Park in the old cemetery of Begoña, Bilbao, Spain

Competition 2023

The intervention in the old Begoña cemetery represents an opportunity to generate an emblematic place where, not only the old chapels and pantheons are integrated, but also the symbolism of the cemetery with more than two hundred years of history is respected.

This proposal seeks to maintain the atmosphere of the graveyard while respecting the existing as much as possible, redistributing and adapting the space to the needs of the present. The circular shape of the MEADOW is reminiscent of the ancient cromlech and, together with the introduction of a SACRED PATH, gives the garden a symbolic character.

On the other hand, the aim is also to give the garden a museum character with the LAPIDARIUM of cyclopean walls, as the main exhibition area, where the architectural remains are concentrated. Commemorative and descriptive plaques describing the history of the cemetery itself are incorporated into this LAPIDARIUM. Exhibition areas are also established within the CHAPEL and the MORGUE ruins, in addition to the conservation of the main pantheons throughout the surface of the meadow.

The proposed vegetation, typical of an Atlantic garden, will contribute to accentuate the identity of the site.

Authors: Linazasoro&Sánchez Arquitectura, Darío Álvarez (Landscape Architect), Ramón Rodríguez (Historian)
Collaborators: Alba Troitiño Bernal, María Cristina Cano, José Rodríguez