The story of Santurtzi stretches back over a thousand years.
Throughout the town's long history, St. George and the sea have always been key motifs. Back then, though, not all you see today existed.
The land you are standing on right now was first reclaimed from the sea just over a century ago. It was then that this tree was planted, which grew to become a WITNESS TO OUR RECENT HISTORY.
It is an Atlas cedar, planted in 1917 and felled in 2015. Today, like the pages of a book, its rings recount some of the events of the last hundred years.
Discover it for yourself.
1917: Park opened and Atlas cedar planted
POPULATION: 4,000
• Laid out between 1917 and 1918, Santurtzi's park and bandstand are located on a flat stretch of land reclaimed from the sea. When the park was first created, a number of different botanical species were planted, many of them from overseas. One of them was the HUNDRED-YEAR OLD TREE, an Atlas cedar, first transplanted here as a 4-year old sapling.
• On 21 October 1917 the annual boat race in the Abra bay was won by the crew of the Nueva Eulalia from Santurtzi.
1920: School built at Kabiezes as the new district starts to grow
POPULATION: 4,780
1921: First filmed female aurresku
In 1921, the Abra boat race was again won by Santurtzi. On 16, 17 and 18 September, special events were held in honour of the crew, including traditional dances of tribute, or aurreskus. On 18 September, the first aurresku by a female dancer to be filmed was performed in the park at Santurtzi.
1923: Cristobal de Murrieta monument unveiled
On 17 June, the monument to Cristóbal de Murrieta was unveiled to mark the completion of land reclamation in the area between Portugalete and Santurtzi.
1926: The railway comes to Santurtzi
POPULATION: 7,997
To cater to an expanding population, the rail line that had linked Bilbao and Portugalete since 1890 was extended to Santurzi. The new leg of the route opened on 20 December 1926.
1932: Fire at the church of San Jorge
On 18 January 1932, the Church of St. George (San Jorge) suffered an arson attack. The altarpiece at the high altar, side altar and twentieth-century wooden tympanum were all damaged. The same year saw completion of the Las Viñas school.
1933: Districts of Repélega, Rivas, Galindo and La Sierra separate
Following a number of claims, the districts of Repélega, Rivas, Galindo and La Sierra, formerly part of Santurtzi, were ceded to the neighbouring town of Portugalete.
1936-37: Civil war air raids on Santurtzi by Franco's forces
During the Spanish Civil War, the important port facilities made Santurtzi a target for National forces. In all, it was bombed seven times. A number of air-raid shelters were fitted out in the town. At least ten people were killed in the raids.
1937: Mass evacuation of child refugees through the port
During the Civil War, for their own safety, many children were evacuated abroad. Several vessels were used, but the best-known was the steamship Habana, which carried around twenty thousand children in all from the port in Santurtzi.
After the fall of Bilbao on 19 June 1937, resistance on the left bank of the Nervión collapsed and Santurtzi was occupied by Franco's troops a few days later on 23 June.
1950: Unveiling of the monument to Our Lady of Mount Carmel POPULATION: 9,922
• In 1950, a monument was built to Our Lady of Mount Carmel — patron of seafarers. Designed by local-born sculptor Ricardo Iñurria, it was unveiled on 27 August, 1950. Two parades of boats were held to honoured the Virgin that year, one on her feast day (16 July) and one on the day the monument was inaugurated.
• Inauguration of houses for fishing folk in Mamariga.
1960: Population increase POPULATION: 25,218
The population had increased by 150% in just ten years.
1962: Opening of the Sardinera Park and unveiling of the monument to the sardine-seller
A year after a new park was laid out, a sculpture of a sardine-monger (sardinera) was unveiled. Designed by sculptor Joaquín Lucarini, it gave its name to the new park.
1967: Butane explosion at the port
• On the night of 17-18 January 1967, a consignment of butane gas exploded in the port of Santurtzi. The incident cut off telephone and power supplies to the town and caused extensive damage; 295 homes and 778 people were affected. In all, 150 families were made homeless. To house them, a whole district of prefabricated homes —called El Burgo— was built in the Coscojales-El Campón area. The buildings remained until 1987.
• Also in 1967, the Itsasoko Ama rowing club was founded and the fishing industry experienced a major boom with more than fifty inshore boats operating out of the port.
1972: First stone of Punta Lucero jetty laid. Creation of the Sparta Women's Soccer Club POPULATION: 46,417
1973: First "Sardine Day" staged during festivities to mark the feast day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
1974: First public library
The first public library in Santurtzi was opened in February 1974. It was situated on Calle José Miguel de Barandiarán.
1975: Municipal swimming pools
The municipal swimming pools were officially opened on 16 July 1975, (the feast day of the patron of Santurtzi). A municipal sports centre was inaugurated twelve years later.
1979: First democratic town council following the death of Franco
POPULATION: 55,159
On 3 April 1979, Santurtzi held its first democratic municipal elections and José Antonio Loidi Alcaraz became the town's first mayor.
1983: Official change of name
On 22 March, 1983, the town —previously known as Santurce— was renamed as Santurtzi (its Basque name). However, it was to take another six years before the new denomination was officially acknowledged with the publication of the ruling in the Official State Gazette.
2000: Last fish auction
Santurtzi's fish market had a hall where catches were auctioned off to the highest bidder. The last of these fish auctions was held in May 2000. However, you can now relive the experience in a special dramatized tour organized by the maritime museum (Santurtzi Itsasoa Museoa).
2008: Inauguration of Kabiezes sports centre
2009: The metro arrives in Santurtzi
• In 2009, the Bilbao Metro line that already ran as far as Portugalete was extended to Santurtzi. Local people now had a direct underground link to Bilbao and the two banks of the river estuary. In 2010, an additional shuttle service to the Mamariga area was opened.
• In 2009, the park was redesigned and more green areas were added. During this renovation, a civil-war-era air raid shelter was discovered.
2011: Restoration of the Palacio Casa Torre
In 1984, the town hall acquired the Baroque eighteenth-century Palacio Casa Torre (Towerhouse Palace), for use as municipal offices. In November 2009 the building was remodelled to be used for cultural activities; an exhibition hall and interpretation centre were created. The work was completed in 2011.
2012: Re-opening of the fish market
In May 2012, the fish market (also known as the Fishermen's Guild) which had been designed by architect Emiliano Pagazazaurtundua and inaugurated nearly a century before in 1916, was restored and reopened.
2014: The metro reaches Kabiezes
POPULATION: 47,101
On 28 June 2014, a metro station was opened in the Kabiezes district, coinciding with the local annual festivities.
2015: Election of the first female mayor
• For the first time in the history of the town a woman, Aintzane Urkijo Sagredo, was elected to the post of mayor of Santurtzi.
• In the same year, the Atlas cedar, which was diseased, had to be felled. Today, we can read the history of Santurtzi on the rings of the stump of this century-old tree.