Visit Gorliz. Points of interest in Gorliz: Recent Episodes
Visit Gorliz
Audio guides of Gorliz points of interest. Create your own tour and discover interesting information of the charming places of Gorliz.
La Foral Farm is located on one of the paths that go from Astondo to the Gorliz Lighthouse.
This farm is dedicated to the promotion of pottoka, a native equine species, and cattle.
Next to the farm is the Wild Fauna Recovery Center, where species that have suffered some damage are rehabilitated.
The Gorliz farm is, together with those of Ganguren and Sollube, the livestock experimentation center available to the Department of Sustainability and Natural Environment of the Provincial Council to develop breeding programs and genetic improvement.
The farm is included within the program for the collective improvement of the Pyrenean breed and has become a reference for Pyrenean cattle at the state level.
The ruins of the Fort of Askorriaga from the 18th century are located at the tip of Uztrikotze
They were built in the best location at the time to guard the entrance to Gorliz Bay since it was not uncommon to see English ships sailing through the area.
The situation was very good to see the ships from several kilometers away and even, when they were close enough, to shoot them with the cannons.
Advances in armaments have made the fort’s guns obsolete and the building has deteriorated to this day.
If we sit on the wall of the fort, looking west we have a view that can reach Cape Ajo in Santander and of course the Abra.
The Oak is located on Andra Mari street, but many residents know it as the “Encina street” thanks to this specimen.
Formerly the hulls of our boats came out of the wood of similar trees. Luckily a few trees similar to this have remained in the village.
This tree is a monumental specimen, several times a hundred years old, with a height of approximately 15 meters and its scientific name is Quercus Ilex L.
The fact that for many years it was found in a closed area of the Zabala farmhouse, has undoubtedly contributed to preserving this specimen without pruning and with a development far superior to that of the common oaks that exist in the area.
Located on the main street of Gorliz, this neo-Basque style house was built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and housed the old casino. It is a project of the architect Antonio de Araluce. It was a monumental construction at that time; with its pinnacles, supports, balconies ... which are still preserved. This type of construction represents a time of change in the municipality and that can be seen in different parts of Gorliz in many of the typical summer houses. The casino also served as an inn, bar, barbershop, Civil Guard, Spanish Falange, feed and coal warehouse. The telephone switchboard was also one of the services it provided, and there was the first public telephone that existed in the town.
Gorliz’s beach is 842 meters long and is an ideal beach for families since its shell shape protects it from waves and currents.
It is one of the beaches of the Basque Coast with more hours of sunshine per year. This and the quality of its waters rich in iodine influenced the construction of the Marine Sanatorium on its shores.
This beach is ideal to rest, sunbathe or carry out many different water activities. Canoeing, surfing, bodyboarding, swimming and many more.
In summer a water park is installed in Astondo, for everyone to enjoy, young and old.
This beach was the first in Euskadi to obtain the Q certificate for tourist quality.
Approximately half an hour from the beach by foot, we find Gorliz’s coastal battery on the edge of a cliff. The coastal battery is composed of several bunkers and cannons that were built in the 40s.
Presently only one of the cannons remains on site as well as a large part of the network of underground galleries that connect the bunkers. They were prepared to resist an air attack thanks to its concrete structure although finally there was never a need to use them. Their purpose was to form the first line of defense against a possible attack from the north.
From the highest point of the batteries at Cape Billao and at high altitude above sea level, one could control the aerial and maritime landscape and also see Billao Island.
Located next to the hospital, we find one of the places of greatest geological and natural interest of the Cantabrian coast: the petrified dunes.
Declared by Europe Special Conservation Zone (ZEC), these dunes are the result of thousands of years of accumulations of sedimented sand that have cemented over time.
Corresponding to the composition, the different strata are classified into three broad bands. One of them is composed of shells that date back 6000 years.
The porosity of some strata facilitated the filtration of the water for years, creating an underground aquifer that supplies Gorliz’s hospital to date.
The Gorliz lighthouse is located at the highest point of Cape Billao, in the middle of nature. Approximately at 165m above sea level.
It was built in 1990 and can not be considered a conventional lighthouse.
The body consists of two white towers of 21 meters that are attached. Together with their lantern the structure has an avant-garde style and an unconventional aesthetic, very different from the typical lighthouse (next to the lighthouse the followingà in front of the island of Billao, the highest lighthouse on the Cantabrian coast).
In general, lighthouses are named after the cape where they are located. But as there is another lighthouse in Galicia of previous construction named Villano this lighthouse is named after the municipality of Gorliz.
he pine forest of Gorliz, located right in front of the beach, is the second largest recreational area in all of Bizkaia (à one of the largest recreational areas in Bizkaia.
It is composed mostly of pine trees. (à area to relax and enjoy nature) It is a pleasant place to stroll. Perfect to go with children as it also has a playground. You can also cook on the grills or refresh on the water fountains at your disposal
In the pinewood you can have a good time with friends or family. (à services offered: tables, barbecues, fountain, swings…)
Gorliz’s hospital stands right next to the beach. It was built at the beginning of the 20th century as a marine sanatorium.
At that time, the child tuberculosis was widespread and was a serious problem.
Doctor Areilza, in collaboration with other doctors, drafted a project that reflected the benefits of locating a hospital in the Bay of Gorliz where the patients would benefit from long hours of exposure to the sun, and baths in sea water with high iodine content, as a method of healing.
The sanatorium has several rooms and large terraces and was built following the aesthetics of the buildings of Pas de Calais. It is also the first hospital of reinforced concrete built on the peninsula.
The Church Square is located on Itsasbide, the main street. Here are the Townhall, the Church of Saint Mary of the Purest Conception and the fronton. For this reason, it used to be one of the neuralgic points of the municipality of Gorliz.
The nowadays Townhall that stands in the center of the square used to be a segregated school since 1988Today you will see the institutional flags on the balcony.
However, the oldest building in the square is the church. This Baroque building dates from the 11th century, although what is appreciated today is the result of an 18th century reconstruction.
In this square there is also a place for sport; the fronton (Basque pelota court). Here you can play Basque pelota, a traditional game and hallmark of Basque culture.
The full name of this hermitage is Andra Mari Aguirre and De Las Nieves.
Located in the neighborhood of the same name, it was built in the 11 century in a location with excellent views of the estuary and the bay.
Previous to the construction of the lighthouse, the fields that surround the hermitage, used to serve as navigational aid. Here bonfires were lit to prevent the ships, that land was near, and not to approach too much if they did not want to run aground or damage the ship’s hull.