Iñaki Uriarte La configuración física del perfil de la costa vasca en el Golfo de Bizkaia frente al Océano Atlántico ofrece una Metamorfosis enorme apertura entre elevados acantilados desde la costa occidental en Punta Lucero, Santurtzi, hasta la costa oriental en Punta Galea, Getxo, distantes , km. del espacio Asimismo, entre éste teórico frente dotado de una gran profundidad, hasta m, y el final de la corriente fluvial, portuario fluvial inicio del estuario del Ibaizabal, hay una distancia de , km. Este enorme espacio oceánico, en forma de embudo, constituye el Abra de la ría donde se crea una gran de Bilbao ensenada que por problemas de oleaje, vientos dominantes, y principalmente, no era un puerto natural de refugio con garantía. Un inmenso vacío repleto de mar. El río Ibaizabal que recibe, en Urbi (dos aguas) Basauri, el caudal procedente del Nerbioi forma un sinuoso cauce que fusiona y enfrenta sus aguas, entorno a la antigua isla de San Cristóbal, con las procedentes de la mar a través de su estuario en el paraje hasta donde llegaba el flujo y reflujo de las mareas, a dos leguas y media (unos km) de la mar. Aprovechando, según la historia, un lugar vadeable junto al camino de Castilla se construirá “la puente” de piedra de San Antón anexo a una peña sobre la que se edificó un alcázar, posteriormente iglesia de San Antón, donde existía un fondeadero natural para los barcos. El puente unía las orillas que acogían a dos pueblas diferentes. La de la izquierda, según la corriente del río, Bilbao Zaharra (la vieja) minera, ferrona e industrial; la derecha, un lugar constituido por una ermita dedicada al apóstol Santiago, vía marítima del camino de peregrinaje, con una casa solariega y algunas de pescadores, navegantes y comerciantes. Ahí se creará el núcleo de Bilbao, al que en Metamorphosis place in the river next to the of the River Port Areas Castille Road was used to build se otorgará su Carta Puebla que le distingue como of Bilbao the San Antón stone “bridge” next Villa al decir: “con plazer de todos los vizcaynos ffago en Iñaki Uriarte to a crag on which was built a Bilvao de parte de Begoña nuevamente población é villa que fortress, later turned into the church of San Antón, where there dicen el puerto de Bilbao”. Que, semánticamente, en un was a natural anchorage for boats. lenguaje contemporáneo podríamos interpretarlo, y así se ha RÍA The bridge joined the banks upon conocido y transmitido, como que “fue antes puerto que The physical configuration of the which two different towns were outline of the Basque coast in the built. On the left bank, going by villa”. El puente, la ría y la iglesia constituirán el emblema Gulf of Biscay facing the Atlantic the river current, Bilbao Zaharra del burgo. Desde entonces el puerto y la villa participando Ocean is an enormous opening (old Bilbao), which was a mining, de un origen, una evolución y una historia común han between high cliffs from the west iron-producing and industrial coast in Punta Lucero, Santurtzi, town; on the right bank, a place compartido conflictos y beneficios esenciales para su up to the east coast in Punta made up of a hermitage dedicated población, economía, cultura y urbanismo. Abandonada ya Galea, Getxo, . km apart. to the apostle St James, the sea Likewise, between this theoretical path of the pilgrims’ route, with recientemente la Ría, como puerto, otra vez, front with its very deep waters, an ancestral home and some simultáneamente, asumirán un nuevo y diferente futuro. (up to m), and the end of the houses for fishermen, sailors and river current, where the Ibaizabal merchants. Here the centre of estuary begins, there is a distance Bilbao was built, and in was of . km. This enormous funnel- granted its Charter, granting it the shaped ocean area makes up the status of a City, which stated: En la reconversión de los antiguos espacios portuarios Inlet of the ría or tidal inlet, “with the pleasure of the forming a giant cove, which was Biscayans I hereby make in como trascendentales fachadas fluviales o marítimas not a natural guaranteed safe port, Bilbao, part of Begoña, a new públicas, es fundamental un riguroso análisis de su destino because of the waves and the settlement and city, which is al ser lugares que redimidos por el trabajo están dominant and winds. It is a called the Port of Bilbao.” This great empty space full of sea. name could be interpreted in suficientemente amortizados, incluso económicamente, At Urbi (two waters) Basauri, the semantic terms in a modern para destinarlos a fines sociales sostenibles. El puerto river Ibaizabal receives the water language, and in this way it has flowing down from the Nerbioi, been known and passed on as that fluvial de Bilbao en toda su extensión ha sido hasta hace which forms a sinuous flow which “was a port before it was a poco un