Pozu Santa Barbara

The Pozu de SantaBarbara is located in the village of La Rebaldana, in the parish of Turón. It was built in 1913 by the company Hulleras del Turón, a company with Basque capital that dominated coal mining in the Turón valley for almost a century and, in addition to the mines, managed to control a railway, the Vasco Asturiano, and practically a port, the port of San Esteban.

Santa Bárbara is an important mining operation made up mainly of two vertical shafts more than 500 metres deep spread over eleven floors. The main shaft was used for the extraction of ore and rubble, while the auxiliary shaft was used for the entry of personnel carrying materials.

It has several architectural elements of great interest, including the main shaft derrick, which is some 30 metres high, the auxiliary shaft derrick, which is 17 metres high, the machine houses, the imposing compressor shaft and the ventilation shaft, a small building with a simple construction and a neat appearance.

After the Civil War it was re-developed and in the middle decades of the last century renovations were undertaken to modernise the facilities. The renovation of some of the main buildings of this mining complex was carried out with the collaboration of the renowned engineer Ildefonso Sánchez del Río.

Santa Bárbara became part of HUNOSA in 1968 and kept its installations open until 31st July 1995. It is worth mentioning that it was the first mining shaft in Asturias to be declared an Asset of Cultural Interest, with the category of Historic Site, a recognition that was granted at the beginning of 2010.

Following recent improvements, El Pozu Santa Bárbara has become a centre of reference for contemporary artistic interventions (PZSB), transforming the iconic compressor room into a stage for artistic and cultural experiences, with works of artistic and international recognition.