Bilbao has re-opened an expanded and refurbished Euskal Museoa

Located in the heart of the Old Town, it joins the Arriaga Theatre, the Bidebarrieta Cultural Centre, the Euskaltzaindia Museum and the Paseo del Arenal itself as a hub of cultural activity.

After years of extensive renovation work, Bilbao has re-opened an expanded and refurbished Euskal Museoa. This innovative infrastructure preserves the memory of a people. The refurbished Euskal Museoa brings together four historic buildings under a single spatial identity and offers a total of 6,400 square metres of exhibition space –38% more than before.

The large museum complex in Bilbao’s Old Town, stretching from Plaza de Unamuno to Portal de Zamudio and María Muñoz, encompasses the cloister of the 17th-century former Jesuit house of San Andrés, whose courtyard is now covered by a large glass structure spanning the Baroque arcades; the Kurtze building, which houses key facilities beneath a new metal roof; the Unamuno building, with its façade facing the square of the same name; and the Misericordia building, where the architects hollowed out the floor slabs to suspend the large weightless trunk structure.

The museum’s narrative eschews traditional compartmentalisation in favour of a fluid, vertical space. The collection of over 50,000 items is spread across three main levels inspired by the anatomy of an oak tree. The Roots, which house the ethnology section; the Trunk, which covers the evolution of the Basque language and the history and layout of the region; and the Crown, which showcases expressions of thought, the arts and unique collections, beneath wooden trusses that pay homage both to the roofs of traditional farmhouses and the frames of ancient vessels.

The refurbishment project at the Euskal Museoa in Bilbao has reshaped Bizkaia’s heritage narrative. The museum houses over 50,000 unique artefacts. The new exhibition layout brings works that have been hidden away for decades back into the spotlight and invigorates the display with a contemporary approach.

The only thing left to find out is the programme of cultural activities that the Euskal Museoa will be hosting, as well as any temporary exhibitions.

You can round off the experience by crossing Plaza de Unamuno; the Arkeologi Museoa is located right next to the clock tower. A perfect end to a sensational cultural feast.

EUSKAL MUSEOA BILBAO

Gurutze Kalea, 10
48005 Bilbao, Bizkaia