EKAINBERRI CAVE

Google Maps:
43.236631, -2.267103

Type of site:
Facsimile of Ekain Cave and Visitor Centre.

Place of location: Sastarrain Valley
Village/Town: Zestoa
Municipality: Zestoa (Gipuzkoa)
Region: Basque Country
State: Spain
Telephone: + 34 943 868 811
Website: https://www.ekainberri.eus/en/
E-mail: info@ekainberri.com

Natural Environment:

The replica of the Ekain Cave is located in the Sastarrain Valley, 600m from the cave and 1km from the centre of Zestoa. Sastarrain is a small valley surrounded by deciduous woodland, farms and meadows, and was the setting for the Palaeolithic artists at Ekain about 14,500 – 10,000 years ago. In order to conserve this natural scenery, measures have been taken, such as prohibiting motor vehicles from entering Ekainberri.

Archaeological evidences in the site:

The lower part of the Deba and Urola river valleys host a large number of caves and sites of Palaeolithic times. Some of the caves of this area have Palaeolithic art, like Altxerri (UNESCO World Heritage), Erlaitz, Danbolinzulo, Astigarraga, Praile Aitz and Ekain (the most important one). It is an important area for the study of Palaeolithic, especially the cultures of the Upper Palaeolithic.

+info

Opening Times:

Visit can be made all year round. Closed on Monday, except every Monday of July and August. From Tuesday until Friday from 10h to 18h. Weekends and holidays from 10h to 19h.

Booking and access:

By phone (+34 943 86 88 11) and on the website (www.ekainberri.com)

Nearby cultural destinations:

Historical town of Zestoa: town hall, parish church, toriles house, the main square and other architectonic works. Zubi Zaharra Bridge (12th century) and Lauiturri Fountain (18th century). Lili Group: Mansion house with Lili Palace (15th-16th centuries), Llibea House and the ruins of Errotatxo and Errotazar mills and Nagusiay Txikia iron foundry. Loyola Sanctuary, birthplace of San Ignacio de Loyola (Azpeitia) (7 km). Traditional fishing villages of Zumaia (6 km), Guetaria (9 km) and Zarautz (12 km).

Nearby natural destinations:

Pagoeta Natural Park (Aia) (15km).

Accommodations (Tourism Website):
https://turismo.euskadi.eus/es/localidades/zestoa/aa30-12375/es/
Restaurants (Tourism Website):
https://turismo.euskadi.eus/es/localidades/zestoa/aa30-12375/es/

Age of the artistic representations:

Late Magdalenian (between 13,500 and 12,000 years ago).

General description of the destination:

Standing on a hill beside the Urola river, alongside what was once the Royal Way, Zestoa was in the Middle Ages a town with the mission to facilitate communications and relations. Despite the local way of life being largely dedicated to agriculture and livestock breeding, and later industry, this is a town which has always maintained an enormously important services sector with its sights set on meeting the challenges of the 21st century.
On the side of the Izarraitz mountain range, only a few kilometres from Azpeitia and Zumaia, you can visit the Ekain Cave, declared Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, and the Ekainberri museum. We also recommend the storytelling tours of the medieval Lili Palace, a trip to the Zestoa spa and horseback riding in the Sastarrain Valley. Ekainberri is an architectural and museum project in which several institutions and individuals have collaborated, united in the Ekain Foundation. The replica, designed by the architect Jose Maria Alberdi and the archaeologists Jesús Altuna and Koro Mariezkurrena, is located in a large building integrated in the landscape of Sastarrain Valley. Horses and bison painted in ochre and black, engravings, and reliefs with evocative forms appear to visitors along a route which faithfully reproduces the inside of the Ekain Cave.

History of the site:

The Deba and Urola river valleys are home to a dense network of caves with evidence of Upper Palaeolithic habitat, as well as some cave paintings from the period (in the caves of Praitleaitz I and Gastarigarriaga). Ekain is the main cave site, especially for the Upper Magdalenian.

Museographic resources description:

The exhibition provides information about other aspects of Ekain and explains in greater detail what visitors can see in the replica. The information is shown with displays, audio-visual presentations and objects. It describes the discovery of the cave, the context in which it was occupied and decorated, and other caves with rock art in the Basque Country and the rest of the world.