Orozko, what to see and do.

What to see in Orozko, one of the most striking municipalities of Bizkaia.

Orozko, one of the municipalities with the greatest natural wealth of the province of Bizkaia, opens its doors for us to enjoy its mountains, forests, caves and rivers. A great natural environment, which is complemented by the cultural, historical and architectural heritage offered by the valley that we present today. A space that we recommend you to know and enjoy in first person.The parish of Orozko is protected by the Gorbeia Natural Park and the rivers Altube and Arnauri. A valley in which there are dozens of neighborhoods scattered on its slopes. And it is that, what today is the nerve center of Orozko, Zubiaur, is only one of the many existing neighborhoods in this Basque municipality. If you want to know what to see in Orozko, we recommend you to read on, it is a must!

The more than 100 square kilometers of surface that Orozko has make it difficult for us to visit each of the points of its geography. That is why we have decided to create this article to indicate what for us are some of the most striking areas of this Basque municipality. In case you like the culture, history and nature of Euskal Herria, we encourage you to follow us on the different social networks in which we are present(Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube).

What to see in Orozko.

Orozko has many places worth visiting. Some of them are located in the center of the municipality, others are scattered among valleys. In any case, all of them have a very special charm. We hope you like them.

Anunzibai Bridge: The Anunzibai or Anuntzibai Bridge is located at the beginning of the Orozko Valley, on the border with the neighboring town of Laudio / Llodio. Built by Martin de Larrea, this incredible stone structure represents one of the most striking bridges in Bizkaia along with the old bridge of Balmaseda. Near this bridge, we find the old forge, the hermitage of San Miguel or the Anuntzibai Palace, built in 1941 by the architect Jesus Basterrechea. The Altube river is in charge of dividing this group of buildings defining the buildings that are between the territorial limits of Orozko (tower house, forge and mill) and those of Llodio (palace and hermitage).

Aranguren Tower: The Aranguren Tower is one of the most striking structures in all of Orozko, undoubtedly one of the most emblematic civil buildings in all of Bizkaia. This Gothic and Renaissance style building, built in the 16th century by the Olarte family, has been restored by the different owners it has had throughout its history. A fact, that makes that it is in perfect state of conservation.

Gorbeia Natural Park: Gorbeia Natural Park is one of the most emblematic natural areas of Orozko and Euskadi. And it is the most extensive Natural Park of all our territory. A place of reference for Basque mountaineering. The top of Gorbeia is, with its 1,482 meters, one of the most important summits of Euskadi.

Ethnographic Museum of Orozko: This museum located in the Casa Palacio Legorburu, is in the nerve center of Orozko, in Zubiaur. In front of the fronton and the town hall. Inside, we find objects, documents and testimonies that allow us to know better the life of the inhabitants of this valley. Throughout its 3 floors we find different themes that allow us to know the historical heritage of the valley of Orozko, the traditional life in the valley and the inhabitants of the highlands of Gorbeia.

Town Hall: The Orozko Town Hall, a building constructed between 1750 and 1754, has the coat of arms of the Señorío de Bizkaia on its main façade, an element that, fused with the stone, attracts the attention of all the people who visit this town. The stone with which it was built was extracted from Nafarrondo, the quarry that we find in the municipality of Orozko itself. In the past, each of the floors was destined to a specific purpose, thus, on the first floor was the jail, on the second floor the living room and the archive and on the second floor the doctor’s office.

Belaustegi waterfall: The Belaustegi waterfall is one of the great jewels of Orozko. A small natural paradise, which, hidden among wetlands, forests and rivers, offers us a dreamlike space, like a movie. In case you want to visit it, we recommend you to go prepared, because the access to the waterfall is anything but easy. You have all the information in our article Belaustegi Waterfall, a magical corner in Orozko.

Church of San Bartolome de Olarte: This one-nave church is located next to the cemetery of the same name, in the neighborhood of Ibarra. The construction of this cemetery meant the end of the burials inside this church in Orozko. As you have been able to see, this church, like the Aranguren Tower, was linked to the Olarte family, one of the great lineages of the valley. The first written records of this church date back to 1381, but most of the elements are from the 16th century. The tomb of the Olarte family is preserved inside, together with a triptych from Flanders.

