Mareómetro de Portugalete

The Mareómetro de Portugalete is a maritime gauge in Bilbao's harbor that records water level changes through a mechanical system. A float inside a measuring well rises and falls with the tides, transmitting these movements to recording instruments.

The gauge was installed in 1883 at Churruca pier to help mariners understand water conditions for navigation. It eventually became part of a monitoring network that has collected oceanographic data from the harbor since 1992.

The device manufactured by Borrel-Wagner in Paris features a pressure-based mechanism that records data through a needle moving across a clock-like sphere.

The gauge is located along the harbor wall and can be viewed from the pier area without special access requirements. Visiting during different tide times shows the most variation in water levels and how the mechanism responds.

The device was manufactured by Borrel-Wagner in Paris and uses a pressure-based mechanism where a needle records data by moving across a clock-like dial. After years of neglect, harbor authorities restored and reopened it in 2000, bringing this 19th-century technology back into service.

Location: Portugalete

GPS coordinates: 43.32599,-3.02128

Latest update: December 14, 2025 18:43