Balmaseda between Pilgrim Routes, History and Festival Traditions

Balmaseda brings together a landscape surrounded by mountains, the Cadagua River, pilgrim routes and striking traces of its history. The town lies in a narrow valley crossed by the Cadagua. When planning your trip, you can focus on several distinct highlights: a section of the Way to Santiago, walking routes, architecture and museums, or recurring festival traditions.

Routes, Pilgrim Way and Landscape

The second stage of the pilgrim route from Güeñes to Nava de Ordunte is 22.9 kilometres long. It passes through the Cadagua basin and through Balmaseda, a cultural stop along the way. The Ruta de la montaña, meanwhile, takes the Way of St James to Santiago de Compostela through Balmaseda. The stage has two named endpoints and a specific distance; the Ruta de la montaña describes the Way of St James as it passes through the town.

Balmaseda’s mountain biking (BTT) routes are circular and classified by difficulty as blue, red and black. As these classifications can be updated, check the description of each route before setting out. The Centro de Nordic Walking Balmaseda has four circular routes of varying difficulty. The two offerings therefore provide different information for planning: colour-coded classifications for mountain biking and the number of routes and their varying difficulty levels for Nordic walking.

Kolitza reaches 879 metres and is one of Bizkaia’s five Bocinero Mountains. Zoko Maitea is considered the only forest in the Basque Country where manna ash (Fraxinus ornus) grows. Together with the narrow valley crossed by the Cadagua, the mountains, river and forest shape the landscape around Balmaseda.

Bridge, Museums and Industrial History

Puente Viejo dates back to the 12th century and has three Romanesque arches. The middle arch is considerably larger and is topped by a Gothic tower. Historically, the bridge was the gateway from Castile into Bizkaia and also the entrance to Balmaseda’s walled area. The arches and tower thus combine striking architectural features with the bridge’s former role in the town’s layout.

The Museo de Historia de Balmaseda is located in the Iglesia de San Juan del Moral. It presents historical and ethnographic aspects that help reconstruct the town’s past. In the monumental complex of Santa Clara, the Centro de Interpretación de la Pasión Viviente has an exhibition about the depiction of the Passion of Christ. The two sites have different focuses: town history and ethnography at one, and the depiction of the Passion at the other.

According to researchers, Castillo de Balmaseda may have been built in the 13th century on the hill overlooking the town. Another perspective on the past is offered by the restored textile factory La Encartada Fábrica-Museo, which preserves almost all the machinery of a complete production line.

Festival Traditions and Putxera

The Mercado Medieval of Balmaseda takes place every year over two days in May. On the first day, more than 400 residents dress in historical costumes to portray a medieval event.

The San Severino festival includes the International Putxeras Competition, first held in 1971. Every year, Balmaseda celebrates the festival on the 23rd in honour of its patron saint, San Severino. A putxera is a charcoal-heated pot rooted in the tradition of the Balmaseda–La Robla (León) railway line and used to cook a bean stew. The competition and the pot connect the festival tradition with this local food culture.

Discover more destinations: Bakio, Alonsotegi, Gautegiz Arteaga, Altamira-San Kristobal, Derio, Ondarroa, Mundaka, Gaztelu-Elexabeitia.

For the main travel overview: Bizkaia.