Sopuerta

Sopuerta is a municipality in the valley of Enkarterri, in Biscay, whose historical and natural heritage unfolds across its many neighbourhoods. The natural starting point is Abellaneda, which for centuries served as the political centre of the comarca. There stands the Casa de Juntas, now home to the Museum of Las Encartaciones, part of a monumental ensemble that includes the junteros' inn, the district prison, and the hermitage of the Guardian Angel. Nearby, a restored stretch of the Roman road Flaviobriga-Pisoraca can still be seen — a route opened in the 1st century to link Herrera de Pisuerga with Castro Urdiales.

The municipality preserves a notable architectural heritage scattered across the valley: medieval tower houses in Abellaneda, Amez, Obecuri, and Carral; the Loizaga palace; the Oquendo palaces; the church of Santa María de Mercadillo with its Baroque altars; and the distinctive hermitage of San Roque beside its bullring.

The mining legacy is another defining feature of Sopuerta. In the La Linde neighbourhood, two calcination kilns declared industrial monuments survive alongside the old offices, miners' housing, and other buildings from the former complex. The route continues to Alen, once the largest mining neighbourhood in Sopuerta, which at its peak in the early 20th century had over 500 inhabitants and today offers a quiet setting for walking or mountain biking.