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Ribera Market in Bilbao
Bilbao and surrounding
Architecture,  Markets
Architecture, 
Markets

The Basque violinist and composer Emiliano de Arriaga y Ribero described the Ribera Market in Bilbao as a place with a great selection of food that can satisfy even the most sophisticated gourmet. Over 100 years have passed since then. The old market was replaced with a new and more modern one, however, the musician’s quote hasn’t lost its relevance and describes Bilbao’s main food market perfectly even today.

The history of the Ribera Market began at Old Square (Plaza Viejo de Bilbao). Starting from the Middle Ages and up to the early 20th century, it was the centre of social life and trade in the city. The square no longer exists, but the Ribera Market, established on its grounds, operates and flourishes to this day. The Church of San Antonio, that has been the Ribera Market’s neighbour since the early 16th century, is the silent witness of the time when open-air stalls stood in place of the large covered pavilion on the bank of the Nervion River.

The market’s current building was built in 1929 based on the design of the Spanish architect Pedro Izpisua. Its appearance combines elements of the avant-garde Rationalism and eclectic Art Deco. The building looks more like a massive ship awaiting its trip along the Nervion River and the Bay of Biscay than a marketplace. Inside, the market’s spacious building with large stained glass windows that fill the exterior with sunlight resembles a former factory or a workshop.

They sell fish and seafood on the ground floor of the Ribera Market, meat and meat dishes on the first, and fruit and vegetables on the second. If one looks hard enough, it’s possible to find many local delicacies here too.

Even hundreds of years later, the market maintains its good reputation. The stalls are bursting with a variety of high-quality products, and vendors gladly chat with their customers and put them in a good mood for the rest of the day.

In 1990, the Ribera Market was recognised by the Guinness Book of Records as the biggest covered market in Europe. It holds its position to this day. There are 180 stalls on its grounds covering over 10 thousand square metres.

Address: Erribera Kalea, s/n

Published by

Valeriia Goriaeva

All content and media files are published under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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