or in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

or or in

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

are different names for the medieval neighbourhood of

Bilbao ) , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = 275 px , map_caption = Interactive map outlining Bilbao , pushpin_map = Spain Basque Country#Spain#Europe , pushpin_map_caption ...

, part of the

Ibaiondo Ibaiondo is the fifth district of the city of Bilbao (Biscay), in the Spanish Basque Country. ''Ibaiondo'' is a recently used name that means 'beside the river' in Basque. It is divided into the neighbourhoods of Atxuri, Bilbo Zarra, Casco Viej ...

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 The Bilbao metro ( es, Metro de Bilbao, eu, Bilboko metroa) is a rapid transit system serving the city of Bilbao and the region of Greater Bilbao. Lines 1 and 2 have a "Y" shape, as they transit both banks of the river Ibaizabal and then comb ...

. 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 Mercado de la Ribera (Ribera Market) is a market square in Bilbao, the capital of the Basque Province of Viscay in the north of Spain. It is on the right bank of the Nervion River, next to Casco Viejo. Its built area of makes it the bigges ...

), 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 The Mesoamerican ballgame ( nah, ōllamalīztli, , myn, pitz) was a sport with ritual associations played since at least 1650 BC by the pre-Columbian people of Ancient Mesoamerica. The sport had different versions in different places during ...

, 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, tramway and buses. Three public elevators also connect Casco Viejo to the neighbourhoods of

Begoña Begoña or more puristically but also more rarely spelled ''Begoina'', meaning 'the lower foot' (of Mount Artxanda), is a historical municipality of Biscay ( Basque Country, Spain) which was incorporated into Bilbao in 1925. Originally it includ ...

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 {{basque-geo-stub