64 iconic buildings in Bilbao can be visited for free this weekend
The sixth edition of Open House incorporates ten new locations and makes it the largest to date
The sixth edition of Open House Bilbao opens the doors of 64 emblematic buildings in the city. It is an initiative that wants to bring architecture, history and culture closer to citizens. As a novelty, this year it incorporates ten new locations: the Plaza Nueva, the Albia Gardens, the Bilbao Stock Exchange, the Casa Cuna, the Casa Aburto, the Atxuri Station, the Hotel Tayko, the Gran Hotel Domine, the Spaces building and the Sarriko campus.
Access to these spaces will be completely free and the usual format will be recovered in which prior registrations are not necessary. After two years of a pandemic in which there were different restrictions, now it will be enough to go to the place and wait your turn. In addition to the free visits to the buildings, the program contains different activities that do require registration and that are usually sold out. These consist of bike routes, boat trips along the estuary, family workshops on games and stories, or tours of the city through the cinema, among others.
The theme of this edition is ‘The city of the senses’. With this motto, Open House wants to reflect on the individual and subjective perceptions that each citizen has about Bilbao. They will bet on making the city known with sight, smell, hearing, touch and taste. “You will be able to taste our town because it is also a festival of the culture of the region and we will encourage citizens to enjoy the rich gastronomy that we have,” they explain from the organization.
Record Editing
Guided tours of the spaces are carried out thanks to the collaboration of volunteers. This year also breaks another record: it will have the largest number of volunteers, a total of 500. The previous year some 300 participated in the contest. This confirms the success of this sixth edition.
The presentation of the program was attended by Asier Abaunza, Councilor for Works, Urban Planning and Strategic Projects of the Bilbao City Council, and Pedro Jauregui, Deputy Minister of Housing of the Basque Government. Both have stressed the importance of making Basque architecture and culture known. “The curiosity and passion of the people of Bilbao to get to know our own city is the driving force behind this event, without which it could not have been done,” said Abaunza. On the other hand, Jauregui has insisted on “the importance of bringing architecture, something traditionally elitist, to the general public.”