Butrón Castle

Few sights in the Biscay landscape are as striking as the silhouette of Butrón Castle peeping out through the trees. Known in Basque as Butroeko gaztelua, the building looks as if it has stepped straight out of a fairy tale: towers, battlements and a fortress-like air that invites you to imagine bygone ages. Its setting, in the middle of a wooded estate, heightens that sense of discovery, because the castle does not loom from the top of a hill but appears almost hidden among the greenery.

What we see today is a Neo-Gothic fortress, although its roots go back much further: the castle's origins date to the Middle Ages. This dual nature is precisely one of its greatest attractions. Beneath the romantic, theatrical appearance typical of the Neo-Gothic lies the memory of a medieval building, so visitors find themselves before a monument that speaks of two very different moments in history at once.

Its value has been officially recognised with its designation as Historic Heritage, placing it among the most notable treasures of Basque heritage. It stands within the municipality of Gatica, in the province of Biscay, and the surrounding area is quiet and secluded, ideal for anyone wishing to enjoy the monument away from the hustle and bustle.

That isolation, however, is more apparent than real. Butrón is not far from Bilbao, and the surrounding area is dotted with towns such as Sopelana, Urdúliz, Plencia, Munguía, Maruri and Lauquíniz. This makes it easy to include a visit to the castle in a wider route through inland and coastal Biscay, combining a look at this fortress with a stroll around the nearby villages. All in all, it is a worthwhile stop for anyone keen to discover a different, more evocative and theatrical side of the Basque Country's heritage.