Representatives of the Getxo Municipal Corporation and the Punta Begoña Fundazioa Foundation visited the Fort.

They learned from the Foundation’s director how the actions ordered by the participatory budgets are being developed and made contributions regarding the intervention and social functionalization strategies for the monument.

The opening of La Galea Fort was the second most voted option by the citizens of Getxo within the participatory budgets for 2025. Its history, beauty, and location attract the interest of thousands of people, locals and visitors, who are increasingly walking the coastal path.

In compliance with the resolution corresponding to the participatory budgets, the Punta Begoña Fundazioa Foundation has launched the process of restoration and social use of the Fort, which has gone further and allowed for the following actions to date:

• Preliminary analysis of the general condition.
• Initial conditioning of the complex.
• Identification of areas of action.
• Interior and surrounding area cleaning interventions.
• Gardening work in both the various interior spaces and the affected areas of the walls and moat.
• Compilation of historical works related to the Fort and development of content and materials for the design of guided tours.
• Preliminary analysis of the condition and constructive possibilities of the elements that make up the heritage space.
• Organization and development of the competition for the elaboration of the Strategic Plan for the Restoration and Social Use of the Fort.
• Design of a participatory process so that the citizens of Getxo have a decisive voice in the future of the monument, within the regulatory and heritage framework.
• Analysis of intervention and management models that guarantee the socio-economic and heritage sustainability of the monument.

The Board of Trustees of the Punta Begoña Fundazioa Foundation, composed of all the municipal groups of the City Council, approved the resolution of the competition for the elaboration of the Strategic Plan for La Galea Fort at its session on Ekaina 1, 2026. This plan will be developed throughout the current year in parallel with the implementation of conditioning and social participation actions related to the project.

At the aforementioned Board of Trustees session, a visit by the Corporation was proposed, which took place on Ekaina 16, with a broad municipal representation attending.

During the visit, the Foundation’s director presented and elaborated on the general guidelines and requirements agreed upon by the Board of Trustees in the competition for the elaboration of the Strategic Plan, which consist of:

• Social participation, integrated into all phases of the process, including decision-making.
• Socio-economic sustainability to guarantee the physical and functional recovery and the future of the monument.
• Rigorous respect for its heritage values, starting from its basic degree of protection, but considering its exceptional value, applying the same requirements and demands as a Cultural Asset of maximum protection.

During the visit, aspects such as the social, cultural, and landscape potential of the Fort, its value as heritage for Getxo, Bizkaia, and Euskadi, the significant social return that its restoration can offer, the organization of the process so that it can be in full use in the short term, even within the next legislature, and the need for institutional involvement to address a limited investment with broad benefits for citizens, both local and visitors, were discussed.

The mandate of the participatory budgets has not only been launched but has also shown the enormous social potential of a monument that is part of Getxo’s history, was erected by the local population and, based on their decision, is destined to become a monumental space for their use and enjoyment.