LOLA

Begoña cemetery is transitioning into a generous urban garden, while putting into value its accumulated heritage and history. The transformation competition was launched after the exhumation of 4,700 people’s remains, including the largest mass grave found in the Basque country with the victims from both Civil and Carlist wars. To honour the cemetery’s history in a time of green transition for the city, the Municipality of Bilbao selected LOLA Landscape Architects and IWA Design Studio to design the transformation of the 0.6 ha Begoña cemetery in Bilbao.

The hidden gem of Bilbao will open its doors to the public after 20 years of closure. Its intimate character and natural atmosphere will be maintained, while keeping the landmark’s important history alive. Throughout the transformation, history and heritage form the guiding principles, giving means for the history memory of victims from both Civil and Carlist wars, and past epidemics. The Begoña Garden curates many individual stories while supporting urban life, a community that evolves over generations, learning from past mistakes and achievements while contributing to a better future.

The cemetery’s tombstones and pantheons, integral to its heritage, will be preserved through relocation, reuse, or rehabilitation. Most elements are adjusted so visitors can experience the tension between opposing dynamics: more silence and openness versus intensity and density.