In the 1980s, Bilbao was a complete disaster. It was not a city that anyone wanted to visit. An unbelievably high unemployment rate, street violence, drug sales on every corner and to top it all the Basque terrorist group ETA, which had its unofficial headquarters here. Today it is the main cultural center of northern Spain and the place for people who can no longer afford to live in Madrid or Barcelona.
“Maybe they’re still hungry,” says our leader Iñaki when he learns that Bilbao is our next stop. Local residents had great reason to celebrate. After 40 years, Athletic Bilbao football club won the Spanish Cup, known as the Copa del Rey. The performances were memorable. On April 11, thousands of fans flocked to the banks of the Nervión River, which separates Bilbao, to watch the football players sail on a boat called La Gabarra, according to tradition.
Even about a week after the celebration, flags with white and red stripes are hanging on the houses of the largest city in the Basque Country. Football means a lot more here than here. It is a symbol of the pride that the Basque people have embedded deep in their DNA.
“Bilbao Victory”
Football began to be played in this area when the English extracted iron ore in the mid-19th century and the industrial revolution that followed. Until then, Bilbao was alive and prosperous thanks to sea trade, and steel mills and factories began to appear in the city. Ships, tools, building materials were produced there, and the city resembled our Ostrava with its industrial base.
Later, mining declined and shipbuilding companies found cheaper locations. They left their destruction in the form of broken factories, jobless families, a polluted environment and a city that was almost in ruins. But at the beginning of the 90s, thanks to the bright people in the local administration, miracles began to happen. The so-called “Bilbao effect”, ie a phenomenon that occurs when a city undergoes a major urban change, has emerged. Bilbao breathed new life and experienced economic growth thanks to the construction of iconic architecture.
In 1992, a public company called Bilbao Ría 2000 was created, which set itself the goal of rehabilitating the city’s dilapidated industrial areas. On the site of shipyards, docks and factories, a building covered with titanium plates was created, which shone in the wider environment. The museum, which was founded in 1997, was designed by the Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry, who participated in the design of the Dance House in Prague.
The city celebrated success with the Guggenheim Museum. So his management invited other architects to create a modern and original image of Bilbao, so the Euskalduna conference center, subway entrances and stations by Norman Foster, towers by the Japanese architect Arata Isozaki , who wanted to design a city gate for the 21st century , or the white Zubizuri Bridge by Santiago Calatrava, may not build anything in this Biscayan city. Although his bridge looks impressive, it does not suit the local climate, which is a bit more rainy.
“Several people broke their legs here on the bridge, which has a glass floor. The city asked the architect to do something about it, but he walked away from it. It was fixed by putting rubber mats Later, when he attached another piece to the bridge to connect the two parts, Calatrava sued the city for damaging his work.
From the height of the green hills
Like any city, Bilbao must be seen from above. Even if you can not see its beginning and end, which flows into the sea. A comfortable and at the same time unconventional trip to one of the local green hills is possible thanks to the Artxanda cable car. The cabin has been carrying people on the steep trail since 1915.
Mount Artxanda is located about 300 meters above sea level and is one of the favorite views of the locals. From above, the images of Bilbao are even more prominent. The arch of the La Salve bridge, designed by Daniel Buren, or the spectacular facade of the new San Mamés stadium, whose design won the award for the best sports building in the world at the World Architecture Festival 2015, shines like X red.
“Bilbao without San Mamés would be like Paris without the Eiffel Tower,” said Luis Fernández, a former French player and coach who coached Athletic Club. However, the comparison with the “Eiffel” is hide a little, because this city can also boast that a student of the famous engineer Eiffel designed the Biscay Bridge there. It is located at the mouth of the Nervión River, where it connects the neighborhoods of Portugalete and Las Arenas in the sub-district the cities of Bilbao.
Football as religion
But back to the San Mamés stadium, nicknamed “the cathedral”. There is no doubt that football is a second religion in Spain, but it seems to be doubly true here. In addition, the stadium stands on the site of an old chapel dedicated to Saint Mammes, which was said to have been thrown to the lions, which explains why the players of the Athletic team are mentioned Bilbao as “leones” and they also have this. animal as their mascot.
There is one stuffed lion in a wonderful museum on the ground floor of the stadium. The museum, which is a tribute to football and its fans, is likely to interest even those who have no knowledge of this sport. It is enough to see an old leather ball and gloves and find out that the history of the local football club dates back to 1898. And not only that – thanks to a tour of the museum and the stadium, you realize that “going to football” doesn’t have to mean just beer, sausages and swearing.
In Bilbao, football is a social event with whole families present and many young women participate. And when the cup is won, thousands of enthusiastic people flood the streets. The titanium plaques at the Guggenheim Museum will then feature a sea of red and white fans dressed in the winning club’s jersey.
