Bilbao

Heraldry of the World Civic heraldry of Spain - Heraldica Española

BILBAO

Region : País Vasco
Province : Vizcaya/Bizkaia

Official blazon

En campo de plata un puente de dos ojos, sumado de la iglesia de San Antón de su color y a su siniestra dos lobos de sable andantes y en palo, sobre ondas de azur y plata.

Origin/meaning

The arms correspond to the traditional arms of the Bilbao City. It represents the Church of San Antón (Saint Anthony) and the old first bridge of Bilbao over the Nervión River (destroyed at the beginning of XX century and replaced by a new one). The two wolfs over the bridge represent the arms of Bilbao's founder, Don Diego López de Haro, who also granted the city rights.. The "López" surname come from latin "lupus" (wolf).

The left image below in an older version of the arms.

The right image below shows the official corporative sign of Bilbao's council in the 1990s, and wass used as official arm image of the city, but is only a mere simplification of the original arms.

Literature : de Cadenas, A. A. and de Cadenas, V. : Heraldica de las comunidades autonomas y de las capitales de provincia. Hidalguia, Madrid, 1985; Heráldica municipal de Bizkaia, no year; background by Daniel Gibert Cobos; new image from Wikipedia