Send Gift Baskets to Barakaldo, Spain

Initially, the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica entry on the city stated:

Between 1880 and 1900, Baracaldo’s population nearly doubled, making it one of the fastest-growing Spanish towns. During this period, the iron works and dynamite factory of Baracaldo prospered greatly due to the increase in production at the Biscayan mines, the extension of railways in the neighborhood, and the growth of shipping at Bilbao. Pod fruit, vines, and maize cover the low flat country surrounding Barakaldo.”

The iron mining industry was a significant part of Barakaldo’s economy, making it an essential endpoint of a mining railway. Altos Hornos de Vizcaya’sVizcaya’s steel industry was important during the 20th century, but the industrial recession hit the region’sregion’s economy during the 1980s.

As large companies such as Babcock & Wilcox have shuttered over the past few decades, the industrial zones around Barakaldo have become less prominent. The area still has several factories, but it has been redeveloped into residential properties such as malls and parks. The largest exhibition center in the world. Near the outskirts of Bilbao is the newly constructed Bilbao Exhibition Centre.