He Iron Belt

THE CASTLE OF BUTRÓN

THE CASTLE OF BUTRÓN

This picturesque castle was originally a tower-house and the residence of the Butrón, one of the most important families in Biscay, and the head of the Oñacino

This picturesque castle, belonging to the township of Gatika, was originally a tower-house and the residence of the Butrón, one of the most important families in Biscay, and the head of the Oñacino side in the Wars of the Bands.

As the medieval home of the head of the band, Butrón was the scene of many bloody battles between the rural nobility of Biscay.

When the Wars of the Bands finally ceased the building was abandoned and fell into disuse, until 1879 when its then owner, the Marquis of Tordecilla, charged its retoration to the architect the Marquis of Cubas who designed the magnificent castle we can admire today.

The result of the restauration is a castle straight out of a fairy-tale, with four turrets, seven floors and a great variety of decorative elements. The park surrounding the castle is an important feature too, due to the great number of species of plant, both native and exotic, growing there.

This magnificent monument to Romanticism is the finest example of a modern recreation of a Medieval castle in the State today and, together with its beautiful surroundings, is surely one of the prettiest postcards of Biscay.