Monuments
The oldest religious building of Galdakao is the Andra Mari Church or Santa María. It was built in Elexalde, in the 13th century, replacing the old church Santa Marina de Ganguren wich stood in a very isolated place. Its founder was Don Sancho of Galdakao and Torrezabal. Built in the Middle Ages, it was extended later and rebuilt in 1516. The style is a Romanesque-Gothic mixture with Renaissance elements of reconstruction. The most notable element is the front, Romanesque to Gothic transitional one. Se apoya en eight columns, two of them for the inner three-lobe arch, whose capitals show several human and bird figures. There are still remains left in the belfry from the original building , dated 12th century. In the interior you can observe both styles as well, Romanesque and Gothic. Standing out specially, the plateresc altarpiece with a fantastic carving of Santa María (13th century). In the Gothic nave there is a Romanesque grave from 13th century, consisting of links and ended in a serrated border. It is the grave of the descendants of the founder. In the outside, next to the church, there is a calvario with a gorgeous terminal Renaissance cross with tools from several trades sculpted on it. The temple is considered historical and artistic monument (National Monument).
Its was built in 1896 by Alfredo Acebal in the area of La Cruz. The plant is a latin cross, with a clear transept of short but wide arms. It only has a single nave with no columns or side chapels. The vault is a half-barrel one. The tower, with the belfry and the clock, is situated as a buttress, at the foot of the building. The tower is crowned with the dome, on whose top a slender forged cross is located.
It is in Usansolo, in the path to Lekubaso, next to a stream. It is made of dressed stone, with a height of about eight meters. On top it has got a two meters long wooden loft.
Turned into a palatial place of residence, it still preserves several Gothic windows. It has got an attached staircase in the outside.
In Gurutzeko Plaza can be found the Town Hall of Galdakao, dated 18th century. It is considered as one of the baroque town halls of that century. It is a cubic building with a four-water roof. The main front, the angles, the opennings and the rest of the fronts are covered with dressed stone. At the main floor there is a big balcony. The building has been reciently restored and its interior redesigned.
It is situated in the top of a hill from where the houses of Lekubaso are dominated, in Usansolo. The whole thing is made of dressed stone and is eleven meters high. It has got a two-water roof on top. The most remarkable thing of this building with only two floors is its main front.
Another representative monument of Galdakao is El Gallo, located in Urgoiti, at the crossroads to Donostia and Gasteiz. In the 19th century, the crossroads was used as customs, named "katea". Arround the middle of the century a sculptural column with a bronze cock on its top was placed at the junction. In 1971 this figure was pulled down during the construction of the motorway.
Finished the works, an avant-garde iron sculpture representing a cock was placed at the crossroads. Recently the old cock has been replaced to its original site. This way one of the most outstanding road symbols of Biscay has been finally restored.