Tourism

Of the 30 tower – houses to be found in the jurisdiction of Bermeo, the Ercilla Tower is the only one still standing in the town centre.

It is not known for sure when this Tower was actually constructed but, based on its characteristics, it is considered to date back to the end of the 15th century.

The Tower is located in the eastern part of the town in the traditional square of Torrontero, set high on the cliff overlooking the Puerto Menor, the old port of Bermeo. The Ercilla tower is purely an urban building with some defensive characteristics. It has a six-sided, irregular floor plan and a six pitch roof.


The Tower was the property of the Ercilla family; the first known member of this family in Bermeo being Juan Pérez de Ercilla, who married María Alonso de Arteaga y Mujica-Butrón, daughter of the Lord of the house of Arteaga in Bermeo.

His son, Martín Ruiz de Ercilla, married to María Fernández de Ermendurua y Arostegui, was Mayor and Governor of the Chartered Town and appeared several times as the representative of Bermeo at the provincial parliament. He was appointed chief clerk of the naval fleet organised in Bermeo in 1493 for an expedition to the Americas and which was finally used to take the king of Granada, Muley Boabdil and his entourage to Africa. A second son of Martín, named Fortún García de Ercilla, came to be one of the most illustrious men in Bermeo and of the Feudal Estate, whilst he is also the most forgotten and least recognised.