When the town of Bilbao was founded more than 700 years ago, its inhabitants lived off irrigation and fishing, and the estuary was already beginning to emerge as the best means of communication with the outside world.
At that time, there were two distinct population centers: on the one hand, the left bank, or Bilbao la Vieja, which was a mining area where iron was worked in forges. On the other, the right bank, called Casco Viejo, was dedicated to commercial and port traffic.
* This image shows the Rivera Market next to the Bilbao Estuary.
The heart of the Old Town was surrounded by walls and formed by three parallel streets. Later, it became necessary to demolish the walls and build four more streets perpendicular to the estuary, which, together with the first three, make up what is now known as the Seven Streets. Since 1979, this area has been pedestrianized, transforming it into a 240,000-square-meter shopping center with hundreds of commercial establishments, bars, and restaurants.
The worst disaster ever suffered by the city of Bilbao, the floods of 1983, ravaged the historic center and completely destroyed it. Despite the devastation, the Old Town managed to re-emerge and become one of the city's most popular tourist and commercial areas.
*In this image we see a central area of the Old Town crowded with people, with the stairs to Begoña, the metro entrance and the Archaeology Museum.
Initially, only three streets were built, surrounded by the walls. After their demolition, four more streets were laid out, resulting in the seven streets that give the city its name today. In 1979, it was decided to convert the entire area into a pedestrian zone to facilitate commercial activity. Don't miss a stroll through its streets, which boast hundreds of establishments, bars, and restaurants where you can sample traditional "Pintxos" or miniature cuisine. Don't be surprised if you encounter groups of people along the way, glass of wine in hand, enjoying the traditional "Txikito" (a traditional txikito). They begin to sing popular melodies. Inside the Old Town is also the Plaza Nueva, a rectangular, neoclassical building dating from the 19th century. The town's most historic streets also house small ethnographic museums, such as the Holy Week Procession Museum, the Basque Museum, the Archaeological Museum, and the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art.
* In this image we find people walking through the Old Town, taken from the beginning of the climb up the stairs to Begoña.