Getxo, a Basque discovery

El municipality of Getxo It is located about twenty kilometers from Bilbao. It has a huge tourist attraction both for its beautiful beaches and for its rich heritage of monuments and its delicious, typically Biscayan cuisine.

It is made up of five neighborhoods. Neguri It is the aristocratic one, with large palaces and pleasure houses. Instead, Romo It had a working class origin, as it developed with the construction of the railway from Bilbao. Las Arenas It is home to the famous suspension bridge. Santa Maria It is made up of hamlets and Algorta It is the maritime enclave. We are going to talk to you about all of this below in this article about the municipality of Getxo.

History of Getxo

The existence of Getxo begins in the 12th century when the first peasants settled around the church of Santa María (or Second Mary). Around that time, fishermen also arrived in the Algorta area, creating its old port. This, with its steep and narrow streets, preserves all its primitive charm.

Already in the 18th century, Getxo grew in the heat of the commercial and mercantile activities of Bilbao. Likewise, he acquired strategic value due to its location at the entrance to the estuary. But the great development of the municipality occurred in the second half of the 19th century.

Because it is a privileged enclave with magnificent beaches, the aristocracy of Biscay and other Spanish provinces began to choose the municipality of Getxo as place for your vacation. Thus, they built sumptuous homes, especially in the new neighborhoods of Neguri and Las Arenas. At the same time, they improved their communications with the arrival of the railway from Bilbao and, above all, with the construction of the suspension bridge that we will tell you about later.

What to see in Getxo

As we have already told you, the municipality of Getxo has numerous monuments of different types. Among them, precisely, are the stately palaces that we mentioned to you. For example, the Ampuero palace, a jewel of neo-mountain style due to the architect Manuel Smith; the Arriluce, for which José Luis Oriol he chose the neo-gothic; the Lezama Leguizamón, the work of José María Basterra in modernist style, or the San Joseren, with an eclectic style.

All these residential villas are listed as Cultural Asset in the category of Monumental Ensemble. But Getxo has many other buildings of interest that you should know.

Suspension bridge, symbol of the municipality of Getxo

Also called Biscay Bridge, was inaugurated in 1893 to connect the two banks of the Bilbao estuary between Portugalete and, precisely, Getxo. At the time, it was unique in the world and constitutes a symbol of the Industrial Revolution in the the Basque Country.

Actually, it is a ferry bridge. That is, it has a gondola that passengers and vehicles board. This crosses the river suspended by cables from the structure of the bridge itself. Engineers participated in its design. Alberto de Palacio y Ferdinand Arnodin and has a length of 160 meters. Likewise, the nacelle is at a height of 61 to make it easier for boats to pass under it. You can still try it today, as it is in use.

Algorta old port

As we have told you, it is one of the original points of the municipality of Getxo. It's about a fishing district with narrow streets and traditional Basque buildings. Its nerve center is Etxetxu house, built in the 18th century by the Brotherhood of Mareantes. It stands out for its open arcade and its continuous bench and for a time it housed the Getxo Town Hall.

Next to it, on the stairs that lead to the port, is the parapet of Riberamune, which was a meeting place for fishermen for several generations. But the old port also has other monuments that we will show you later.

La Galea and Aixerrota

These are two areas of the municipality of Getxo joined by a nice stroll which offers you wonderful views of the coast and the Abra port. In the first of them, in addition, you have some impressive Cliffs that bear similarity to those of Normandy in France and Dover in the United Kingdom.

It is also an area with beautiful beaches such as those of Azkorri and La Salvaje. The latter is perfect for surfing and paragliding, while, in the former, there is the "golden nail", a distinction given to places of geological uniqueness. But, above all, in this area you can see three of the main monumental attractions of Getxo: the Nuestra Señora del Carmen cemetery, the La Galea fort and the Aixerrota mill. Let's get to know them.

The cemetery of Our Lady of Carmen

It was created at the beginning of the 20th century by the Gipuzkoan architect Fidel Iturria. Respond to the most genuine neoclassical and has the most beautiful pantheons in the entire world. the Basque Country. Altogether, it houses about five hundred, along with chapels and other examples of funerary art. As if all this were not enough, it offers you magnificent views of the Bilbao estuary, the port and the mountains that surround it.

