The Almadén Mining Park is the living legacy of two thousand years of mining activity.
After the closure of the mines in 2003, they became a Mining Park, transforming the world's oldest mines into a tourist destination.
Almadén’s Mining Park is one of the main Spanish historical sites listed on the World Heritage List under the name of HERITAGE OF MERCURY-ALMADÉN AND IDRIJA.
The construction of Almadén’s bullring is closely linked to the San Rafael Royal Mining Hospital.
In early August 1752, the mines’ superintendent at that time, Francisco Javier de Villegas, owing to frequent epidemics and a high mortality rate within the population and the ‘forzados’ mine workers, proposed the foundation of the San Rafael Royal Mining Hospital.
These epidemics were provoked, among other reasons, by the lack of dwellings available to accommodate the mines’ seasonal workers. This prompted the construction of 24 houses that gave the bullring a hexagonal shape and that had two purposes: To prevent overcrowding in the neighbourhood, with each house being able to accommodate 4 or 5 families, and to finance the construction of the mining hospital with the houses’ rent.
The 24 houses, in turn, formed an arena where bullfighting events could be held, and where the general population could assemble, fitting up to 4000 individuals. The earnings from these events, were equally used to finance the construction of the San Rafael Royal Mining Hospital.
For the location of the bullring or “Plaza Nueva”, the flattest and most adequate place, the Cruz del Hierro land Lot, was chosen, found in the lands along the road to Villa Real (current Ciudad Real).
Another reason for the construction of the bullring was the expansion of the mining activities, reaching the square (current Plaza de la Constitución) where bullfighting events were previously held. In fact, there is a hoist (mine shaft) in the place where the stairs leading to the Iglesia de San Juan currently stand. Because of this, the arc found under the Almadén town hall is known as “el toril”, as it was the place where bulls were kept. At the same time, Antonio Blázquez street is otherwise known as “calle de los toros” (bulls street), as this was the street through which the bulls were brought to their holding areas.
Once the Plaza Nueva was built, a project was instituted, aiming at the celebration of at least six yearly bullfighting events, with five or six bulls in each event, with the profits going to the construction of the hospital.
Superintendent Villegas did not wait for the approval of his superiors to begin construction of the square. He would inform people of the start of the works the 16th August 1752, at the same time requesting permission to celebrate the first bullfighting event, so as to obtain the initial money with which to pay back the loans granted for construction by the towns inhabitants, mainly mine workers and members of the charity congregation.
These requests were approved by the Royal Order of Spain on August 28th 1752. On April 4th 1753, the first interior and exterior walls had been built, up to the first floor, enabling the celebration of the first few events. Rent from the houses, intended to accommodate seasonal workers, would begin to be collected on late 1753, for 8 inhabited houses. In 1755, over half of these houses would become inhabited, with over 200 occupants.
Between 1755 and 1757, work at the mines was forced to shut down due to a fire affecting them. This shutdown lasted for two and half years. During this time, both the bullring and the hospital – which had begun construction on November 1755 – benefited from increased usage by the workforce, in a bid to prevent massive emigration.
Works on the bullring finally ended on 1765, with a total cost of over 320.000 “reales de vellon” (the period’s currency). The first celebrations held at the Plaza Nueva were probably those of October 1752, with 21 individual bulls being fought on the 19th, 21st and 23rd of said month by bullfighters Pedro Campanero and Pedro Martín Zancudo, charging one real per seat.
The houses have two floors and encircle the arena, which is itself made out of two galleries. The lower gallery is built out of a whitewashed arcade and the upper one by a wood structure and columns that support all other parts. After being refurbished in 2003, the bullring still hosts important bullfighting events and houses the Bullfighting Museum, exhibition hall, tourist office, a restaurant and a hotel.
One of the most distinguished 18th century civil buildings in Almadén is the San Rafael Royal Mining Hospital. It has a considerable size, with an L-shaped design, and a courtyard at the back. The composition prioritises regularity and symmetry in the distribution of its spaces.
