Plaza Nueva

Plaza Nueva, also known as Plaza Barria in Basque, is the arcaded neoclassical square at the northern edge of Casco Viejo in Bilbao, Biscay, Spain. It was completed in 1821 to designs by Silvestre Perez and Antonio Echevarria and was conceived as a regular, enclosed civic space when the medieval town had outgrown its seven original streets. The square is a rectangle surrounded by uniform three-storey buildings with a continuous arcade at ground level, and its austere proportions reflect the neoclassical taste of early 19th-century Spain. The square was built in the period around the Napoleonic occupation and the Peninsular War, when the city was reorganising its public spaces. In the following decades it became the setting for Bilbao's market life, civic gatherings and fairs. Historical significance lies in its role as the planned expansion of the old town and as the stage for continuing local traditions. A market is held on Sundays, and the Santo Tomas fair on 21 December fills the square with stalls selling txistorra sausage, talo corn flatbread and cider, a tradition tied to the Basque rural calendar. Today the arcades house bars, restaurants and shops, and the Basque cultural society Euskaltzaindia, the Royal Academy of the Basque Language, has its seat in the square. The Teatro Arriaga stands nearby at the riverside end of the district, and the Casco Viejo streets open from several corners. Because the square is an open public space there is no formal exhibition. The experience is chronological and observational, with architecture and daily use telling the story. The ensemble has been maintained and restored through the 20th century and into the present, and its pedestrian character and arcades remain largely intact. The square is a practical meeting point for walking tours of Casco Viejo and a good place to rest between visits to the cathedral and the Basque Museum.