Bilbao

History of a city
History of Bilbao (1)

History of Bilbao (1)

The Villa of Bilbao as such was officially born on 15th June 1300, when D. Diego López de Haro bestowed the Carta Magna upon it. Bilbao, like many others cities in the world, is situated on the banks of a river. This river, the Nervión, supplies drinking water as well...

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History of Bilbao (2)

History of Bilbao (2)

Very little is known about the history of the town before the Villa was founded. Some historians have toyed with the idea that Bilbao was once Roman Flaviobriga, on the basis that Roman coins have been found in the estuary, although this teory has not been proved...

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History of Bilbao (3)

History of Bilbao (3)

During the 12th and 13th Centuries, Bilbao and Bermeo figured as the two most important comercial ports, giving rise to a rivalry which lasted for centuries. Before the foundation of the Villa, Bilbao had already gained an important economic status, based upon its...

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History of Bilbao (4)

History of Bilbao (4)

For three hundred years two institutions dictated the Bilbaino way of life; the Town Hall and the Consulate (1511-1829). Representing the University of maritime contractors and merchants, they controlled all maritime and onshore life, both civil and commercial. This...

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History of Bilbao (5)

History of Bilbao (5)

The history of Bilbao in The Moderm Age is one of the commercial activity, acting as the nexus between the great Europe of the North Atlantic and the interior Kingdom of Castille, as well as being a fundamental connection with Seville and America. Without doubt the...

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History of Bilbao (6)

History of Bilbao (6)

Despite being involved in many wars during this period - French invasion under Napoleon in 1818, and two Carlist Wars on four different fronts (1835-36 and 1873-76) - economic development was overwhelming. Bilbao, which up until then had consisted of Old Bilbao and...

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History of Bilbao (7)

History of Bilbao (7)

During the first part of the 20th Century Vizcaya reached a great economic peak which saw its culmination in the happy 1920s, based pricipally upon the sale of iron to England, some of which was destined, among other things, for the manufacture of arms for the First...

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History of Bilbao (8)

History of Bilbao (8)

Demographically speaking, we must consider the fact that Great Bilbao, or the area of influence of the Nervión Estuary, where that great industrial development took place, boasts a million inhabitants; not so the Villa de Bilbao, which has around four hundred thousand.

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History of Bilbao (and 9)

History of Bilbao (and 9)

At the moment the whole of this zone, which relied upon its industry as its main source of income, is undergoing a period of economic recession. Even so, its inhabitants look toward the future with optimism, and thus face the difficult challenge of transforming the...

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