The front entrance is located in the middle of the main façade, dividing it into two wings. The front entrance has two levels, is built entirely of unclad brick, and is capped by a slender bell tower that houses a bell and a weathervane.
The interior has been adapted to serve as the Historical Archive of Almadén Mines, which now contains bibliographic collections from the 18th to the 20th centuries. In addition, it includes two permanent museums, one devoted to the history of the hospital and the other to the lifestyle, practices, and customs of the citizens of Almadén. It also comprises a small virtual mine.
This is the monumental entrance to the area known as Cerco de Buitrones, the metal processing area in the mine of Almadén. It was built in 1795, under the reign of Carlos IV, as the main entrance and prestigious architectural element that reflects, with its spectacular nature, the significance of the product found within its walls.
This gate was restored, along with around 100 metres of the road leading to the gate. This gate used to be the departure point for the ox carts and mule trains that transported mercury from Almadén to Seville for the exploitation of Mexican silver.
It was designated an Asset of Cultural Interest by the Government of Castilla La Mancha in 1992 due to its majestic nature and beauty.
With an unknown construction date, there are records of its existence going back to the late 17th century, being one of the oldest of the locality.
It was Almadén’s parish church, originally under the patronage of Nuestra Señora de la Estrella, patron saint and protector of the town, until it was destroyed during the Peninsular War by French troops, where this function was then transferred to the chapel of Jesús Nazareno.
Originally, one could enter the parish through the Cerco de San Teodoro. However, further development of the mines had it moved to the opposite side of the entrance door.
The church has been refurbished multiple times, the last of which came in 1970, where it was once again awarded the status of parish under the patronage of Saint Sebastian.
The similarities between the primitive church and what we can see today are limited. Its south facing portal was triangular, with no bell-gable, and with the bell tower and possibly the altar on the opposite side. Nowadays, when looking from the Mining Park, we can see a greater profusion of bricks and less masonry in its façade. According to old plans and drawings, it had a single nave with important buttresses to give stability to its construction that could have been used as chapels.
This castle-fortress, built on the town heights to defend the treasure within its mines was called "Hins-al-madin" or Fuerte de la Mina (Mine Fortress) and remains a testimony to Arab domination in the 12th century.
It was reinforced and expanded in 1467 by the Clavero (the Castle’s guardian and defender) of the Orden de Calatrava, Lopez de Padilla. In the 18th century, the outside was repaired and a tower was built, with a clock and belfry, the only remnant that still caps the ruins of the castle today. A rock with vermilion cinnabar seams is visible at its base.
In all its splendour, the lime and stone masonry construction, with rows of brick and ashlars blended in between, occupied a large area of the square that encloses it and included the surrounding houses.
Given the abundance of castles in the region, with Retamar among those in the northernmost end, it is likely that this area was a stopping point in the route between Toledo and Seville, at least until the 14th century.
After the latest restoration works, it has a viewpoint that offers an interesting panoramic view of the town and its surroundings.
The “Academia de Minas” of Almadén was inaugurated in 1785 to engender the Almadén Mining School, established by King Carlos III through the proclamation of a Royal Order on July 14, 1777.
The Almadén mining industry faced difficulties during the 18th century, including strikes, dismissals, and riots. Contemporary mining techniques from Europe, particularly Germany, that were more rational and scientific, were adopted in an effort to remedy the situation. Several German directors were appointed by Carlos III to manage the mine and to design an academy. The engineer Karl Henning Köeler arrived in Almadén in 1756 to instruct the technicians and labourers in these new working methods.
King Carlos III proclaimed the Royal Order for the foundation of the Academia de Enseñanza de Minas of Almadén on July 14, 1777. Henry Christopher Störr, Köeler's successor, served as the Academy's first director from its creation until 1792. Several German directors followed him, including J. Martin Hoppensack and John Frederick Mayer. In 1796, Manuel Angulo, Manuel Pérez Estela and Diego de Larrañaga y Gárate became the first Spanish directors.
It was built in the late 15th century by a small congregation of Dominican friars. It is believed to have been used by the Spanish Inquisition, serving later as lodging to the Fugger German banking family, during the leasing of the mines between 1521 and 1646.
