Bergara celebrated its inaugural Wolframium Day this year, an initiative driven by the City Council and the Laboratorium Museum. This event aims to raise awareness about the significant scientific achievement of the Elhuyar brothers, who isolated wolframium 243 years ago.
During the event, Jesús Ugalde, a professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of the Basque Country (EHU), was awarded the 'Ambassador of Bergara 2026' prize in recognition of his distinguished scientific career. A mural dedicated to wolframium was also inaugurated.
The event was attended by the Minister of Science, Universities and Innovation, Juan Ignacio Pérez Iglesias, along with Mayor Gorka Artola and the director of the Laboratorium Museum, Rosa Errazti. The minister emphasized the value of the Elhuyar brothers' discovery and the importance of disseminating this episode of scientific history.
Pérez Iglesias noted that Juan José and Fausto Elhuyar were "enlightened men of their time," "cosmopolitan scientists," whose commitment to the Basque Country was reflected in "their scientific activity" within the Royal Basque Society of Friends of the Country.
The career of Jesús Ugalde, a professor of Physical Chemistry at the EHU, was also praised, described as a "brilliant scientist," an "exemplary academic," and a person "committed to his country and his language." He has "justly" received the 'Ambassador of Bergara' distinction.
Finally, he highlighted that both the Elhuyar brothers and Jesús Ugalde share their "cosmopolitan" nature, and that all three have contributed to making Bergara, Gipuzkoa, and Euskadi "known beyond our borders" as centers of science.
Following the award ceremony, a mural dedicated to the isolation of wolframium was unveiled in the arcades of the Seminarixoa. The work, created by artists Jokin Oregi, Sortwo, and Mikel Larrañaga, offers a new artistic perspective on this milestone.
