Bilbao is a large city in northern Spain, in the province of Biscay and in the Basque Country. Featuring a striking mix of Gothic and contemporary architecture the city was transformed in 1997 when the glittering Guggenheim was opened making it the Basque Country’s artistic center

The city is located 16 kilometres south of the Bay of Biscay on the backs of a estuary.

It was founded in the early 14th century by  the head of the powerful Haro family.  Bilbao quickly became the commercial hub of the area. Throughout the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth, Bilbao experienced heavy industrialization.