Bizi Bermeo

Feel the ocean

Bermeo

Old town

The houses of poor fisherman and workers of other simple trades contrasted with the firm walls of the towers that noblemen lived in.

The current day Casco Viejo represents exactly what the medieval village once was, times in which Bermeo became the head of the Lordships of Bizkaia. Streets oriented from east to west cross with streets that go up and down irregular inclines forming one of the oldest a greatest historical centers the Basque Country has to offer.

The houses of poor fisherman and workers of other simple trades contrasted with the firm walls of the towers that noblemen lived in, one true example being the Torre Ercilla. Although there were many other towers owned by noble families such as the Apiotza, Areiltza, Aroztegi, Arteaga, Ermendurua, Arreskuenaga, Erkoreka, Latxaga, Muxika and also the palace of the Counts of Baños.

The breathtaking Baztarre viewing point joins the old port with the old part of town in which close by we can see a curious mural that represents the view of the landscape before the construction of the village.

Along with the palaces and the turrets of the nobility, the religious architecture was the most important

  • Santa Eufemia, in the Gaztelu zone
  • San Francisco, a convent in front of the mural.
  • The Santa Maria de la Talaya church (no longer existing), sat on the highest part of the village. Its dimensions set it apart as one of the most notable churches of the era. After having caught fire various times and after many years sitting in ruins it was decided that on the plot where the palace of the Counts of Baños used to sit, in the center of the town, a new church would be built under the same name.