This family would receive the Mines of Almadén along with the domains of the Orden de Calatrava, as collateral for the monetary advancements given to King Carlos I to finance his imperial election, after the crown of the Holy Roman Empire was left vacant with the death of Maximilian the 1st, news that he would receive on July 6th 1520.
The building’s façade retains an interesting Stone portal with a lintel prominent on a cornice. Flanking the central coat of arms are a sword and a palm, representing both political and religious power. In both sides, two dogs with their corresponding torches make reference to the order of the Dominic monks, Dominnis canis.
Currently, after a meticulous restoration, it has been converted into a small, charming hotel.
It was built in the late 17th century, conceived as a place of residence for the mines’ superintendent and as administration and accounting offices. It was known in Almadén as “La Casa Grande”, meaning “The big House” because of its large size.
Its location, in the town’s 17th century social centre, was intended to help govern the mines and the town successfully.
It is a building from the modern and contemporary period, having at the time, a large porticoed patio and a stone façade. The north side of the building had a small fencing with a porticoed entrance for cavalries.
Left standing today are only part of the enclosure and the front door, made out of limestone, with a double pilaster and lintel with triglyphs and metopes. Inside, a small park has been created, since the rest of the house has disappeared completely.
Almadén is an important urban and industrial ensemble built alongside the entrance of the mine and over a road that communicates with the region, found between the Sierra de Cordoneros and loma de Peñarrubia, in addition to the artificial platforms and banks made from the accumulation of the mines’ debris that have built up during centuries.
Almadén’s development has been shaped by the roads that lead to Cordoba, Ciudad Real and Bazajoz. The Calle Mayor de San Juan and Calle Mayor streets are the backbone of the urban area.
The town’s historic and artistic heritage centres around its 18th century buildings. Most of them are built in masonry, used extensively in the region, made from quartzite rock, fired brick formed by slag produced by calcination of the mines’ ores, pine, poplar and holm oak wood, Arabic tiles and ironworks. It is a generally simple development, somewhere in the middle between the baroque and neoclassic styles, with details influenced by the local architecture.
In 1900, the town had 38 streets, 4 town squares, 4 smaller squares and a grand total of 1534 buildings. In the late 19th century, there were three districts: “Centro or Ayuntamiento”, “Eje or de Jesús” and Iglesia Nueva, divided into 8 separate neighbourhoods (barrios):
This 18th century historic building was demolished in the late 1960s, with the purpose of using its grounds to build what is now Almadén’s School of Mining and Industrial Engineering, which is part of the University of Castilla-la Mancha.
In the summer of 1996, excavation works were carried out in the school’s courtyard to prospect the remains of the former Royal Forzados Prison. After three months, these works were able to shed light on the dungeons of this prison.
In the year 2000, a new building was built in the School, with the aim of integrating the ruins of the Royal Prison, the new space for the museum and historical library with the classrooms and professor offices.
It serves as a multipurpose building, dedicated to culture and engineering education, built on the foundations of the old prison, trying to make the citizens of Almadén feel identified with it, since the discovered ruins correspond to a building bound to their history for hundreds of years.
In 2006 the Interpretation Centre of the Royal Forzados Prison (Centro de Interpretación de la Real Cárcel de Forzados) was inaugurated, serving as a place to review the mining life of forzados in Almadén between the 16th and 20th centuries.
Starting on June 30th 2012, the ruins of the Royal Forzados Prison are included in the World heritage list, forming part of the “Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idria” record, therefore constituting an important place of remembrance.
San Miguel's chapel is all that remains of the 17th century prison, located on the southern slope of the hill. The area where the prison was located is now on the continuation of the Avenida de la Libertad at the road exit to Córdoba. The mine’s manager, Mateo Naguelo, ordered the construction of this chapel in 1645 in an effort to prevent prisoners from escaping while they were attending Sunday mass. The prison was abandoned in 1795 and with it, its chapel.
For more information about the different points of tourist and heritage interest in Almadén, you can consult the links shown below.