Salime reservoir

Under its waters lies the old village of Salime, which was once the capital of the council. When the level of the reservoir lowers, some of its houses appear again, offering a unique and moving image.

Construction of the dam began in 1946 and it was inaugurated in 1955, making it the largest dam in Spain and the second largest in Europe. A titanic work that mobilised more than three thousand workers, led to the construction of entire villages for their families and required such spectacular solutions as a 37 km cable car to transport materials.

The reservoir is not only a resource for the production of electricity, but also a key element of Spain's industrial heritage, included in the official list of the 100 most important in the country. Its interior holds some real gems, such as a 60-metre mural by Joaquín Vaquero and his son, Joaquín Vaquero Turcios, in the turbine room, which narrates in images the epic of its construction.

The slopes also preserve the Virgen de la Luz, protector of the workers who built the construction site. Today, only a small team of seven people maintain it, while production is managed remotely.

The Salime waterfall was a national priority at the time, essential for the electricity supply of Galicia, Asturias and Cantabria. Other reservoirs on the river Navia followed, such as Doiras and Arbón, but Salime remains the most emblematic, both for its size and for the mark it left on the history and landscape of western Asturias. The reservoir includes land in the councils of Grandas de Salime, Allande and Ibias, in Asturias, and Negueira de Muñiz and Fonsagrada, in Lugo.

Use

Electric power