La Encartada
Factory-Museum
To delve into the era of the Industrial Revolution.
- Phone : 946 800 778
- E-mail : laencartada@bizkaia.eus
- Web: www.bizkaikoa.bizkaia.eus
Factory
It was founded on January 14, 1892, by the initiative of Marcos Arena, in collaboration with an English textile guild society.
After a period of inactivity, it has been declared a Classified Monumental Complex. The protected area comprises the factory itself with all its buildings, the apartment block known as %22La Plazuela%22 house, the chapel building, and the adjoining apartment block or %22Casa Nueva.%22 Also noteworthy are the hydraulic infrastructure consisting of the dam on the Cadagua River, its intake channel, the sluice gate, the reservoir and its drainage system, the furnishings and machinery contained within the factory, and the surrounding area.
Today, the Monumental Complex, almost fully restored, has become a Textile Museum.
Museum
The new La Encartada Beret Museum is a large-scale tourist attraction that immerses us in the era of the Industrial Revolution.
The %22La Encartada%22 Beret Museum arose from a lengthy restoration process of the former beret factory that bears its name. It is probably the only museum in all of Europe that includes within the same complex the factory itself, which preserves in good condition virtually all the machinery of a production line encompassing the entire process, as well as the workers’ quarters with its two residential buildings, the chapel-school, and an exceptionally beautiful landscape in the Kadagua River valley.
The Balmaseda City Council and the Provincial Council of Bizkaia have participated in its long reconstruction process; the first phase, the factory itself, has been opened, where the wool was worked until it became a beret or a blanket.
Facilities
The Beret Museum currently has two floors. On the ground floor, there is an audiovisual room where an introductory video with testimonials from the workers themselves will be shown, and a permanent exhibition that will showcase, through panels, documents, and various objects, the specific and historical values ​​of La Encartada, its equipment, its workers’ colony, etc.
Along the corridor on this same floor, you will find exhibits related to the old wool washing process, the factory’s service vehicles, the auxiliary workshops, and the turbine access hall. You can also see the hydroelectric power plant, which is currently operational.
The first floor provides access to the manufacturing line and machinery, including sections such as carding and spinning, beret weaving, overlocking, etc. The old offices and meeting rooms are also located there.
Services
In addition to a museum, La Encartada offers the following services:
- Guided tours in Basque and Spanish (English and sign language available upon request)
- Workshops and teaching materials for school groups of all educational levels.
- Temporary exhibitions.
- Rooms for rent for events.
- Reception.
- Store.
- Own parking.
- Children’s park.
- Garden area.
- Accessible entrances.
Access :
On the Bi-636 road, 2 km from the town center of Balmaseda, towards Burgos. El Peñueco nº 11 – Balmaseda.
Visits :
The tour begins at the hydroelectric power plant of this same facility, which is already operational, and concludes at the first plant.
The visiting hours are as follows:
- From Tuesday to Saturday: 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m./ *4:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
- Sundays and public holidays: 10:00-14:00 h.
- Monday closed
*Afternoon hours only on Fridays and Saturdays during Holy Week and from May 1st to October 31st:
The museum will be closed on December 25, January 1 and 6.
The rates are as follows:
General admission: €5.50
Reduced admission: €3.50
- Under 26 years old
- People over 60 years old
- Retired people and pensioners
- Unemployed people
- large families
- Groups of more than 10 people
Free admission:
- Children under 12 years old accompanied by
- Nagusi Card
- ICOM card
- Friday of Museum Day week (May 18)
- Teachers, guides and accredited press
-
Factory visit: €1
-
Teaching unit/activity: €1
-
Factory visit + educational unit: €2
All prices include VAT. Card payments are accepted.
