Artaza Palace, Queen Anne style palace in Leioa, Spain
Artaza Palace is a palace in the Queen Anne style located in Leioa, in the Basque Country, Spain, with asymmetrical facades, multiple gabled roofs, and richly decorated surfaces. The building rises on an irregular floor plan, with towers, bay windows, and patterned brickwork distributed across several levels.
The land was auctioned by the State in 1894 and bought by the family of Víctor Chávarri Anduiza, Marquis of Triano; his wife, María Josefa Poveda y Echagüe, chose the site for their residence. Manuel María Smith drew up the project in 1914 and the palace opened officially in 1918, the year King Alfonso XIII visited. During the Civil War it served as barracks for gudari battalions, and it remained the Chávarri family's permanent home and summer residence until 1979. The Basque Government bought it in 1989 for the Lehendakaritza.
The palace gardens are public and open year-round. The estate was bought in 1894 by the family of Víctor Chávarri, Marquis of Triano, and his wife María Josefa Poveda chose the site for their residence. The palace also served as a filming location for the series 30 monedas, Intimidad and Cicatriz.
Artaza Palace stands in the Artaza neighbourhood of Leioa, on an irregular plot of almost 300,000 m² in the Arenal de Artaza. The surrounding gardens are public, so the building can be circled on foot; the terrain is uneven, with slopes between the different levels of the grounds.
Architect Manuel María Smith was the main figure of Queen Anne architecture in the Basque Country, and designed several villas for the industrial upper class around Bilbao. Artaza Palace is considered one of his most accomplished works in this style.
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