Alto Horno nº 1 de Altos Hornos de Vizcaya, Industrial heritage site in Sestao, Spain.
Horno Alto Nº1 de Altos Hornos de Vizcaya is a large industrial furnace located in Sestao that was used to process raw iron. The structure consists of stacked chambers and is equipped with special openings through which air and materials were fed.
The blast furnace started operating in 1959 and ran until 1996, when production ended. During this time it was a major part of industry in the region and employed many workers daily.
The blast furnace was the heart of steelmaking in the Basque Country and still shapes how people see the landscape around Sestao. Workers and their families lived with the daily rhythm of this factory, which produced smoke and noise and changed the entire region.
The site is best reached on foot and offers viewpoints from which you can see the entire structure. It is advisable to visit early in the day when the light is better and the area is less crowded.
The furnace was one of the last of its kind to be commissioned, and its design showed advanced engineering methods of its time. Today the structure stands as a monument you can view from outside, showing how complex the old heavy industry was.
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