GRAN VÍA DE DON DIEGO LÓPEZ DE HARO
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Gran Vía is a 1.5 km stretch of the city's main administrative and financial buildings
It is the main artery of the Ensanche de Bilbao. Known simply as the "Gran Vía", the 1.5 kilometre-long route brings together the city's main administrative and financial buildings, as well as a considerable commercial offer with department stores and beautiful boutiques.
Named in honour of the founder of Bilbao Don Diego López V de Haro, Lord of Bizkaia, the Gran Vía was developed at the end of the 19th century as part of the urban expansion project of the Ensanche. It stretches from the Plaza Circular to the Plaza del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, crossing the Plaza de Federico Moyúa, which forms the nucleus of Bilbao.
The Gran Vía crosses the city from one end to the other. At the beginning of this avenue are the Bank of Spain, built in 1923, then the Bilbao Stock Exchange, created in 1907, and the Sociedad Bilbaina (1839), a private club of entrepreneurs and bankers. On the Plaza Circular, the point of union between the Casco Viejo and the Ensanche, stands the statue of Don Diego López de Haro, Lord of Bizkaia, who carries in his hand the founding letter of the city of Bilbao.
Travelling along the Gran Vía, from Plaza Moyua, westwards, we enter the Sagrado Corazón area. The economic and commercial power of the city can be felt from the first buildings, such as the Edificio Sota, built at the beginning of the 20th century in a Basque regionalist style, and the Palacio Chávarri, the current seat of the government of Bizkaia.