gran espacio lineal de múltiples actividades mingling its waters and brings town.” The bridge, ría and laborales para la minería, industriales como la siderurgia, them face to face around the church were to make up the former island of San Cristóbal emblem of the town. From then calderería y astilleros, y comercial. with the waters flowing from the on, the port and the town, Desde la intensa implantación de la industrialización, a sea through its estuary in the sharing one origin, one partir de , se ha generado a lo largo de tantos años un place where the ebb and flow of development, and one history, the tides meet, two and a half have shared conflicts and benefits urbanismo con muy variados componentes leagues (some km) from the essential for their population, arquitectónicos, industriales y de obra pública que como sea. History says that a fordable economy, culture and urban Vista aérea de la ría y del Puerto de Bilbao Aerial view of the river and port of Bilbao Muelle de Marzana time had to consider the Marzana wharf possibility of the two types of traffic: the river, which always has preference, and the carriages and people. One traditional solution to this problem was to place the roadway or crossing at a compromise height somewhere between an appropriate gauge for the rigging of the ships and a point allowing access of vehicles and pedestrians. This involved mechanical systems allowing the level to be raised and dropped: lifting swing bridges, rotating bridges and ferries. The bridges were built progressively as the city developed, following the flow of the river, with more bridges built over the years. When urban development made it necessary to fix the mobile bridges, the wharves upstream of these fell into disuse, as they were not so accessible from the river. Each new bridge would close a stretch to shipping and would open up a planning. Having recently been important part of the memory of operations such as the wide range new urban era of the town. This is abandoned as a port, the Ría will the City. of cranes of all types that were what happened in when the now enjoy a new, shared future Along the ría, the port required located on their wharves and the lifting mechanisms of the Isabel with the port. other auxiliary elements and very few remaining architectural bridge were removed, in El navigational mechanisms in order witnesses to all those built by the Arenal, reducing the activity of to be fully functional. And, works board at the time. The two the Theatre wharf and again, in though these machines are remaining old sheds of La Sendeja with the Euskalduna bridge, When restructuring old port areas nothing more than humdrum (of the original eleven), dating leaving the Abandoibarra wharf into dazzling public river or equipment, they are both simple back to and the abandoned upstream, a port maritime waterfronts, it is vital to and beautiful. They make up extraordinary Free Warehouse of outpost in the centre of town. analyse rigorously what they are small landmarks, which are Uribitarte, built between and Bilbao’s bridges are characteristic to be turned into, as these are sites unfortunately not recognised nor , one of the most beautiful in their design, because even after whose working lives are long over, even listed and protected as port architectures in Europe, they have crossed the river they and are therefore sufficiently cultural heritage. currently being demolished to continue until they connect with amortised, even in financial Worthy of note in this respect are make way for an the city, allowing the wharves and terms, to be able to be turned micro-structures such as the incomprehensible and speculative railway lines to continue over to sustainable social prefabricated concrete elements operation backed by the Bilbao uninterrupted. The bridges purposes. Throughout its entire that make up the stairs of the City Council. represent specific periods of port length, the river port of Bilbao numerous passing points between activity, territorial expansion and has until recently been a huge banks with the sheds of their the history of the city. linear venue for a multitude of loading platforms and the , RÍA work activities, such as mining, concrete structures of the old An important part of the history steel working, boiler making and wharves, which have either of Bilbao has been the challenge ship building, in addition to replaced or hidden the original of how to cross the ría, while commercial activity. Since the wooden structures as a result of allowing shipping to pass. The The port and industrial ría in intense implantation of industrial subsequent extensions; the walls bridges, those fundamental Bilbao has ceased to exist in a very activities began in , over the of stone ashlars which channelled elements in the functionality of short time.