Barakaldo ( es, Baracaldo; eu, Barakaldo ) is a municipality located in the Biscay province in the

Basque Country Basque Country may refer to: * Basque Country (autonomous community), as used in Spain ( es, País Vasco, link=no), also called , an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain (shown in pink on the map) * French Basque Country o ...

. Located on the Left Bank of the

Estuary of Bilbao The Estuary of Bilbao (Spanish: ''Ría de Bilbao'' / Basque: ''Bilboko Itsasadarra'') lies at the common mouth of the rivers Nervion, Ibaizabal and Cadagua, which drain most of Biscay and part of Alava in the Basque Country, Spain. In this insta ...

, the city is part of Greater Bilbao, has a population at 100,881. Barakaldo has an industrial river-port heritage and has undergone significant redevelopment with new commercial and residential areas replacing the once active industrial zones.

History

The

1911 Encyclopædia Britannica A notable ongoing event was the Comparison of the Amundsen and Scott Expeditions, race for the South Pole. Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory ...

original entry on the town stated: Iron mining formed a large part of Barakaldo's industry, making it the endpoint of a mining railway. The steel industry, led by

Altos Hornos de Vizcaya Altos Hornos de Vizcaya, S.A. was a Spanish metallurgy manufacturing company. It was the largest company in Spain for much of the 20th century, employing 40,000 workers at its height. The business began in 1902 in Bilbao with the merger of three ...

, had an important presence during the 20th century, until the industrial recession hit the region's economy in the 1980s. In recent decades, the industrial zones surrounding Barakaldo have become less prominent, which can be owed to the shuttering of large companies such as Babcock & Wilcox. Although several factories remain, areas that were once industrial have been redeveloped into residential properties such as malls and parks. A large exhibition centre. the

Bilbao Exhibition Centre The Bilbao Exhibition Centre (commonly abbreviated as BEC) is an exhibition centre in Barakaldo, Basque Country, Spain. The current headquarters of the Feria de Muestras de Bilbao, its facilities are located on land formerly occupied by the Basque ...

has recently been built on the outskirts of the town.

Transport

Barakaldo is connected to the rest of the Greater Bilbao metropolitan area by Line 2 of the Metro Bilbao. Four stations are in the city: Gurutzeta/Cruces, Ansio, Barakaldo and Bagatza). The Cercanías Bilbao train line has two stations in Barakaldo (Lutxana and Desertu-Barakaldo).

BizkaiBus BizkaiBus is the name for bus services serving the province of Biscay, Spain. It is named after the Basque name of the province, ''Bizkaia''. The buses can be identified by their distinctive green (until 2009 yellow) livery. The bus network is i ...

company provides a bus service, with connections to the rest of Biscay. Locally, an urban bus system named Kbus operates with two lines. A tram line has been proposed to connect local districts. The main motorway is the A-8 motorway, which also goes between Bilbao. It serves as the main road link between Greater Bilbao and the rest of Spain. A boat ferry service connects Barakaldo to the other side of the

in Erandio. Barakaldo is located from Bilbao Airport.

Demographics

Population peaked in the 1990s to over 100,300. The decline of local industry decreased the population, though, and in 2002, 95,000 people lived in Barakaldo. However, a recent increase has sent the population to 100,502 residents.

Tourism

Tourists visit sites in Barakaldo such as the Botanic Garden, the

, the medieval Bridge of Castrexana, and some of the city's street sculptures. In July, the town celebrates "Las Fiestas del Carmen," which includes open-air concerts and large fairs.

Sports

Barakaldo is represented by the Barakaldo Club de Fútbol in Spain's

Segunda División B Segunda División B ( en, Second Division B) was the third tier of the Spanish football league system containing 102 teams divided into five groups, until it was replaced by the new structure in 2021. It was administered by the Royal Spanish Foot ...

. They play home games at the

Estadio Nuevo Lasesarre Lasesarre is a stadium in Barakaldo, Spain. It is currently used for football matches and is the home stadium of Barakaldo CF Barakaldo Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football team based in Barakaldo, in the autonomous community of the Basq ...

. A second team,

SD Retuerto Sport Sociedad Deportiva Retuerto Sport is a football team based in Barakaldo in the autonomous community of Basque Country. Founded in 1923, the team plays in Tercera División. The club's home ground is ''Ibarreta Ibarreta is a settlement in north ...

, plays in Tercera División. Local league teams include

Gurutzeta KFT Gurutzeta Kirol Futbol Taldea is a football team based in Barakaldo in the autonomous community of Basque Country Basque Country may refer to: * Basque Country (autonomous community), as used in Spain ( es, País Vasco, link=no), also called ...

, UD Burtzeña, Pauldarrak FKT, Zuazo C.F. and S.C.D. Dosa-Salesianos. Handball has played a part in Barakaldo's tradition. Now, two teams are present in competitions: Club Balonmano Zuazo Femenino, playing in División de Honor Femenina de Balonmano, and Club Balonmano Barakaldo who plays in the Liga ASOBAL. Bizkaia Arena is an indoor arena with a capacity of 18,640. It hosted some games of the

2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup The 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 17th edition of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, the tournament previously known as the FIBA World Championship. Hosted by Spain, it was the last tournament to be held on the then-current four-year cycle ...

Notable natives

* Asier del Horno, footballer * Carlos Sobera, actor * David López, cyclist *

Iñaki Lafuente Iñaki Lafuente Sancha (born 24 January 1976) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He appeared in 146 La Liga games over ten seasons, mainly with Athletic Bilbao. He also represented Espanyol and Sporting de ...

, footballer * Javier Clemente, football manager *

Javier González Gómez Javier may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Javier, in video game '' Advance Wars: Dual Strike'' * Javier Rios, a character in the Monsters, Inc. franchise. * ''Javier'' (album), a 2003 album by the American singer Javier Colon, known a ...

, footballer *

Javier Otxoa Javier Otxoa Palacios (30 August 1974 – 24 August 2018) was a Spanish cyclist who was a member of the Kelme cycling team. His name was sometimes spelled Javier Ochoa in media reports. Road cycling career In 2000 Otxoa won a mountain stage ...

, cyclist * Josep Lluís Núñez, president of FC Barcelona between 1978 and 2000 *

Unai Expósito Unai Expósito Medina (born 23 January 1980) is a Spanish former footballer who played as a right back. He appeared in Segunda División 149 games during six seasons (five goals), representing in the competition Numancia (two spells), Hércul ...

, footballer *

Antonio Iturmendi Bañales Antonio Iturmendi Bañales (1903–1976) was a Spanish people, Spanish Carlist and Francoist politician. He is best known as the Ministry of Justice (Spain), Minister of Justice, serving in 1951–1965, as the Cortes Generales, Cortes speaker, se ...

, politician * Maisha MC, musician

References

External links

*
www.i-barakaldo.com
La comunidad virtual de Barakaldo
Official website
(in Basque / Spanish)
BARAKALDO in the Bernardo Estornés Lasa - Auñamendi Encyclopedia (Euskomedia Fundazioa)
{{authority control Estuary of Bilbao Municipalities in Biscay