La Encartada Museum

It hosts parades of textile trends, exhibitions of fabrics and garments, and is located in a unique setting.

This is La Encartada, a cloth and beret factory located on the banks of the River Kadagua in Balmaseda, one of the most historic towns in Bizkaia

Five “indianos” who had made their fortune in Mexico joined forces on their return to Bizkaia to found a cloth factory in Balmaseda. It was 1892. Another time, another world. La Encartada worked for a hundred years. Thousands of berets, blankets, gloves, scarves, visors, balaclavas and balls of wool left its workshops. It gave rise to a village of small houses, a chapel-school and other buildings.

After a period of inactivity, La Encartada was reborn as an industrial museum in 2007. The buildings evoke the working and living conditions of the 19th century.

The machinery mostly of British origin— remains almost intact, preserving every element of the production process, from the reception of raw materials to packaging and shipping.

It is unique.

In addition to its function as an exhibition and museum, it currently hosts events related to fashion.

If you visit La Encartada, don’t miss Balmaseda, and vice versa.