La Encartada Fabrika-Museoa
Former beret and cloth factory in Balmaseda, converted into an industrial museum with its original machinery; visits are always with a guide.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
La Encartada S.A. was founded in 1892 and operated for exactly one hundred years. Its capital was provided by five indianos, emigrants from Biscay who had made their fortunes in Mexico, three of them from Balmaseda. The factory worked wool and produced berets, its main product, as well as blankets, cloth, gloves, scarves, visors, balaclavas, and skeins and balls of yarn. A small workers' district grew up around the factory, with housing for the workers, a chapel-school and the director's house, which has since disappeared.
Since 2007 it has been an industrial museum. The buildings, the machinery and the workers' colony form a site of great evocative power that takes visitors back to the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution in the Iberian Peninsula. One of its greatest assets is the exceptional collection of machinery, mostly English, from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The factory has kept its appearance and technological equipment almost intact, and retains all the elements of the production process, from the reception of raw wool to packing and dispatch.
La Encartada has been a monument since 2012 and an anchor point of European industrial heritage since 2019. The museum has restored more than twenty machines that still work, and its guided visits, workshops and demonstrations are always organised around the original machinery.
Highlights
- Original textile machinery, mostly English, from the late 19th century
- More than twenty restored machines that still work
- Complete production process, from raw wool to packing
- Workers' district and chapel-school of the former colony
- Visits with demonstrations of the machines in operation
Permanent exhibition
- La fábrica y su maquinaria – Guided visit of the former textile factory, with its original machinery and all the stages of the wool production process.
- Founded
- 2007
- Operated by
- Diputación Foral de Bizkaia
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €5 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €3Large and single-parent families, students, people over 60, pensioners, unemployed people, companions of people with disabilities, groups of more than 10 people, guides, teachers and journalists |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 16 · Free admission up to age 16, with accreditation. |
| Visitors with disabilities | freeFree admission for people with disabilities, with accreditation. |
| Groups (11+ people) | €3 per personReduced rate for groups of more than 10 people. School groups and camps: €1 per person. |
Free admission: Fridays (museum day), 18 May (International Museum Day) and 10 January (museum anniversary).
Free admission, with accreditation, also for people at risk of social exclusion, teachers and guides accompanying groups, and holders of the Nagusitxartela or ICOM card.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 16 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
- Playground / play area
The “La Encartada en familia” programme includes workshops such as “Ovejas listas” (from 6 years old), “EncarDado” (from 4 years old), “Txiki-telares” and “Intxaursaltsa”, in groups of 4 to 16 people and at a price of €1 to €3 per person. The museum has a park with a children's play area.
Getting there & parking
By car
Parking available
Amenities & dining
- Museum shop
Shop, car park and leisure area with a children's play area.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
The museum rents out rooms.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Visits are always guided. Booking is recommended (946 800 778 or laencartada@bizkaia.eus) and is essential for groups of more than 20 people. There are special visits with demonstrations of the machines in operation. School groups pay €1 per pupil for the guided visit and €2 for the visit with a workshop. |
