When in 1199 Don Lope Sánchez de Mena , Lord of Bortedo, granted a charter to Balmaseda, he was privileging a crossroads between Santander, Burgos and Álava that had been very busy since ancient times with merchants and traders.
Taking the station bridge and walking along the Martín Mendia promenade, we will arrive – flanked by the Kadagua River – at the Old Bridge or Muza Bridge , the quintessential image of Balmaseda, built in the 13th century and an obligatory passage of the old Castile road.
On the other side of the bridge is San Lorenzo, the old Jewish quarter of Balmaseda until their expulsion from the town in 1486.
Next, we will visit the Santa Clara Monumental Complex , which has been vacated by the nuns since 1985. It has now been restored and houses the Hotel San Roque . The Church of Santa Clara, attached to the convent, is home to the Balmaseda Living Passion Play Interpretation Centre , and the former preceptory is now a private residence.
We will resume our journey towards Martín Mendia Street, better known to the residents of Balmaseda as Bajera Street, which will lead us to San Juan Square or School Square. There we will find three buildings:
- The Church of San Juan del Moral , founded in the 15th century and currently closed to worship, houses the Balmaseda History Museum . A clock in its tower plays the town's anthem every day at 12, 18, and 20.
- The Klaret Antzokia, former church of the Claretian friars and current cinema theatre.
- The House of Culture, which houses the library, exhibition halls, an auditorium, and premises for cultural and sports associations.
A little further on, to the left, stands the Horcasitas Palace . It was built in the 17th century and housed the town's old Royal Customs House until its closure in 1841. In front of it is a sundial that allows you to observe the Earth's movements in relation to the sun with unique precision.
Continuing along the same street, we will take the first canton on the left until we reach Correría Street, at whose intersection is the Urrutia Palace , built in the 17th century and now converted into housing.
Going down this same street we will arrive at the Plaza de San Severino, the main square of the town, where the church of San Severino and the Town Hall . The Gothic-style church dates from the late 14th century. The Town Hall, on the other hand, was built in the first third of the 18th century, although it bears little resemblance today to the Baroque mountain palace style it originally was. Its elegant arcades, with a wide columned portico, have earned it the nickname " the Mosque" due to its resemblance to some Mudéjar buildings.
The La Encartada Beret Museum , a former factory specializing in the traditional Basque beret, takes us back to the final stages of the Industrial Revolution. It is located in the Peñueco neighborhood, on the outskirts of Balmaseda, on the banks of the Kadagua River next to a small recreational area. The factory opened in 1892 and remained in operation for 100 years.
A mountain with a horn
Finally, nature lovers shouldn't miss the climb to Mount Kolitza . The hike takes approximately an hour and a half and is mostly flat, except for the final stretch. Kolitza, at 879 meters high and offering perfect panoramic views, is one of the five "beacon mountains" of Bizkaia (from which bonfires were lit and horns sounded to summon the General Assemblies). Its summit overlooks Balmaseda and is home to one of the few remaining Romanesque chapels in the historical territory: the Chapel of San Sebastián and San Roque .
