Museo de la Minería del País Vasco

Useful Information

Location:	Bº Campodiego, s/n, Gallartam 48500 Abanto-Zierbena (Bizkaia). From West Motorway AP-8/E-70 exit 130 Santurtzi Ortuella, BI-3724, in roundabout BI-3724 Ortuella. From East Motorway AP-8/E-70 exit 126 B toward Portugalete/Ortuella/Trapagaran/Santurtzi, keep left on fork, in roundabout B-3791 towards Antonio Alzaga Etorbidea, in roundabout BI-3724 Ortuella. At the end of the road turn left. (43.311436, -3.070209)
Open:	All year Tue-Fri 9-14, 16-19, Sat, Hol 11-14, 16-19, Sun 11-14:30. Closed 25-DEC, 01-JAN, 06-JAN. [2024]
Fee:	Adults EUR 3, Children (8-12) EUR 2, Children (0-7) free, Students (-26) EUR 2, Seniors (65+) EUR 2, Disabled EUR 2. Groups (12+): Adults EUR 2.50, Children (8-12) EUR 2. Audioguides free, Guided Tours Spanish EUR 4, Guided Tours Basque EUR 3. [2024]
Classification:	Iron Mine Open Cast Mining
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided. Guided: D=75 min, Max=25.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	yes
Bibliography:
Address:	Museo de la Minería del País Vasco, Bº Campodiego, S/N. 48500 Gallarta (Abanto-Zierbena) Bizkaia, Tel: +34-94-636-36-82, Fax: +34-94-636-05-81. E-mail: Ekoetxea \| Meatzaldea - Gallarta, Barrio, 48500 El Campillo, Biscay, Tel: +34-946-05-12-75. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1986	non-profit Mining Museum Cultural Association founded.
2001	mining museum opened in the old slaughterhouse at Gallarta.
2002	Fundación Museo de la Minería del País Vasco (Mining Museum Foundation of the Basque Country) created in collaboration with the Abanto-Zierbena City Council.

Geology

Description

The Museo de la Minería del País Vasco (Mining Museum of the Basque Country) is dedicated to the iron mining of this area. This is almost a show mine, however, there is no underground mine as the iron ore was mined in open casts. The museum has a detailed exhibition about local mining, the geology and the daily life of the miners. On the other side of the road is the Ekoetxea | Meatzaldea - Gallarta, the visitor center for the area. Behind the visitor center is a huge open-cast mine, which can be seen from the roadside as well as from the visitor center which was built over the rim of the pit. Despite the different names all those museums belong togetherand give an overview over the local mining history, but also about recultivation and reforestation of the mines and about the ecology of the area.

The museum exhibitions are completed by the open air museum on site, which has mining trains and othe heavy machinery. There are numerous outlooks into several open cast mines. The center offers guided tours, talks, and even rents conference rooms for various purposes.

The different museums are operated by the non-profit Asociación Cultural Museo Minero (Mining Museum Cultural Association), which was founded by locals, mostly former miners and steel workers. In the midst of the industrial crisis in the 1980s they saw how the essence of Bizkaia, the economic backbone, was abandoned. So they tried to preserve at least a representative part for further generations. They recovered and preserved minecarts, tools, photographs and documents. But all collections are useless if they are not presented to the public. They were able to use the Old Slaughterhouse in the Gallarta neighborhood for their museum, which was opened to the public in 2001. In 2002 the Fundación Museo de la Minería del País Vasco (Mining Museum Foundation of the Basque Country) was created with the collaboration of the Abanto-Zierbena City Council. This new foundations operates the museum, while the association still collects mining related items. The Ecological exhibition and the visitor center is operated by the government.