The Industrial Heritage of Asturias in 8 museums

Asturias is a land rich in industrial heritage, due to the fact that it was one of the places that played a leading role in the first industrial revolutions in Western Europe. But all this did not happen by chance, since prehistoric times and at the dawn of history it already had mining operations and inventions linked to metals, the use of water, as well as other inventions.

A tour of 8 museums will show you the great variety and history of Asturias' industrial heritage!

In our header photo, an image of the Sotón well castle, with the river Nalón in the foreground.

The Arnao Mine Museum allows you to get to know closely a unique mine in Europe, for several reasons: it is the oldest coal mine in the Iberian Peninsula, the oldest vertical shaft in Asturias and the only underwater mine in Europe.

As if all this were not enough, the Arnao Mine is located in a privileged coastal landscape on the central coast of Asturias, specifically in the council of Castrillón.

Closed in 1915, it still conserves its striking wooden derrick - declared an Asset of Cultural Interest - and its underground galleries which, almost two hundred years old, will allow you to relive the atmosphere of a primitive mine.

Without a doubt, the Arnao mine is one of the most emblematic mining heritage sites in Spain!

Located on a plain on the banks of the river Aller, the mining settlement of Bustiello, in Mieres, arose from the urgent need, at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, to locate the workers of the mining basins in an urban space especially designed for them.

The village, whose construction began in 1890 and was completed in 1925, has all the basic facilities to facilitate the life of its inhabitants: housing, schools, sanatorium, pharmacy, chapel, casino, etc.

Pioneering in its time, this urban development project was the only one of its kind to materialise. It is currently in a good state of conservation and has been declared an Asset of Cultural Interest.

Bustiello is an immersion into the working-class life of a century ago, and if the visit is guided, even better!

The Valle de Samuño Mining Ecomuseum, in La Nueva (Langreo), is a unique and very pleasant place for you to experience a mining day. Located in Pozo San Luis, you can enjoy one of the best examples of cultural architecture at the service of industry. The castle and the engine room are uniquely beautiful and very well preserved.

In addition, you can travel on a mining train, which makes your experience even more adventurous.

In the surrounding area, the village of La Nueva gives you a contextualisation of what daily life was like in this valley decades ago.

An Ecomuseum to learn a little more about mining life in Langreo!

Pozo Sotón is an emblematic hard coal mine located between El Entrego/L'Entregu and Sotrondio, in the municipality of San Martín del Rey Aurelio.

For some years now it has housed the Centro de Experiencias y Memoria de la Minería, and offers you the unique adventure of a visit to its underground galleries, guided by professional miners. You can also visit the outside facilities, as well as the Memorial area, where you can find hundreds of names of workers who died in the mining activity.

At Pozo Sotón you will feel like a miner for a day!

The Museum of Mining and Industry of Asturias (Mumi) is the oldest museum in Asturias of all those dedicated to industrial heritage in the region and is located in El Entrego/L'Entregu (San Martín del Rey Aurelio).

Built on the old dump of the historic San Vicente shaft, it brings together a complete sample of what mining activity was like in its different facets - human, technical and social - and recreates the atmosphere of a real mine in the so-called 'mine-image', as well as having a mining railway.

Ideal for you to take a real mining bath!

The Ethnographic Museum of Quirós, located in some old smelting furnaces, is in the council of Quirós, in the centre-south of Asturias.

It is a space that will illustrate the industrialisation of this area in the 19th century, with the arrival of foreign companies, the construction of the road and the railway, as well as the blast furnaces.

At the same time, you will also be able to appreciate in a pleasant and didactic way the transformation of peasant life, as it evolved with the development of mining. Peasant life is very well presented and represented in the museum: the stables for the animals, the cider press, the traditional trades, family life, the rural environment, peasant work, neighbourly solidarity, the pilgrimage, etc.

In the outside area, you will find typical constructions: granary, fountain, drinking trough, washing place, traditional games, etc.

An ideal museum to take the pulse of the life of yesteryear!

The Asturias Railway Museum is located in Gijón/Xixón, in one of the city's historic working-class neighbourhoods: Natahoyo. It is located in the space once occupied by an old railway station at the end of the 19th century.

One of the attractions of this museum, which is also a research centre, is that it preserves the architectural style of the original station very well.

Nowadays, the museum has one of the most important railway collections in Spain, which is the basis for explaining the industrial history of Asturias through what was one of its backbone elements: the railway.

This museum also organises temporary exhibitions.

The El Gaitero Cider Factory, located on the banks of the Villaviciosa estuary, in the municipality of the same name, has a romantic and curious family history that dates back to 1890 and has survived to the present day.

A visit to the El Gaitero facilities in La Espuncia will allow you to see the 40,000 square metres of the centenary cellars - one of the most representative elements of the historical industrial heritage of Asturias - as well as the latest generation technology, showing you the whole process of apple processing from the time it is harvested in the orchards until it is turned into cider.

The factory also has a remarkable permanent collection linked to the different stages and evolution of the brand.

Cover photo: ©Mampiris