Located in the north of Spain and protected by the Cantabrian Sea and the Cantabrian Mountains, the Principality of Asturias shows off its wealth of great contrasts, including its nature, mountains and coast, combined with a rich historical heritage, for all the world to see.
Asturias is known in Spain as ‘the natural paradise’ thanks to its green landscapes, rugged mountains and beaches, but it maintains rich cultural traditions that are taught through its history. These are kept alive and ever present in coastal towns, mountain villages and areas close to the main mining and industrial centres.
During the 19th century and a large part of the 20th century, the main sectors in Asturias were coal mining and extraction as well as the iron and steel industry. Located within an exceptional natural area, the Principality had abundant mineral resources that helped to boost and build many mining shafts that transformed its landscape and economy. Today, these industrial centres have become tourist destinations that attract more and more tourists who are interested in getting to know a different side to Asturias.
The Principality was a national pioneer in creating industrial cities and towns, among which the towns of Arnao and Bustiello stand out.
The town where the Arnao mine can be found, in the council of Castrillón, seven kilometres from Avilés, is nestled between the mountains and the cliffs overlooking the Cantabrian Sea. This town, created by the Real Compañía Asturiana de Minas mining company, had everything that any large town could wish for: a school, a commissary, a hospital, etc. People entered by crossing a very narrow road, towards Piedras Blancas or Salinas, passing through a large tunnel, which made it feel as though the town were cut off from the outside world far from the mine.
From its design to its construction, Arnao marked a before and after in the industrial and mining revolution in Spain. It became the first mine shaft to be operated. Thanks to its location in the mountain range, it was the first underwater mine in Europe. It was the first mine in Spain to use the railway and the first to hire female workers.
Apart from being able to visit the town and enjoy the views it offers, one of the main tourist attractions are the remains of its mining activities and the opportunity to learn more about how its inhabitants lived thanks to the Arnao Mining Museum. This has been built in visitor centre on this site, the old mining building from the 19th century, which houses a large photographic archive, models, objects and tools from the period.
Moreover, the mine is open to the public and visitors can take a guided tour around the inside, descending around 20 metres and showing the only level that can be visited. All the other levels were submerged by floods and water surges, which is ultimately why the mine was closed for good. It can be reached by car via the A-66 or A-8 national roads and by a combination of public transport, taking the train and bus.
Another town from the same period and with similar characteristics to Arnao in terms of structure, architecture and industrial model, is Bustiello. In 1890, at the height of the industrial revolution, the businessman Claudio López Bru, second Marquis of Comillas and owner of the Sociedad Hullera Española (SHE) coal mining company, settled in the Bustiello area, in the council of Mieres, next to the river Aller, to create the mini-worksite that would house all his workers. The access to Bustiello has always been delimited by the bridges that connect the different ends of the town and overhang the river, creating an even greater optical effect of a marked distribution across three levels. On the lower level, most of the miners and their families lived in semi-detached houses with small vegetable gardens. The intermediate level was intended to house the chalets of skilled workers. The “Moreno” and “Don Isidoro” chalets, the latter belonging to the chief engineer and now the site of the visitor centre, stand out here. And finally, there is a third, higher level where the communal areas, such as the children’s school and the church, were located. The sanatorium, pharmacy and girls’ school were located on the other side of the river.
Although the entrance to this town is completely open to anyone, we recommend taking the guided tour from the visitor centre and going to the church, which is the town’s most representative building due to its more industrial and modern style. Bustiello is around 30 kilometres from Oviedo, in the council of Mieres, and can be reached in approximately 25 minutes by car on the A-66, or by public transport, taking the train and bus.
These two industrial sites are just some of the examples that are waiting to be discovered in Asturias and which have been transformed into tourist areas open to the public with the aim of teaching visitors about the history and evolution of the region. From the interior of the Principality of Asturias to the Cantabrian coast, the social and economic revolution of the 19th century still lives on, ever present, opening the door to understanding a past marked by struggle, progress and community between the Asturian working class and its environment.
