Spanish Civil War 1936–1939
Iron Belt Interpretation Centre, Berango
Interpretation centre
The story
The Iron Belt's western end ran through the Uribe district north of Bilbao to the coast at Barrika and Sopela. Remains of bunkers, trenches and gun emplacements survive in Barrika, Berango, Sopela, Urduliz, Gatika, Loiu, Mungia and Zamudio, marked by information panels. The small interpretation centre in Berango has graphic panels and a display of objects and documents on how the line was built and why it failed in June 1937. It makes a good starting point for walks to the coastal and inland remains.
What you can see today
An exhibition of panels, objects and documents, plus signposted remains of the line in the surrounding municipalities.
Plan your visit
The Museo Memorial del Cinturón de Hierro is at Simon Otxandategi Etorbidea 64, Berango (tel. 94 668 21 43). Walks to the coastal bunkers around Sopela and Berango take 1–2 h.
- Open
- Mon–Fri 12:00–14:00 & 17:00–20:00; Sat 11:00–13:00 & 17:00–19:00; Sun 11:00–13:00; closed public holidays
Checked September 2026 from official sources: uribe.eu, museoeneguna.eus. Things change, so check before you travel.
Sources
- geonames.org/search.html?q=Berango&country=ES
- uribe.eu/discover/iron-belt
- turismovasco.com/bizkaia/que-ver-bizkaia/cinturon-de-hierro-sopela-berango/
Nearby sites
- Artxanda – Iron Belt trenches & memorial · 12 km
- Iron Belt trail, Zamudio (Berreaga–Gaztelumendi ridge) · 13 km
- Monte Sollube battlefield · 19 km
- Gaztelumendi breach – Larrabetzu Iron Belt bunker · 20 km
- Casa de Juntas & Tree of Gernika · 26 km
- Pasealekua air-raid shelter, Gernika · 26 km
All 158 sites in Spanish Civil War 1936–1939 →
The Spanish Civil War 1936–1939
A free field guide for your phone: the route, the maps and the stories built in, even with no signal. The battlefields, trenches, ruined villages, shelters, museums and memorials of the Spanish Civil War across the whole of Spain, told fairly from both sides.
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