Basque Museum (Euskal Museoa Bilbao)

The Basque Museum, Euskal Museoa Bilbao, occupies a former Jesuit college on Plaza Unamuno in Casco Viejo, Bilbao, Biscay, Spain. It is the principal museum of the history and ethnography of Biscay and the wider Basque Country, covering the region from prehistory to the present. The building dates from the 17th century and was founded as the Colegio de San Andres, with a cloister at its centre that now serves as an exhibition courtyard. The museum itself was established in the early 20th century and has been expanded and renovated over time. Its star object is the Mikeldi idol, a stone figure carved in the Iron Age, probably around the 4th to 2nd centuries BCE, found near Durango and displayed as a symbol of ancient Basque culture. Other pieces include prehistoric tools, Roman and medieval finds, ship models, and ethnographic collections showing traditional rural life, crafts, costumes and fishing and mining. A large model of old Bilbao and its port helps visitors understand the city's growth from the medieval town chartered in 1300 to the industrial centre of the 19th century. The curatorial approach is broadly chronological, with thematic sections on economy, religion, trade and traditional culture, and displays are labelled in Spanish and Basque, with some material in English. The cloister is a calm architectural space with arcades and a central courtyard, which houses larger pieces including stone funerary stelae. Restoration of the former college has preserved much of its original fabric while adding modern exhibition areas. The museum is a short walk from Plaza Nueva, the Cathedral of Santiago and the river. Visitors can combine it with a walk through Casco Viejo to put the displayed history in a physical context. The museum is a useful first stop for anyone trying to understand Basque identity and the story of Bilbao.