Pyrenees Guide

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  Bilbao, Basque Country

Bilbao, Spain's sixth-largest city and biggest port. It has a number of interesting secrets to reveal, as well as good food, and as a rail hub it serves as a center for exploring some of the best attractions in the Basque country.

Most of the city's sights can be viewed in a day or two. Many visitors flock here only to see the controversial new $100-million Guggenheim Museum, designed by American architect Frank Gehry and called "the beast" by some locals because of its bizarre shape. From afar, it resembles a gargantuan sculpture, with a tumbling boxes profile and a 131m-long (430-ft.) ship gallery.

Bilbao is the industrial hub of the north and the political capital for the Basques. Shipping, shipbuilding, and steel-making have made it prosperous, so there's no shortage of bankers or industrialists. Its commercial heart, bursting with skyscrapers and sky cranes, hums with activity. Among cities of the Basque region, it has the highest population (around 450,000); the metropolitan area, including the suburbs and many surrounding towns, is home to over a million inhabitants.

Bilbao has a wide-open feeling, extending more than 8km (5 miles) across the valley of the Nervion River, one of Spain's most polluted waterways. Many buildings wear a layer of grime. Some visitors compare Bilbao to the sooty postindustrial sprawl of an English port town. However, the extravagant Guggenheim Museum is cast as a symbol of Basque economic revival, and locals hope it will lead to a revitalization of their city. Bilbao was badly hit by the 1970s economic crisis, leading to a closure of shipyards and steelworks. It has benefited greatly from a $1.5-billion reconversion grant, of which the Guggenheim project is one of the main beneficiaries. Signs of revitalization are also seen in a flashy new Metro system designed by Sir Norman Foster of England and a new airport terminal, the work of Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. In addition, many owners of local buildings are removing those layers of accumulated grime.

Bilbao was established by charter June 15, 1300, which converted it from a village (pueblo), ruled by local feudal duke Don Diego Lopez de Haro, into a city. Aided by water power and the transportation potential of the Nervión River, it grew and grew, most of its fame and glory coming during the industrial expansion of the 19th century. Many of the city's grand homes and villas for industrialists were constructed then, particularly in the wealthy suburb of Neguri. The most famous son of Bilbao was Miguel de Unamuno, the writer/educator more closely associated with Salamanca.