Oiasso Museum - Irun Travel back to ancient Rome at the Oiasso Museum in Irún

Oiasso is much more than a museum. It's a space for culture and a gateway to a journey back in time to the classical past. The museum's activities are aimed at all audiences and all profiles. Some, such as concerts and debates, take place indoors, while others take place in the square, occupy other spaces, or even travel to distant lands.

Where do you want to travel?

The museum opens its doors to the Roman city of Oiasso, its thermal baths, its necropolis of Santa Elena and the Irugurutzeta mines.

Beneath the present-day city of Irun lies the Roman city of Oiasso. Located at the mouth of the Bidassoa River, on the border between Hispania and Aquitaine, Oiasso was, in ancient times, the port city of the Basques. The city was equipped with Roman baths. Under the Roman Empire, belonging to the province known as Tarraconensis, the city became an important communications and trade center in northern Hispania.

The Oiasso Thermal Baths: The archaeological site of the Oiasso thermal baths, located next to the museum, is a unique site in Gipuzkoa. Visitors will discover the remains of the various rooms of the thermal complex, including the cold room, the heated rooms, and the auxiliary rooms. They will also learn about the interior and the social importance of bathing and thermal baths in Roman culture, thanks to virtual reality recreations.

Santa Elena: The medieval hermitage of Santa Elena houses the Oiasso necropolis or cemetery, which hosted the funerary cults of the inhabitants of Oiasso. 106 cinerary urns and the remains of three stone mausoleums have been found. Urns containing ashes have also been found, along with funerary trousseaus, including ceramic containers, acus crinalis (bone hairpins), and fibulae, to name a few of the pieces found.

Irugurutzeta: The interpretation center is currently closed due to the rehabilitation and regeneration works in the Irugurutzeta area.

The Irugurutzeta heritage site includes a set of mining galleries and mineral calcination kilns. To visit this site, visitors must make a reservation at the Oiasso Museum and visit the natural site where the mine is located (Carretera de Meaka, 110). They will be greeted there by museum guides. Guided tours of Irugurutzeta are suspended until the completion of the works.