PLACE: Durango (Bizkaia)

Founded in around the 12th century, the history of Durango was marked for centuries by the continuous wars embarked upon by the Castilian crown. These conflicts converted it into a town which became rich in history and industry.

One of the consequences of these wars was the boom of the iron industry, brought about by the manufacturing of weapons. This was also aided by the inauguration in 1882 of the railway line from Bilbao to Durango , which would later make the town an important communication centre for Gipuzkoa, a situation which it still enjoys today.

The original urban layout was made up of three parallel streets, surrounded by stonewalls. It is here, along these streets, where today we find the most significant monuments in the town, such as the Santa Ana Church , from the 15th century, or the San Pedro Church, one of the most ancient churches in Bizkaia. Finally, we must highlight one of the most important monuments in the town: the Kurutziaga Cross, a high stone Gothic style column, built in the middle of the 15th century and on which we can still find many different religious figures and symbols.

As well as its set of monuments, Durango is noteworthy for its privileged location next to the Urkiola Nature Reserve and its rich cultural offer, with its Basque Book and Record Fair, which has been held here since 1965. It aims to make the public more aware of the books and records produced in Euskadi and to become a meeting place for the different cultural sectors of the Basque community. Today, it has become an inescapable event for euskaldunes from all walks of life and ages.