The Plaza Nueva or Plaza Barria (''New Square'') of
Bilbao
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is a monumental square of
Neoclassical style built in 1821. Its name comes from the previously existing ''Plaza Vieja'' or ''Old Square'' in the place where the
Ribera Market was built. The square is enclosed by arcaded buildings and accessed by arches known as ''cuevas'' (''caves'').
The main building was the site of the
Biscay
Biscay (; eu, Bizkaia ; es, Vizcaya ) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilbao.
B ...
government, until a new
palace was built in 1890. The place is now the site of
Euskaltzaindia
Euskaltzaindia (; often translated Royal Academy of the Basque Language) is the official academic language regulatory institution which watches over the Basque language. It conducts research, seeks to protect the language, and establishes stand ...
, the Royal Academy of the
Basque Language.
The arches host many traditional taverns and restaurants, some of the most ancient and typical of the city, and some gift and souvenir shops.
Each Sunday, the square provides space for a traditional
flea market where ancient books, coins, stamps, birds and flowers are sold.
The square is used often for
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Folk Plus or Fo ...
demonstrations, festivals and concerts. The
Grand Slam Masters Final, one of the strongest chess tournaments in the world, was held in a glass structure on Plaza Nueva in 2008 and 2009.
Since 2008, the
Bilbao City Council
The Bilbao City Council () is the ayuntamiento of Bilbao (Spain). Its headquarter, the Bilbao City Hall, is located in the Ernesto Erkoreka Plaza. The city council is made up of an executive body and a normative municipal plenary. The executive b ...
acts as a
free ISP providing free Internet access via
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio wav ...
in the square.
Buildings and structures in Bilbao
Plazas in Spain
Tourist attractions in Bilbao
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