La Galea Fort

It is an 18th century fortification that was built to defend the estuary from outside attacks. Its designer was Colonel Jaime Sycre and, currently, it is the only military construction of this class that is preserved in Vizcaya. Also know as prince's castle, has thick masonry walls surrounded by a moat and fourteen gun ports. As for its interior, it had different buildings used as magazines, warehouses and housing for the troops.

Aixerrota mill

It also dates back to the 18th century. Specifically, it was built along with others of its kind due to the drought that hit the municipality of Getxo, since it did not need water to grind wheat. However, it is the only one left. The first thing that will catch your attention is that it has little to do with those of La Mancha.

While these are cylindrical, the Biscayan ones are shaped like a truncated cone. Furthermore, they are later, since the ones from La Mancha date back to the 16th century. The Aixerrota mill was restored a few years ago and currently houses a painting gallery, next to which you will find a restaurant.

As a curiosity, we will tell you that its name means, in Basque, precisely, "Windmill". But, above all, there is a novel about the adventure of its construction. Its author is the guechotarra Pedro Fernandez and it is titled Aixerrota, the legacy of the Irish.

Old hermitage of San Nicolás and the origin of the municipality of Getxo

Precisely, you will find it in the old port of Algorta. Its construction date is unknown. In fact, the first information about it dates back to the 17th century, when the Brotherhood of Seafarers decided to choose it as the headquarters for their meetings. Already in the 20th century it underwent an important transformation to become a neighborhood house. Only its apse remained standing.

But there are other religious monuments that we recommend you visit in the municipality of Getxo. The church of Andra Mari or Santa María It is the construction around which it was created as an inhabited nucleus. It dates, therefore, from the 12th century, although later reforms have given it its current baroque style.

In turn, the temple of San Nicolás de Bari It was built in the mid-19th century and responds to neoclassical canons. Something later is that of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, which has neo-Romanesque and neo-Byzantine features. Also neo-romanesque is the Church of the Holy TrinityWhile that of Our Lady of Mercedes It stands out for its neo-Escurial style and the mural decoration of its interior.

Arrantzale and Sardinera

Getxo also pays tribute to its origins. Good proof of this are Arrantzale and Sardinera, two characters that make up one of the sculptures in the old port of Algorta. The first word means "fisherman" in Basque and, therefore, the statue pays homage to this figure and the sardiners who later carried the fish to the city.

But the municipality of Getxo has other sculptures in its streets. Also notable among them is the one dedicated to the engineer Evaristo Churruca and Brunet, who was responsible for the construction of the outer port of Bilbao. By the way, he was a relative of the great sailor Cosme Damián Churruca, who died heroically at the Battle of Trafalgar.

Asuerka Square

You will also find it in the old port of Algorta. Like Riberamune, which we have already mentioned, it is another of those places full of charm in the primitive enclave of the municipality. In fact, you will find this square a few meters from that viewpoint and, like it, it offers you wonderful views of the maritime landscape. In the oral tradition of the area it has come to be called Suerka.

Leisure port, sports port

El El Abra-Getxo marina completes the equipment for tourism in the area. It is the first of its kind that was built in the the Basque Country. It was inaugurated in 1997 and has all the facilities and services required for sports navigation. It has a 9000 square meter slipway and a technical area with the necessary accessories and supplies for practicing water sports.

But, in addition, it has a recreational and commercial space with shops, bars and restaurants. It even has a cinema complex, the Getxo Zinemak, which offers you six projection rooms, two of which are equipped for three-dimensional films.

In conclusion, we have shown you everything you can see in the beautiful municipality of Getxo. As if that were not enough, very close you have the wonderful city of Bilbao, whose banner is Guggenheim Museum, but it has many other monuments. For example, the Santiago's cathedral, Basilica of Our Lady of Begoña to Chávarri and Provincial Council palaces. Come and visit this beautiful part of the the Basque Country.