The Gran VÃa de Don Diego López de Haro is the main
avenue of the city of
Bilbao
Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...
,
Basque Country (
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
).
History
It's named after the founder of the city,
Diego López de Haro V,
lord of Biscay
The Lordship of Biscay (, Basque: ''Bizkaiko jaurerria'') was a region under feudal rule in the region of Biscay in the Iberian Peninsula between 1040 and 1876, ruled by a political figure known as the Lord of Biscay. One of the Basque ''señorà ...
. It was conceived in 1876, when the extension (
ensanche) of Bilbao was planned by architects Alzola, Achúcarro and Hoffmeyer in the wide plains of the former municipality of
Abando.
Features
The avenue is 50 meters wide and 1.5 km (one mile) long. It starts at the Circular square, beside the
BBVA
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (), better known by its initialism BBVA, is a Spanish multinational financial services company based in Bilbao, with operative offices in Madrid. It is one of the largest financial institutions in the world, ...
building, and ends at the
Sacred Heart
The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus () is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus Christ is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devotion to Christ is p ...
square. The main
Moyúa square is in the middle of the avenue, about 500 m from its beginning and 800 m from its end. The statue of the Sacred Heart is aligned with the spire of the
Basilica of Begoña
The Basilica of Begoña (or BasÃlica de Nuestra Señora de Begoña in Spanish) is a basilica in Bilbao, in Spain, dedicated to the patron saint of Biscay, the Virgin Begoña.
The current parish priest is Jesús Francisco de Garitaonandia.
Hist ...
, about 3 km away, through the Gran VÃa, forming a monumental perspective in a way similar to
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
' ''
Axe historique
The ''Axe historique'' (; "historical axis") refers to a straightly aligned series of thoroughfare streets, squares, monuments and buildings that extend from the centre of Paris, France, to the west-northwest of the city. It is also known as t ...
''.
Economy
The avenue is the most important shopping and business area of Bilbao, BBK and BBVA banks have their headoffices in it, and
El Corte Inglés
El Corte Inglés S.A. is a Spanish department store chain founded in 1940 by Ramón Areces and César RodrÃguez. It is the last such remaining in Spain and Portugal, and has been a member of the International Association of Department Stores s ...
department store has two buildings in it. It has some of Spain's most expensive
real estate prices.
''Tasamadrid'' study (in Spanish) about real estate prices in Spain
(retrieved from noticias.com)
References
External links
Geography of Bilbao
Tourist attractions in Bilbao
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