EMYA2026 HOST

Euskararen Etxea and its Basque Language Interpretation Centre are a gateway for those who want to learn about the Basque language. It is an active space for its community of speakers and for those who are working on its revitalisation process. Located in the city of Bilbao, it is a place to meet, learn, listen, read, reflect, participate, smile, fall in love, sing, work, cooperate, enjoy with the Basque language and in Basque language.

Basque is a minority and a minoritised language of Europe but is continuously growing. It is a living, active, functional, resilient language and forms part of the world’s linguistic diversity. Basque is also a clear example of the feasibility of language revitalisation.

Renovated in 2023, the Basque Language Interpretation Centre aims to transmit the vital force and diversity of the Basque Language in a bold, fun, and imaginative way, but at the same time precise and scientific. It aims to highlight the role of the speakers and to vindicate the personal implications and the attitude of the community (speakers and non-speakers) in the process of revitalising the language.

Through its programs, it aims to create and reinforce the visitor’s attachment to the language, to sow the idea that the future of the language depends on its speakers. Because everyone adds to the Basque language. And that it is worthwhile.

The 2025 Council of Europe Museum Prize was awarded to Euskararen Etxea, the House of Basque Language.

Euskararen Etxea is a building that was reconstructed in 2004 with the aim of housing a Basque Interpretation Centre and to be a place of reference for entities involved in the revitalisation of the Basque language. Its mission is to support the promotion and dissemination of the Basque language. In 2023 the Interpretation Centre was completely remodelled, bringing a new approach based on the senses and offering an innovative experience for both local citizens and other visitors.

The new exhibition shows the vital force of the language, highlights its inclusive nature and links its survival, promotion and development to the preservation of diversity.

This remodelling is based on the concept of “adding up” that underpins and encompasses the different spaces. Basque adds up. It adds identities, individuals and cultures. The Basque Language Interpretation Centre is committed to diversity and multiculturalism as it understands that Basque society is becoming increasingly multilingual. At the same time, it provides an ecological vision and a sense of sustainability for languages, because Basque is part of the world’s linguistic diversity. 

Encouraging linguistic coexistence is one of the great challenges facing Euskararen Etxea and its Basque Interpretation Centre. Achieving a harmonious balance between the different languages and identities contributes to social cohesion.

The exhibition does not focus on the language but on the people. Languages live in the mouths of those who speak them. Without speakers, a language cannot exist. Basque lives in every individual who speaks the language, wherever they may live: it is a global asset. Use and transmission are the keys to the language’s survival. That is why the testimonies of the people occupy an important part of the exhibition. 

The Basque Language Interpretation Centre highlights the efforts of a community to keep the language alive. If the Basque language is alive, it is because the society has committed itself to its recovery and to this end has launched multiple initiatives. The concepts of empathy and dissemination are key to this revitalisation. Society is the thread that knits the path of the language together.

Finally, the Basque Language Interpretation Centre speaks of the future and helps to transform society. Through its educational programme, it invites visitors to reflect and tries to reinforce their attachment to the language and to recreate a positive and proactive attitude in them. The idea is to highlight the positive values involved in loving the Basque language, such as contributing to the cultural diversity of our planet,  resilience, beauty and the joy of sharing, learning, and using Basque.