Euskal Museoa

The Basque Museum, known in Basque as Euskal Museoa, is an institution in Bilbao, Spain, dedicated to the archaeology of Vizcaya and the ethnohistory of the Basque Country. Founded in 1921, its guiding principle is the conservation and dissemination of objects that testify to the ways of life developed by the Basque people over time. The museum occupies the historic buildings of the old Colegio de San Andres and its adjacent structures in the Casco Viejo, operating with the sponsorship of the Vizcaya Provincial Council and the Bilbao City Council.

The institution originally opened on July 3, 1921, under the name Basque Archaeological, Ethnographic and Historical Museum. It initially occupied the ground floor of the baroque cloister of the former Colegio de San Andres, a building that belonged to the Jesuits until their expulsion from Spain in 1767. Over time, the museum expanded into annex buildings and grew its collections. In 1962, the site was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC) with the category of National Historic-Artistic Monument. A major renovation project was announced in 2020, with the Vaíllo+Irigaray architecture studio of Pamplona winning the competition for the architectural and museographic redesign. On July 2, 2021, coinciding with the museum's centenary, a comprehensive renovation project with a budget of 15 million euros was presented to remodel the building and its exhibition proposal. Following this work, the museum is scheduled to reopen to the public on June 10, 2026, after an institutional inauguration on June 4, 2026.

The permanent collections are distributed across four floors, encompassing archaeology, ethnography, and institutional history. The ground floor features sepulchral slabs and heraldry, alongside a space for temporary exhibitions. The first floor displays weapons, including specific exhibits on the Carlist Wars and the Spanish Civil War, as well as exhibits on the Basque relationship with the sea, pastoral culture, and domestic arts such as ceramics and textiles, including linen and wool. The second floor is dedicated to the prehistory and archaeology of Vizcaya. The third floor houses the halls of the Consulate of Bilbao, featuring furniture and relics from that institution, alongside a colossal scale model of the province. Beyond public exhibitions, the institution provides research services, a library, and a photo library, and offers a membership program for Friends of the Museum.

Among the signature pieces in the museum's care is the Mikeldi Idol from Durango, a significant prehistoric sculpture positioned in the center of the cloister. To protect it from humidity, the surrounding grass floor was replaced with stone in 2016, and a glass roof was installed over the patio in June 2018. At the entrance, visitors encounter a sculpture by Nestor Basterretxea, on loan from the Museum of Fine Arts of Bilbao. In the stairwell leading to the first floor stands a reproduction of the Kurutziaga Cross, approximately four meters high, replicating the original 15th-century cross located in Durango. Presiding over the first-floor landing is a large portrait of Ramon de la Sota painted by Ignacio Zuloaga. The third floor holds a notable set of wooden benches with red velvet upholstery from the late 18th century, a design attributed to Luis Paret, who lived in Bilbao for several years after being exiled from Madrid by Charles III.

The museum is situated in Plaza Miguel de Unamuno in Bilbao, within the Casco Viejo district. Its core structure is the baroque cloister of the old Colegio de San Andres, which historically included the adjacent church of Santos Juanes, now a regular worship parish. The opening of a new main access to Plaza Miguel de Unamuno served as the starting point for the museum's recent remodeling and stands out to visitors for its contrast with the historic architecture of the original building. The comprehensive architectural and museographic renovation by the Vaíllo+Irigaray studio addresses both the structural modernization of the historic site and the reorganization of its interior spaces.

The Euskal Museoa is located in Plaza Miguel de Unamuno, Bilbao, Spain. It operates with the sponsorship of the Vizcaya Provincial Council and the Bilbao City Council. Following the completion of its comprehensive renovation, the museum is scheduled to reopen to the general public on June 10, 2026. Further information regarding access, collections, and services is available on its official website.