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This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in the Spanish Wikipedia. (December 2009)
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| Barakaldo | |||
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| — City — | |||
| Barakaldo | |||
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 Barakaldo
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| Coordinates: 43°17′50″N 2°59′30″W / 43.29722°N 2.99167°WCoordinates: 43°17′50″N 2°59′30″W / 43.29722°N 2.99167°W | |||
| Country |  Spain |
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| Autonomous community | País Vasco | ||
| Province | Biscay | ||
| Comarca | Greater Bilbao | ||
| Founded | pre 1051 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Alcalde | Tontxu Rodríguez (2003) (PSE-EE) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 25.03 km2 (9.66 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 39 m (128 ft) | ||
| Highest elevation | 560 m (1,840 ft) | ||
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) | ||
| Population (2012) | |||
| • Total | 100,369 | ||
| • Density | 4,000/km2 (10,000/sq mi) | ||
| Demonym | baracaldés, -sa | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 48900, 48901, 48902 and 48903 | ||
| Dialing code | 94 | ||
| Official language(s) | |||
| Website | Official website | ||
Barakaldo (not to be confused with the Cuban and Guinean cities called Baracaldo), is a municipality in the Basque Country in Spain. It is located in the Biscay (Bizkaia) province, administratively included in the "Basque Autonomous Community", on the left bank of the Estuary of Bilbao. Barakaldo is part of Bilbao's metropolitan area (Greater Bilbao), and its official population at the 2011 census was 100,061 inhabitants living on a land area of 29.39 km² (11.35 sq mi). The area has an industrial river-port heritage and has undergone significant redevelopment with new commercial and residential areas replacing the once active industrial zones.
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History [edit]
The 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica wrote of Barakaldo (spelling the name with the now-archaic "c"):[1]
"Pop.(1900): 15,013. Few Spanish towns have developed more rapidly than Baracaldo, which nearly doubled its population between 1880 and 1900. During this period many immigrant labourers settled here; for the iron works and dynamite factory of Baracaldo prospered greatly, owing to the increased output of the Biscayan mines, the extension of railways in the neighbourhood,and the growth of shipping at Bilbao. The low flat country round Baracaldo is covered with maize, pod fruit and vines".
Modern Barakaldo was later the endpoint of a mining railway, since iron mining was a major economic activity of the region during part of the 19th and 20th centuries. The Steel industry, led by Altos Hornos de Vizcaya, had a very important presence during the 20th century, until the industrial recession hit the region's economy hard in the 1980s.
Over recent decades, the industrial zones surrounding Barakaldo have declined in importance as several large companies have shut down, (e.g. Babcock & Wilcox. There are still some active factories, however areas, that were once largely industrial, are continuing to be redeveloped into residential properties, parks and shopping malls (e.g. Ikea and the MegaPark). A large exhibition centre (BEC, Bilbao Exhibition Centre) has recently been built on the outskirts of the town at Ansio.
Population [edit]
With all the industries, the population of Barakaldo went up and in 90s it had more than 100,300 people. When all the industries closed the population of Barakaldo went down and in 2002 it had only 95,000 people. Nowadays, Barakaldo have 100.369 people. (Population in 2012)
Transport [edit]
Barakaldo is linked to the rest of the metropolitan area by line 2 of the underground which has four stations in the city and by the train. BizkaiBus company provides a bus service, with connections to the rest of Biscay.
The main road that goes around Barakaldo is the Bilbao to Santander A-8 motorway, that links Barakaldo with the metropolitan area and the rest of Spain.
A regular boat ferry services connect Barakaldo to the other side of the Estuary of Bilbao (Erandio).
Barakaldo is located 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from Bilbao Airport, getting there takes around 15–20 minutes by car.
Tourism [edit]
You can visit many things in Barakaldo like the Botanic Garden, or BEC, or city escultures, or... There are many things to visit.
You can visit the Barakaldo Official Tourism Web (In English)
Fiesta [edit]
Every July the town celebrates "Las Fiestas del Carmen", with open air concerts, fun fairs and a good deal of late night partying.[2]
Sport [edit]
The city has a football club in Spain's Tercera División - Group 4, Barakaldo Club de Fútbol that play their home games at the 8,000 capacity Estadio Nuevo Lasesarre.
Famous people from Barakaldo [edit]
- Asier del Horno, footballer
- Carlos Sobera, actor
- César Sarachu, actor
- David López, cyclist
- Iñaki Lafuente, footballer
- Javier Clemente, football manager
- Javier González Gómez, footballer
- Javier Otxoa, cyclist
- Josep Lluís Núñez, president of FC Barcelona between 1978 and 2000
- Juan Manuel de Prada, writer
- Mikel Dañobeitia, footballer
- Nicolás Redondo, politician
- Raquel Alzate, cartoonist
- Ricardo Otxoa, cyclist
- Unai Expósito, footballer
See also [edit]
- Barakaldo D.F., a Mägo de Oz concert DVD filmed in Barakaldo
Notes [edit]
- ^ Chisholm 1911.
- ^ Carmenes de Baracaldo, 2001, retrieved March 2013
References [edit]
Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Baracaldo". Encyclopædia Britannica 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Barakaldo |
- www.i-barakaldo.com La comunidad virtual de Barakaldo
- Official website (in Basque / Spanish)
- BARAKALDO in the Bernardo Estornés Lasa - Auñamendi Encyclopedia (Euskomedia Fundazioa) (Spanish)
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