The Ballena Cemetery is one of the most notable examples of Spanish funerary architecture and a model example of urban development. It houses a collection of funerary monuments of exceptional quality in a variety of styles, including neoclassical, eclectic, neo-medieval, modernist, Gothic, art deco, and more. Today, it forms part of the heritage of the city of Castro-Urdiales and has been declared a Site of Cultural Interest with the category of Monument.
The cemetery's location is spectacular. It is an elevated enclave above the sea, like a small peninsula, equipped with the best sanitary conditions to ensure it was "well ventilated" and would not harm "public health," in the words of the time. It is entered through a somewhat monumental gateway, conceived as a space of transition between the world of the living and the dead.
The layout of the cemetery, inaugurated in 1893, is neoclassical in inspiration and is laid out in wide parallel avenues that descend to the sea. It was designed by Joaquín Rucoba and Octavio de Toledo, and built by the architect Alfredo de la Escalera. It is of great importance from an urban planning perspective. The green areas alternate with mausoleums, tombs, and highly decorative neo-Gothic, modernist, and neoclassical pantheons, styles characteristic of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The del Sel family pantheon is particularly noteworthy, guarded by an impressive bronze angel and four hooded falcons.
