Ondarroa

    • Basque Country in Blue and Green
      Lekeitio — Zarautz

    Description

    Ondarroa is a coastal municipality in Bizkaia, founded in 1327 on a community of sailors and fishermen, with a historic quarter that preserves much of its medieval layout and a relationship with the sea that has shaped its identity to this day. Its port is one of the most active on the Cantabrian coast.

    The most recognisable element of the urban ensemble is the church of Andra Mari, built in 1480 in late Gothic style and considered the most ornately decorated church on the exterior in Bizkaia. Its façades feature the kortxeleko mamuak, twelve figures representing different social classes of the Middle Ages. The bridges over the Artibai river structure the walk through the town: the Zubi Zaharra, built in stone in 1795; the swing bridge leading to Arrigorri beach; and the Itsasaurre bridge, designed by Santiago Calatrava and inaugurated in 1994.

    On the outskirts of the town, the sanctuary of La Antigua — the municipality's original parish church — offers views over Saturraran, the Gipuzkoa coastline and the Cantabrian Sea, and maintains a historic bond with the town's fishing community.