Human Evolution BILBAO Gran Vía The Old Town Arriaga Theater Bilbao-Abando Railway Station Bilbao Guggenheim Museum SAN JUAN DE GAZTELUGATXE GERNIKA-LUMO Casa de Juntas and Gernika Tree Santa María’s Church Euskal Herria Museum DONOSTIA-SAN SEBASTIÁN Old Town and the romantic area Buen Pastor Cathedral San Vicente’s Church City Hall Victoria Eugenia’s Theatre María Cristina Hotel La Perla La Concha promenade Kursaal Congress Palace Ondarreta Erasmus Student Network Vigo www.esnvigo.org 2 BURGOS Burgos is a Spanish city located in the North of the Iberian Peninsula, capital of its homonymous province. It is in the Autonomous Community de Castilla y León and it is the second most populated city in Castilla y León, right after Valladolid. Burgos is well known for its monuments, amongst which Santa María’s Cathedral stands out. Plus, it is crossed by the Way of St. James, named Heritage of Humanity, and it is 15 kms away from Atapuerca’s archaeological site, worldwide known for its archaeological and paleontological finds it has inside. Amongst these finds, fossils of different species of hominids are of special interest. The privileged geographic location of this city has allowed it to become an important communications hub in the North of Spain, both of national and international routes. It is an industrial city with a strongly developed service sector, being tourism one of the basis of its economy. Burgos was the Spanish capital of gastronomy in 2013 and it has hosted many international events. During the last few years, this city has experienced a significant rise in the investigation field, counting with research centers like CENIEH (National Center of Human Evolution Investigation) or ITCL (Technological Institute of Castilla y León). By the end of this year, Burgos’ Technological Park will start working and it will the biggest technological park in this region. Burgos is a city in which El Cid Campeador, a very important figure during the 11th Century Spanish Reconquest, was particularly active. A statue of him can be found in Mío Cid Square since it is highly related to the history of the city. Erasmus Student Network Vigo www.esnvigo.org 3 Burgos Cathedral ​ Burgos Cathedral started being built in 1221 at the request of Fernando III, King of Castilla, and was finished in 1765 with the construction of the towers and the dome. The last important works —the Sacristy ​ ​ or Santa Tecla’s Chapel— belong to the 18th Century, ​ when Gothic façades were modified. The style of the cathedral is Gothic, although it has many Renaissance and Baroque decorative elements inside. The cathedral was declared National Monument in April, 8th 1885 and Heritage of Humanity by Unesco in October, 31st 1984. It is the only Spanish cathedral that has this distinction by Unesco independently, without being joined to the city’s old town. Burgos Castle ​ Burgos Castle is a fortress located on San Miguel’s hill, 75 m above the city level. It was built in 884, during Reconquest times, by Count Diego Rodríguez Porcelos, although older fortresses already existed. It was built on the same site in which two defense towers existed —also built on behalf ​ ​ of the same count— considered as the first constructions in the city. As its importance ​ increased, a castle and more complex defensive elements were built. Nowadays it is a public park with streets dedicated to poets. The partial reconstruction of the fortress has allowed its modification as a museum —open to the public in 2003— ​ ​ ​ Erasmus Student Network Vigo www.esnvigo.org 4 or as an interpretation centre. Its well and the underground galleries known as Cueva del Moro can also be visited. Plaza Mayor ​ Mercado Menor Square, known as Plaza Mayor is an irregular polygon shaped construction. First named Mercados Semanales Square, given by the Kings Fernando the Catholic and Carlos I, became the biggest centre of commercial activity in Burgos. Here there was the Carretas Door, through which carriages could get in the markets, distributed under its surrounding arcades. With the 1791 reformation it became the definitive administrative center of the city. The Carretas Door and the contiguous wall were demolished and new constructions were built, aligned with the square outline by porticoed façades. This way the road that linked Madrid with France was left out of the wall and by the river and its promenade on the South side, and the commercial area on the North side. Plaza España ​ The Ensanche —or ‘expansion district’— was created in the early 20th Century. Big ​ ​ ​ avenues were built, by which a big part of the city traffic walks through nowadays. It is the neuralgic centre, since La Paz Avenue, El Cid Avenue and the Catholic Kings