Abandoibarra is now the heart of Bilbao. Years ago, the former shipyards and Renfe railway depots prevented this stretch of land along the Bilbao estuary from revealing the full potential it enjoys today. Part of this area, the now-defunct Euskalduna shipyard, withstood the passage of time until 1992, when the widespread demolition of the facility that gave the site its name began. A total of 8.4 hectares of land were cleared to make way for new public uses—specifically, the creation of a “general equipment network.” Initiated in 1993, the intervention was subsidized by the Basque Government's Industrial Ruins Demolition Program, with a budget of 83,403,157 pesetas. The construction of the Guggenheim Museum at one end; the development of the Conference and Music Center [1994–1998], or Euskalduna Palace, on these vacant lots; and the open dialogue established with the University of Deusto and the Museum of Fine Arts created a dynamic relationship among four architectural pieces that activates the site, shaping a new cultural enclave.
