Bilbao | The Best Travel Destinations

Bilbao – Spain

Bilbao – Spain

Bilbao is located in the Spanish region of Bizkaia (Biscay) in the Basque country. It’s Spain biggest port and sixth largest city. For many, Bilbao is synonymous with its spectacular Guggenheim Museum which opened in 1997 signalling the dawn of a new era for this heavily industrialised city which previously held little interest for the international traveler.

But for city lovers, Bilbao offers much more than this awesome piece of architecture which is without doubt one of Europe’s finest and most extraordinary landmarks.

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Guggenheim Museum – Bilbao – Spain

Guggenheim Museum – Bilbao – Spain

When it opened in 1997, the Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim Museum Bilbao—a spectacular structure made of titanium, glass, and limestone—was hailed as the most important building of its time. Located in the Basque city of Bilbao in northern Spain, the museum features exhibitions organized by the Guggenheim Foundation and by the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, as well as selections from the permanent collection of the Guggenheim Museums.

History

Well before the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao opened its doors to the public on October 19, 1997, the new museum was making news. The numerous artists, architects, journalists, politicians, filmmakers, and historians that visited the building site in the mere four years of its construction anticipated the success of the venture. Frank Gehry’s limestone, glass, and titanium building was hailed by architect Philip Johnson as “the greatest building of our time” and the pioneering collaboration between the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and Basque authorities was seen to challenge assumptions about art museum collecting and programming.