Arnao, its mining landscape and zinc works were pioneers in Spain in several respects. Its coal mine was the first coal mine located beneath the seabed, which employed at the time a new operating system, becoming the first experience in Asturias involving a vertical mineshaft and a spectacular headframe which today is one of the most striking elements of the museum. What's more, its zinc plant was to convert Asturias and the area of Avilés into places of world reference as regards this metal.
The pioneering spirit of the Real Compañía Asturiana de Minas went beyond the strictly technical and industrial. In fact, it sought to create a way of life and a new form of society, all of which was faithfully reflected in the old local schoolhouses and in the urban planning of the area, whose traces of heritage testify to a business project and culture that is now history.