Neighborhoods of Orozko: As mentioned above, Orozko is made up of dozens of neighborhoods, which, settled on the slopes of the valleys that make up the municipality, give us a picture of film. There are so many neighborhoods that it is difficult to name them all, but here are some of them: Oketabeti, Uribiarte, Mantzarraga, Urrejola, Arbaiza, Manzarbeiti, Orrotegi, Presatxu, Bengoetxea, Okeluri, Maiortu, Mendiola, San Juan, San Miguel, Muguru, Isasi, Uxuluze, Vistalegre, Unibaso, Egurrutu, Adaro, Urigoiti, Zaloa, Gallartu, Ibarra, Aranguren, Torrezar, La Cadena, Murueta, Pagatsandu, San Martín, Goikiria, Jauregia, Lekubarri, Zubiaur, Presatxu, Arnauri or Olabarri.

San Juan Bautista Church: This church located on a hill, in the neighborhood of Donibane, was the main religious temple of the whole valley. According to several studies, this church built around the year 1180 was erected in honor of San Román, although around the year 1498 it became in honor of San Juan Bautista. Currently this church is abandoned and closed to worship.

Santa Catalina Hermitage: The hermitage of Santa Catalina is one of the 11 hermitages that we find scattered throughout the Orozko valley. In this case, the hermitage we have before us is located in Jauregia, next to the main road and the Atxuri stream.

ItxinaAlthough in this same section we have also included the Natural Park of Gorbeia, space to which Itxina belongs, we believe that the beauty and uniqueness of this space deserves a separate space. This protected biotope is where the eye of Atxulaur and the karst cave Supelegor, home of the witches and lamias of Gorbeia, are located. If you are interested in this space we recommend our article on the route to Itxina. We must remember that this space of more than 570 hectares belongs entirely to the municipality of Orozko.

If the places we have mentioned in this section have not been enough for you, we recommend that you continue to know this municipality visiting places like the remains of the Medieval castle of Untzueta, Torrelanda, the Muñoz Palace or the church of San Pedro de Murueta.

Where to eat in Orozko.

In the center of Orozko, in Zubiaur, in front of the town hall, we find the bar and restaurant Arrugaeta. An establishment in which they work very well the traditional dishes of Euskadi. Among all of them we recommend the beans and cheesecake. 2 dishes that are always present in their menu of the day. On egin!

What to see near Orozko.

Near Orozko there are a good number of places that complement the tourist attractions that we have shown you in this article. We recommend that you plan your route in advance to visit some of them and take advantage of your trip to Orozko.

What to do near Orozko.

Near Orozko we have a good number of experiences to enjoy. We recommend you to consider the possibility of doing some of the activities that we show you in this section. They are very worthwhile. If you want to book in advance, remember that you can do it directly from our reservation center. Safe, fast and at the best price, you can’t ask for more.

History of Orozko.

The different archaeological sites found in Gorbeia show that Orozko has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Most of these discoveries have been located in the numerous caves in the Gorbeia Natural Park. Orozko, like practically all the towns in the province of Bizkaia, suffered during the Middle Ages the consequences of the wars between Oñacinos and Gamboínos. Undoubtedly, one of the most important economic and social crises of that time. Since the 12th century Orozko had been part of the house of Ayala due to the marriage of Alberta Sanchez de Orozko to the Lord of Ayala. Until, on April 2, 1785, Orozko was again incorporated into the General Assemblies of Bizkaia. Nowadays, Orozko is still one of the few towns in which the agricultural and livestock sector has a significant presence. Having said that, we must point out that the industrial sector is also present in this town. An example of this is the company Spiuk, one of the most important cycling clothing and equipment firms in the world.

How to get to Orozko.

Whether you use public or private transport, you should know the best alternatives to reach your destination. In this case, Orozko, does not have great options, and is that we can only choose between arriving by bus or private transport. We tell you everything in detail below.

Video of Orozko.

As usual in all our articles, we have complemented the words and pictures about Orozko with a short video. We hope it will help you to get a more realistic idea of what awaits you at your next destination. In case you like this kind of videos, we encourage you to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you can discover all the experiences and places we recommend in the Basque Country.

As you have been able to see, Orozko is one of those towns worth visiting. A quiet place, where nature takes a special role. In case you have any questions or suggestions about what to see in Orozko, we recommend you to use the comment system that you will find below these lines to let us know. We will try to respond as soon as possible. Ondo pasa!