or in
Spanish or or in
Basque are different names for the medieval neighbourhood of
Bilbao
)
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, part of the
Ibaiondo district. The names mean ''Seven Streets'' or ''Old Town'' respectively and it used to be the walled part of the town until the end of the 19th century.
The Seven Streets
The name ''Zazpikaleak'' or ''Las Siete Calles'' (The Seven Streets) come from the oldest part of the neighbourhood which included exactly 7 streets and some much more narrow alleys connecting them, called ''cantons'' (''kantoi'', ''cantón''). The historical seven streets of Bilbao are:
*''Somera'', "upper"
*''Artekale'', "middle street"
*''Tendería'', "shopkeeper's"
*''Belostikale'', "rapid street"
*''Carnicería Vieja'', "old butchery"
*''Barrenkale'', "lower street"
*''Barrenkale Barrena'', "lower lower street"
The "8th" street is ''Ronda'', which used to be the
patrol
A patrol is commonly a group of personnel, such as Law enforcement officer, law enforcement officers, military personnel, or Security guard, security personnel, that are assigned to monitor or secure a specific geographic area.
Etymology
Fro ...
street outside the walls. Later the town expanded northwards with the construction of the ''Plaza Berria'' or ''
Plaza Nueva'' (new square) and the streets ''Santa María'' ("Saint Mary"), ''Bidebarrieta'' ("new ways"), ''Correo'' ("mail") and ''Askao''. Nowadays the neighbourhood also includes the Ribera ("riverbank") street, the Arenal ("sandy place") Park and Esperanza ("hope") street as well.
The area is served by Casco Viejo station of the
Bilbao Metro.
File:Bilboko irudi historikoa.jpg, The seven parallel streets are visible in this picture from the 18th century.
File:Bilbao1575.jpg, The medieval town, now Casco Viejo, as seen in 1575.
File:Plaza nueva de Bilbao.JPG, Plaza Nueva
File:Portal de Zamudio.JPG, Casco viejo, Portal de Zamudio
File:Bilbao - Mercado de la Ribera 4.jpg, The market Mercado de la Ribera
File:La Ribera.JPG, La Ribera
Tourism
The area is probably the most colorful part of Bilbao, including many shops and taverns, several historical churches (San Antón, Santos Juanes,
the Cathedral, San Nicolás), a large food retail market (
Mercado de la Ribera ), the public
Arriaga Theatre, the seat of the Academy of the Basque Language (
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 ...
), a
ball court, and a public
library
A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...
. It is connected to the rest of the city and
conurbation
A conurbation is a region comprising a number of metropolises, cities, large towns, and other urban areas which through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban or industrially developed area. In most ca ...
by the
subway
Subway, Subways, The Subway, or The Subways may refer to:
Transportation
* Subway, a term for underground rapid transit rail systems
* Subway (underpass), a type of walkway that passes underneath an obstacle
* Subway (George Bush Interconti ...
,
tramway and
buses
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...
. Three public elevators also connect Casco Viejo to the neighbourhoods of
Begoña and
Solokoetxe, which otherwise demand a rather intense uphill walk.
There is a tradition of middle-age men doing a
tavern crawl drinking short glasses (''chiquitos'') of wine and singing choral songs.
Geography of Bilbao
Estuary of Bilbao
Historic districts in Spain
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