Few photographs describe a city as quickly as the Concha railing He does it with SanSebastián. Its modernist profile, white and repetitive, runs almost a kilometer and a half of bay and it has found its way into postcards, movies and even tattoos. But beyond its photogenicity, the railing contains a history built based on iron, saltpeter and anecdotes. In this report, we take you from the ovens where it was melted to the municipal raffle that, in 2025, will distribute 275 modules among the luckiest San Sebastian residents; passing, of course, through the famous backwards section that every visitor looks for. Make yourself comfortable: this is an icon that says much more than it appears.
From municipal commission to world icon (1910-1916)
When Queen María Cristina declared San Sebastián “summer court” in 1902, the city dedicated itself to building a promenade that would be on par with the spas of Biarritz or Deauville. The old wooden parapet that closed the Concha railing It was dismantled and the City Council opened a restricted competition in 1910, which the architect won. Juan Rafael Alday Lasarte, recently appointed head of the consistory after the retirement of José Goicoa.
Alday, trained at the Madrid School of Architecture and imbued with the sinuous lines seen at the Paris Universal Exhibition (1900), proposed a modular cast iron panel with vegetal volutes and a central flower with four petals surrounded by laurel—a classic symbol of triumph.
The specifications set out 5700 pesetas The total cost: just over a tenth of the municipal works budget of 1910, which was around 60,000 pesetas. To save transportation, the foundry was awarded to Foundries Molinao, in the Loiola neighborhood, whose tilting oven could cast up to ten panels per day. Each one—80cm wide by 50kg—traveled in carts pulled by mules to “Baños Street,” the original name of the walk. The crews worked at dawn, illuminated by gas lamps, so as not to hinder bathers or stain the ladies’ dresses with welding sparks.
The installation progressed in sections: first the sector in front of the recently inaugurated LaPerla spa, then the HotelLondres curve and, finally, the access to Ondarreta. On August 12, 1916, with the municipal band performing the ‘March of SanSebastián’, Alfonso XIII He unveiled a commemorative plaque and walked the 1260m of the new handrail. The chroniclers highlighted the “snowy brilliance” of the enamel and predicted that the railing would be “as famous for Donostia as the Eiffel Tower is for Paris.” They were not wrong: three wars, several storms and constant urban modernization later, the design remains intact and has become the most photographed object in the city.
A curious detail: FundicionesMolinao was renamed Luzuria in 1918 and continued pouring metal until the 1980s, when the industrial crisis closed its chimney. The original plaster mold survived in a warehouse and is today exhibited in the SanTelmo Museum as a relic of the San Telmo Belle Époque.
A symbol exported (and sold) in sections
The success was immediate. In the roaring twenties colored postcards with the white silhouette of the railing were sold in Paris and London, and town councils on the coast asked for replicas “to decorate their promenades.” Sitges was the first to receive them: a cultural twinning culminated in 1928 with the donation of several meters for the SantSebastià beach promenade, where they still stand next to a plaque proclaiming the friendship of “two towns in love with the sea and culture.”
In 2019 others 100m traveled 1000km to the Andalusian beach of LaAntilla (Lepe, Huelva). The Gipuzkoan City Council gave them up after renovating the section in front of the HotelLondres, and the Huelva town council renamed the promenade “Donostia-SanSebastián” to remember it. The fact that the design was not patented facilitated its expansion: today the flower of the Concha railing It adorns key chains, rings and even bench backs in Seoul and Mexico City, according to the export registry of the souvenir company PlatayAcero.
But the most singular phenomenon was born of misfortune. He March 11, 2008, a storm with 9.5m waves tore off fifteen meters of railing near the HotelLondres. Instead of throwing them away, the City Council auctioned them: the lot sold out in hours and opened the door to a sentimental economy where each San Sebastian native could own a piece of souvenir. The experience was repeated in 2018 and has led to the big draw of 2025: 275 modules, €185 per unit, only for those registered or born in Donostia. The process is carried out online and requires collecting the panel “as is”, rust included, to guarantee its authenticity.
The proceeds—almost €51,000 if all are awarded—will finance the next accessibility campaign on ramps and the installation of sensors that warn of internal corrosion. Thus, the Concha railing It finances itself and exports not only its aesthetics but a model of participatory conservation.
The enigma of the inverted section
Between the two clocks that mark the heart of the promenade, a few steps from the main staircase, sleeps a small mystery: two panels are mirror mounted, so that the flower looks at the Cantabrian Sea and not at the passerby. The exact location—43°19′4″N,2°0′24″W—already appears in a 1932 guide that warned the “discerning” tourist of the anomaly. Since then the theories have multiplied.
In this place you will find the section that is backwards
- Signature of the operator. Those who defend romanticism claim that a tinker named Zubimendi turned the piece to record its passage after welding hundreds of identical ones—a kind of avant-la-lettre industrial graffiti.
- Real rush. Another version places the error on the eve of AlfonsoXIII’s visit: there were hours before the inauguration and no one wanted to delay the parade due to a simple misplaced panel.
