4-BANK OF BILBAO
The Bank of Bilbao building, protected with cowhides to avoid bomb explosions and to prevent flying shrapnel coming in, is one of the
best-known images of the 1874 Siege of Bilbao. As in the case of the Battery of Death, auxiliaries and government soldiers gathered at its entrance, appearing in many photographs.
The Church of San Nicolás, meanwhile, was used as the Artillerymen’s Barracks. During the heaviest periods of the bombardment, gunpowder was moved to the arches of the bridges along the river due to the fear of it being hit by a bomb or mortar.
Another involuntary protagonist of the siege was the Gómez de la Torre palace-house located next to the Church of San Nicolás. The Town Hall was located there due to the damage suffered by the Plaza Vieja building.
After the Siege was lifted, it would also provide accommodation for General Serrano and General Concha.
