Ekoetxea Urdaibai

Over het museum

Ekoetxea Urdaibai occupies the Torre Madariaga, in Busturia, in the heart of the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve. The building was constructed in the 15th century, most probably as a fortified tower house of the banderizo clans with defensive functions, and in the 17th century an adjoining palace with residential rooms was added. Over time the tower house became part of the farming activity on the five hectares around it, and the rooms were enlarged for the families who looked after the land. The clock tower dates from 1851 and was built by a resident of San Bartolomé to hand over to the village of Busturia.

The building was restored to house the Centro de Biodiversidad de Euskadi, created to spread knowledge about nature and biodiversity and to explain the benefits they bring to people and what is lost when species become extinct. Urdaibai was declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1984, and it is one of the areas of the Basque Country with the greatest variety of ecosystems.

The permanent exhibition, titled “Qué es la biodiversidad”, runs through several rooms with photographs, audiovisuals, interactive displays and living specimens, and ends at a viewpoint overlooking the estuary, the island of Izaro, the Laida beach and the marsh. There is also a temporary exhibition space, a marsh observatory, an auditorium and a programme of participatory activities.

Hoogtepunten

• Permanent exhibition “Qué es la biodiversidad”, with audiovisuals and living specimens
• Ecosfera, an experimental artificial ecosystem designed by NASA
• Tower viewpoint over the Urdaibai estuary
• “biodiber” modules designed for the youngest visitors
• 15th-century tower house with a 17th-century palace

Vaste collectie

• Qué es la biodiversidad – Permanent exhibition explaining the concept of biodiversity and its functions through photographs, audiovisuals, interactive displays and living specimens, with a route through genetic, species and ecosystem diversity and a room on Urdaibai.

Opgericht

2008

Beheerder

Gobierno Vasco

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

The general admission includes the permanent exhibition, the temporary exhibitions and the viewpoint.

Toegankelijkheid

Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Doe- en voelstations

Along the route there are “biodiber” modules designed for the youngest visitors to play and get familiar with biodiversity: giant jigsaws, puzzles, a computer game, magnetic pieces, boards and a puppet workshop with characters from the area.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.

Service & horeca

• Museumwinkel

Shop in the centre selling food and drinks.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

The building has an area for congresses, education and training workshops, and an auditorium.

Je bezoek plannen