- Masonic wink. The most bizarre – but repeated in ‘free tours’ – interprets the inverted flower as a Masonic symbol inserted by Alday, who supposedly belonged to a liberal lodge (there is no documentary evidence).
The truth is that the City Council has chosen do not correct the anomaly; rather, he promotes it. Official maps include a magnifying glass pictogram and the #InvertedBaranda challenge now has more than 120,000 mentions on TikTok, where local creators explain the hunt for the urban “easter egg.” Some guides propose games: the first to find it wins ice cream; Primary schools assign extra points to anyone who brings their own photo—gamified heritage education.
In practice, the inverted shell railing It turns a simple walk into an intergenerational gymkhana that reinforces the emotional bond with the landscape. And, if you stop to look, you will discover that the iron on that flower has a slight cream tone: it is one of the panels cast in 1910 with a slightly different alloy of manganese, something that restorers use as a “fingerprint” to certify its authenticity.
Restorations, QR and fight against saltpeter
Life on the edge of the ocean involves a constant enemy: corrosion. Since 1916, the railing has received three large comprehensive restorations (1999-2000, 2004 and 2022-23) and multiple repainting campaigns. The usual procedure includes:
- Disassembly of each module using a light crane.
- sand blasting to remove oxides.
- Epoxy primer anticorrosive.
- white enamelled marine polyurethane.
- Reinstatement with stainless anchor bolts.
After the 2014 storm, a preventive protocol was added: in the event of a red wave alert, critical panels are removed—especially at the entrances to the sand—to minimize damage. In the last campaign, in addition, they integrated QR codes on the poles: by scanning them you access the technical sheet, the map with the “upside down” section and a history of storms that delight meteorology lovers.
Ballet barre and catwalk for art
The Concha railing It is much more than a border between pedestrian and sand. Every April 29, International Dance Day, more than a thousand students from conservatories and academies display tights and tutus to turn it into the longest ballet barre on the planet. The image—black mesh against white iron and a turquoise background—goes viral every year, underscoring the ability of a centuries-old object to inspire contemporary choreography.
Outside of the official calendar, local artists have reinterpreted the flower in murals (Egia neighborhood), skateboard rings (Parque de CristinaEnea) or jewelry collections with iron recovered from old sections. Each ring is sold with a certificate explaining which section became wearable art; a nod to the circular economy that places the guardrail in the middle of the debate on sustainability.
Ultimate photography guide
Nothing completes a trip without your photo. We propose four infallible scenarios to capture the Concha railing:
- spring golden hour (20:15-20:45). The sun hides behind Mount Igueldo and bathes the railing in warm light.
- London Hotel Curve. Classic among classics: diagonal railing, bay and SantaClara Island centered in the background.
- low tide reflection. Go down to the sand and shoot parallel to the balustrade; puddles create almost surreal duplications.
- Detective selfie. Find the upside down railing section, place the flower in the middle and surprise your followers with the story of the rebel worker.
Remember to always name the images with the keyword (“barandilla-de-la-concha-atardecer.jpg”) and fill in the all text with real descriptions (“Front view of the Concha SanSebastián railing at sunset”). This way you reinforce SEO and accessibility.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
How many modules make up the Concha railing?
The main section adds 271 standard sections, to which special pieces are added in ramps and viewpoints. The number varies slightly after each work if accesses are lengthened or shortened.
How much does it cost to manufacture a module today?
With iron, molds and marine paint, the cost is around 145 €. The price skyrockets if the piece is original: the municipal raffle values them at €185 “as is”, unrestored.
Why is paint always white?
It respects the original color and offers greater visibility in fog, according to reports from 1915. In addition, the white reflects solar radiation, reducing the heating of the metal and preventing burns for those who lean on it.
Can an original module be purchased outside of the giveaway?
Only at specific antique auctions or if an owner resells their piece. The City Council does not issue new certificates for resales, so transactions are private.
Is the railing protected as an Asset of Cultural Interest?
No. It appears in the Municipal Catalog of Protected Elements, which requires maintaining its proportions and motifs, but it does not enjoy the maximum range of heritage protection.
Conclusion: a spine of iron and memory
The Concha railing It is more than a separator between sidewalk and sand: it is the spine that supports the memory of SanSebastián. Founded in 1910, witness to royal dances and war cannon shots, it continues to stand up to the Cantabrian Sea with the same proud flower. If you are lucky enough to win one of the 275 modules raffled this May 16, 2025, you will have in your hands something that has heard the sirens of gales, the laughter of vacationers and the metallic sound of a thousand ballet pliés.
And if not, a careful walk is enough to discover its inverted section, its welding scars and the flash of the setting sun on its white enamel. Because, at the end of the day, the Concha railing is not contemplated; it is inhabited It is a continuous thread that ties the city to its sea and reminds, with each flower of iron, that beauty can be as resistant as the steel that forges it.
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