Avenue start from it. It is also the main stop of many urban buses lines, distributed around the Dolphins roundabout. Erasmus Student Network Vigo www.esnvigo.org 5 Museum of Human Evolution ​ In June, 13th 2010 the Museum of Human Evolution, designed by the architect Juan Navarro Baldeweg, was open. It shows the most important fossils found at the site. The Convent of San Pablo de Burgos, of the Dominican Order and non-existent nowadays, used to be on the land where the museum was built. One can enter the museum through a ramp that can be accessed from Paseo de Atapuerca, a wide pedestrian area with gardens and trees and which allows to walk directly to Arlanzón River. The museum was integrated in the declaration of Atapuerca Archaeological site as Heritage of Humanity in 2015, when it was declared by UNESCO as “place of unique universal value”. OPENING HOURS: From Tuesday to Friday from 10h to 14.30h and from 16.30h to 20h. Weekend, bank holidays, July and August from 10h to 20h. General admission: €6. Reduced admission €4: Students with ID, groups of more than 8 people. Free entrance: Youth Card holders (or international equivalents). Erasmus Student Network Vigo www.esnvigo.org 6 BILBAO Bilbao is the heart of a large metropolis with more than 1 million inhabitants. It is also the main axis of the socio-economic development in the Bay of Biscay and the key ​ factor of its modernization. The “Seven Streets” of Bilbao were the original streets around which the city was born, along with its wall and its bridge. The port was an essential element in this city which looked onto its square and the bridge that crossed the ría or estuary, enabling ​ ​ ​ merchants to pass and bring riches and fashions from other lands. These “Seven Streets” soon were not enough and the walls were demolished in order to allow the expansion of the town. Bilbao grew into the suburb of Ibeni, with a church and a quay. The Arenal was drained allowing a brighter Bilbao to rise on the land reclaimed from the estuary. In the late 19th century, the city, restricted to the Old Town, had to grow and on the other side of the estuary, the fertile meadows of Abando were waiting to become the new centre of Bilbao. The architects Alzola, Achúcarro y Hoffmeyer made the Ensanche —or ‘expansion district’— possible. The middle-class settled in these new ​ ​ ​ streets , where they built their houses and established their business. Below, we present a list of the different landmarks in this city sorted by areas: Gran Vía ​ The Gran Vía de Don Diego López de Haro is the financial and trading hub and includes the BBVA, BBK and Caja Laboral banks, El Corte Inglés shopping centre, the Palacio de la Diputación de Bizkaia (The Biscay Delegation Palace) and the Sota building. The ​ design of this avenue was presented by the architect Achúcaro and the engineers Alzola and Hoffmeyer in 1876. It starts at the Circular Square and ends at the Sagrado Corazón Square, with a width of 50 meters and a length of 1.5 km. Almost in the Erasmus Student Network Vigo www.esnvigo.org 8 middle of this avenue we can see the Federico Moyúa Square, the centre of the Ensanche, which also hosts the Chávarri Palace and the Carlton Hotel. ​ ​ The Old Town ​ The Old Town or “Seven Streets” (Somera, ​ Artecalle, Tendería, Belosticalle, Carnicería Vieja, Barrencalle and Barrencalle Barrena) is the ​ ​ ​ oldest suburb and the original part of Bilbao. It is located in the district of Ibaiondo and hosts the Plaza Nueva and some emblematic buildings such as the Arriaga Theater, the Bidebarrieta Library, La Bolsa (the Stock ​ ​ Exchange), Atxuri Station, the Santiago Cathedral and the churches of San Antón, San Nicolás and Santos Juanes. Its commercial vigour is reflected in five hundred shops, where the Ribera Market —the largest indoor food market in Europe— stands out. ​ ​ Most of its narrow streets are pedestrian and also full of bars offering tasty pintxos ​ (Basque for “tapas”) and Basque cuisine. Erasmus Student Network Vigo www.esnvigo.org 9 Arriaga Theater ​ The Arriaga Theater —the oldest theatre in Bilbao— is located next to the bridge which connects the Old Town with the Ensanche. This theatre has been named after the composer Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga, also known as the “Spanish Mozart”, who died at 19. The Arriaga Theatre was built in a neo-baroque style between 1886 and 1890 by the architect Joaquín Rucoba. At the time, it was equipped with the latest technologies and considered as one of the most important theatres in Spain. After undergoing a fire in 1914, the theatre was re-inaugurated in 1919 and remained a first class theatre for many years.

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