Bilbao La Vieja in Spanish, "Old Bilbao" in English and Bilbo Zaharra in Basque.
San Antón Bridge with Atxuri in the backgroundCoat of arms of Bilbao.
It is a neighbourhood of Bilbao and part of the 5th district of the city (Ibaiondo).
Location
In the city center, it lies right across the estuary, on the left bank of the Nervion River, united to the Old Town by the bridge of San Anton pictured above (portrayed in the city's coat of arms).
The homonymous street of Bilbao La Vieja
History
Past
Bilbao La Vieja is the oldest neighbourhood of Bilbao, being older than even the medieval urban district (Casco Viejo), founded in 1300.
The development of Bilbao la Vieja was closely linked to that of the Miribilla mines, on the top of the Miribilla mountain behind the old neighborhood. Recently redeveloped as a newly built neighborhood. Bilbao La Vieja was traditionally where the majority of the miners resided. It was some of the first land used as an expansion of the medieval city was undertaken in the 18th and 19th centuries and became a fashionable neighborhood by the end of the 19th century.
Today
Due to its strategic location within the city of Bilbao and the end of the minery days years ago, Bilbao la Vieja is getting through a deep gentrification process.
Under the municipal government's new initiatives the neighborhood is redeveloping, with a number of new businesses and subsidies aimed at urban renewal and attracting the young to the area. This initiative has been largely very fruitful thus far. Many new shops and young entrepreneurs are setting up shop.
The neighborhood is also home to a growing immigrant population, making it one of the most vibrant communities in Bilbao.
