Altos Hornos de Sagunt


Useful Information

Location: Av. Hornos Altos, nº 86, 46520 Port de Sagunt.
(39.6545235447435, -0.2201899401639534)
Open: 15-JUN to 15-SEP Tue-Thu 11, Fri 11, 18:30, Sat 10, 12, 2nd and 4th Sun 10, 12.
16-SEP to 14-JUN Tue-Thu 11, Fri 11, 17, Sat 10, 12, 2nd and 4th Sun 10, 12.
Closed 01-JAN, 25-DEC, 01-AUG to 15-AUG (Puerto de Sagunto Festival).
Tours Tue-Fri morning only wth reservation.
[2020]
Fee: Adults EUR 4, Children (0-7) free, Seniors (65+) EUR 3, Disabled EUR 3, Locals free, Unemployed free.
Groups (10+): Adults EUR 3, Students EUR 2.
[2020]
Classification: furnace
Light: n/a.
Dimension:  
Guided tours: Min=8, Max=30.
Photography: allowed
Accessibility: yes
Bibliography:  
Address: Forn Alt nº 2, Av. Hornos Altos, nº 86, 46520 Port de Sagunt, Valencia, Tel: +34-611-07-25-10. E-mail:
Fundació de la Comunitat Valenciana de Patrimoni Industrial i Memòria Obrera de Port de Sagunt - Cultural center, Avinguda 9 d'Octubre, 7, 46520 Port de Sagunt, Valencia, Tel: +34-611-07-25-10.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then.
Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1922 Blast Furnace number 2 construction started.
26-JUN-1926 first iron casting.
1960s furnace rebuilt.
1971 steel works established.
1973 world wide economic crisis.
1984 steel work finally closed.
1999 beginning of restauration.
2012 opened to the public.
29-MAY-2019 restoration completed and inaugurated.

Description

The Altos Hornos de Sagunt, the steel works of the port of Sagunt, were collecting iron ores from various mines inland and were producing steel in huge furnaces. The nearby harbour provided both, the necessary coal and the means to ship the steel worldwide. The steelworks are long abandoned and most is demolished, including two of the original three furnaces. But the huge furnace Forn Alt nº 2 was still there when the renovation started in 1999. The work was difficult and expensive, but in 2012 the furnace was opened to the public. Once located inside the plant of the Altos Hornos del Mediterráneo SA the area is now transformed and used for concerts, fairs and other cultural events. The furnace is easily accessible, as it is located in the center of a roundabout of a public road.

The construction of Horno Alto nº2 started in 1922, the first iron casting was on 26-JUN-1926. The furnace was not operated between 1930 and 1941. In 1961 it was demolished and completely rebuilt. Finally abandoned in 1984 it was fortunately never demolished. Plans to restore it for educational purposes were made since 1992, but the work started in 1999.

While it is possible to see the furnace without restrictions from the outside, there are guided tours to visit its insides. Since 2012 visits were possible, but there were more improvements planned. First a € 200,000 cable car to the first platform 30 m above ground was planned. Then the railroad from the furnace to the factory was reconstructed, to transport visitors to the future Industrial Museum with a steam locomotive. This Industrial Museum will be located in an old warehouse which is being rehabilitated. The visitor reception pavilion already exists and displays an audiovisual he origin and development of the factory-town of Puerto de Sagunto.

The Altos Hornos del Mediterráneo SA was a steel company established in 1971 to exploit the IV Planta Integral Siderúrgica de España (Sagunto integral steel plant). In the early 1970s the steel was in demand and in 1972 there was a 19.2% increase in steel consumption. As a result of the upward trend there were significant investments by Spanish and U.S. steel industry and a group of banks. But the economic crisis of 1973 resulted in a steel crisis which hit the steel works in 1975. In 1977 Altos Hornos del Mediterráneo lost 3.5 Billion Pesetas. The company was not able to make necessary investments, there was even a delay in the payment of wages. The situation became worse and despite public funding most steel works in Spain were closed between 1983 and 1984.