Zeraingo Udala - Ayuntamiento de Zerain
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS > The Iron Roads
From its extraction and processing (both manual and industrial) to its use in architecture, this route charts the development of this metal, which has had such a profound effect on both the past and present of the Basque Country, and is so intricately linked to the identity of Zerain, Legazpia and Ormaiztegi.
The route begins at Zerain's Aizpea mines, which supplied iron ore to neighbouring ironworks from the 12th to the 19th century. The mines are an ideal place to learn about the complete iron-working process, combining vestiges from the Middle Ages with more modern equipment and buildings: galleries, mine shafts, power kegs, rail tracks, storerooms, coal bunkers, calcination furnaces and the aerial cable and tunnel system by which the metal and coal were transported to Ormaiztegi.
The next stop along the route is the forge located in Mirandaola Park, in Legazpi. Although in operation from the 15th to the 19th century (at least), it has recently been totally restored and visitors can see the water channel, ditch, water wheel, bellows and anvil, etc. in action. The slide show open to visitors in another building inside the park charts the evolution of the iron industry in the Legazpi valley. The Lenbur foundation also offers a wide range of tourist attractions.
From Legazpi, we continue on to Ormaiztegi, where the monumental, 289-metre-long railway bridge with its 18,000 tons of iron illustrates the many different possibilities offered by this metal. Built by Alexander Lavalley (before Eiffel), the bridge is a masterpiece, both from the perspective of the calculation of the play of forces and as regards the use of iron itself. On a slightly different note, the museum dedicated to the Carlist general Zumalakarregi offers a fascinating glimpse of the Basque Country during the 19th century.