Uribe Gorliz

Routes

Leisure

HISTORY

Gorliz´s church

Gorliz is a coastal town blessed with a large number of natural and cultural features and with a long tourist tradition. Its geographical situation, sheltered in a spectacular bay, has shaped the history of this seafaring town. Over the centuries, its inhabitants have followed a mixed economy model, combining seasonal activities such as fishing, sea transport or boat building, with agriculture and livestock breeding on the farms.

In the mid 18th century, Gorliz was one of the major centres of the merchant fleet of Bizkaia, boasting 15 ships with a total capacity of 5280 “quintales” (1 quintal = 100 lbs), thus representing the second most important port in the Domain of Bizkaia, after Bilbao.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, this seafaring town underwent a major transformation on the advent of tourism, thanks to its splendid surroundings and the construction of the Marine Sanitorium. This process, which has continued to our days, offers some explanation of the reasons why Gorliz became a residential area and vacation retreat.

Elexalde, the original nucleus of this municipality, continues to be the social and administrative centre of Gorliz, around the Church of the Immaculate Conception and the town hall. The rest of the population is distributed among the hamlets of Andra Mari, Areatza, Gandia and Urezarantza.

Gorliz has more than 4 km of coastline and one of the most beautiful and quietest beaches on the coast of Bizkaia. A wide bay in the form of a shell protects its waters and provides the ideal conditions for windsurfing, diving and swimming.

Around the bay there is an ample offer of activities for lovers of nature and the outdoors, hiking and leisure, the main points of reference being the Esplanade, Gorliz Hospital and the Astondo Sand Dunes. In the clump of Cantabrian pines next to the beach, there is a pleasant recreational area.