The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is perhaps the most extraordinary museum in the world. And not just because of its futuristic shape. Its construction saved the Basque port city from decay and made it a cultural metropolis known and loved throughout the world. The temple of art became the symbol of the city and still inspires countless imitators around the world. TRAVELBOOK tells the exciting story.
On the banks of the Nervión River in the Basque port city of Bilbao is perhaps the most iconic museum in the world. Constructed of titanium, sandstone and glass, the building may remind some of a ship or a fish with its ultra-modern look. 26 years after its opening in 1997, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is not only one of the most important temples of art, but has also completely changed the image of the city. During this period, the city, which was still marked by decay in the early 1990s, developed into a cultural metropolis. This change was so striking and inspired so many imitators that it is still called the “Bilbao Effect”.
At the beginning of the last decade of the last century, Bilbao seems to be a doomed city. As “German wavethe deterioration was reportedly gradual but brutal. Due to its location on the Bay of Biscay on the Atlantic, it was once an important industrial and port city, the beating and always active heart of the Basque Country. Up until the 1970s, the region’s status as the most important commercial center had brought the metropolis a period of prosperity. But at one point he could no longer keep up with the latest developments in the industry.
possibility of rebirth
The shipyards and factories were hopelessly outdated and falling into disrepair, those who could flee with their families. Those who stayed often had neither work nor prospects. To make matters worse, Bilbao was at the time a stronghold of the Basque terrorist organization ETA, which covered the country in bloody attacks. At that time, no one could have imagined that the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao would soon become one of the most important museums in the world today.
But in 1993 the renowned Guggenheim Foundation went looking for a place in Europe to build its new temple of art. Negotiations are underway with numerous metropolises, but Bilbao finally surpasses them all. The city was well aware of the opportunity that the Guggenheim Museum could offer for the revitalization of Bilbao. And so the city and the region offer to shoulder the construction costs. The foundation should fill the new museum with life, i.e. with its own works, and take over its management.
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Unprecedented transformation
Massive protests erupted in the city. The population does not understand why instead of a museum the industry lying on the ground is not being rebuilt. Spanish and especially regional artists also fear that the American foundation may not represent their work enough. Strong “Guardiansthey contemptuously call the ambitious project “McGuggenheim”. No one believes at this point that the Guggenheim Museum can actually save the city of Bilbao.
However: in the absence of a better idea to save their city, everyone involved agrees to the project. In the same year the first stone was laid. Canadian Frank Gehry, known for his bold and futuristic designs, is hired as the architect. The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao becomes something like his life’s work. Although he was already internationally known at the time, the museum catapulted him into the ranks of superstardom. And the city itself is also undergoing an extraordinary transformation.
An icon of modern architecture
During the construction of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, the old warehouses and factory buildings will disappear. They give way to modern promenades with green spaces, in the center of which the gallery now stands out like a spaceship. When it was officially opened on October 18, 1997 by the then Spanish king Juan Carlos, it had long since become an icon of modern architecture. Incidentally, Gehry is said to have been less enthusiastic about its construction at first, as quoted by the Guardian. As a result, when he saw the finished building a month before it opened, he thought to himself, “What the hell have I done to these people?”
But from the outset, the international press and industry peers have been full of praise and enthusiasm for Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. What follows is a veritable rush of visitors that far exceeds even the most optimistic estimates. Instead of the half million hoped-for visitors, more than double that number initially. To date, about a million people a year want to see the temple of art. This shows aloud official site on an area of 9,000 square meters mainly modern works by Andy Warhol, Gerhard Richter, Jeff Koons, Jackson Pollock and many others. The house with its total area of 24,000 square meters is also famous for its huge statues. By the way, Spanish and Basque artists have their section here.
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The “Bilbao Effect”
The transformation that the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao has brought to the city is perhaps unprecedented. Today, the Basque city is not only famous throughout the world for its art, but also for its cuisine. Countless other metropolises around the world have tried to achieve similar success with similar projects. The transformation during the construction of the iconic building is therefore now also known as the “Guggenheim” or the “Bilbao effect”.
According to “Deutsche Welle”, the city on the Nervión is a kind of open-air museum of internationally renowned architects. Briton Norman Foster built an entire subway line in the footsteps of Gehry’s success, while Spaniard Santiago Calatrava designed a pedestrian bridge near the museum.
Dimensions, opening hours, entrance fees: Read more about the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
In 2017, 200,000 people attended the 20th anniversary of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. The largest gallery in the house is 130 meters long and 30 meters wide, the highest room is the atrium room at 50 meters. The glazed and therefore very bright rooms show their art on three levels.
According to the official website, the museum is open to visitors from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 19:00. The ticket office closes half an hour earlier. Admission for adults currently costs 16 euros, but may vary depending on the exhibition.
