‘Ondarea plazara!´ Cultural heritage on stage is the motto of this year's edition of the European Heritage Days in Bizkaia. 160 organisers will participate this year, including town halls, museums, and cultural groups from the region. Together they will present a total of 200 activities across Bizkaia's 58 municipalities.

On 16th September the programme for `Ondarea Plazara!' was announced at the Basque Museum by the Provincial Councillor for Basque Culture and Sport, Lorea Bilbao. In the words of the Provincial Councillor, “the European Heritage Days are filled with activities throughout the month of October to invite citizens to participate and showcase the cultural heritage of the so-called `community arts´, which are made up of all kinds of events ranging from the playful to the ritual, from the spontaneous to the ceremonious, and the whole spectrum of tangible and intangible heritage, objects and places, techniques and knowledge that have been passed down over the generations and which need to continue being preserved." The Provincial Councillor added that “dances, rural sports, music and games, pilgrimages, bertsolarismo (improvised Basque poetry), theatre and musical performances, form part of this extensive repertoire which will be performed in many squares in the municipalities of Bizkaia throughout the month of October”.

In this edition, the Provincial Council of Bizkaia has coordinated the work of 58 municipalities in Bizkaia, which have programmed around 200 free activities that will take place throughout the month of October.

The study of archives and their safekeeping

A part of the programme is devoted to the work carried out by archives, libraries, museums, associations and groups who have built and maintained these repositories through studies and inventories, from the popular songbooks compiled from the 18th century onwards to today’s digital publications.   

Furthermore, the public will be able to visit some private societies and clubs for the first time as part of this year's programme. The places and spaces of hidden histories can be visited and explored, such as bandstands, theatres, pelota courts and stone dragging lanes, and even bullrings.

There will also be objects, such as musical instruments, clothing and footwear, pieces, attributes and adornments, toys on display in exhibitions, some of which have been restored especially for the occasion.

The activities are free and you will find all of the information on the following link www.bizkaikoa.bizkaia.eus/jep.