Castillo de Butrón

Description:

• 20km from Bilbao, in the municipality of Gatika and very near the beaches of Gorliz y Plencia, is this marvellous castle inspired by the French medieval gothic style and built around the 13th century. It is encircled by a large park of some 45000m2. Its primitive tower was the nucleus that permitted the later construction of the castle by the fifth Lord of Butrón in the middle of the 14th century. Abandoned for many years, it was restored at the end of the 19th century to the building so admired today; a restoration that was carried out in 1878 by the architect, Francisco de Cubas. Among its main attractions the tower perched above the main gate stands out, with its slate top finished with a mixture of zinc weather vanes and battlements, encircled by four smaller cone shaped towers. This beautiful building provides the visitor with audiovisual information, as well as graphic illustrations of the castle's medieval history, and re-enactments of the personalities and everyday scenes of the day. It is a complete fantasy world in which, during certain times of the year, one can enjoy a medieval banquet with all the attendant entertainment.
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