Chimney of bòbila Almirall, Industrial chimney in the Maurina neighbourhood, Terrassa, Spain
The Chimney of bòbila Almirall is a truncated-cone brick chimney in Terrassa's La Maurina neighbourhood, standing 63.25 m high, with a base diameter of 3.98 m narrowing to 2.19 m at the crown. A 217-step iron spiral staircase wraps around its exterior up to the first platform, while two higher platforms are reached by a vertical iron ladder. It is topped by a forged dome and a lightning rod.
The chimney was built in 1956 by master mason Marià Masana Ribas to serve as a smoke outlet for the Almirall brick factory. The factory itself had started operations in 1910 and was an important workplace in the region for several decades.
The chimney stands on plaça de l'Assemblea de Catalunya, a square laid out on the site of the former Almirall brick works, of which it is the only surviving element. It is listed as a Cultural Asset of Local Interest and is one of the symbols of industrial Terrassa.
The chimney stands on Plaça de l'Assemblea de Catalunya, on the site of the former Almirall brickworks. It is a protected heritage element, so it is viewed from the square rather than climbed; the 217-step iron spiral staircase and the two upper platforms reached by a vertical iron ladder are not open to visitors. Look up from street level to see the forged-iron cap and lightning rod.
The Guinness Book of Records recognised it in 1991 as the tallest chimney with a spiral staircase in the world. The 217 iron steps wind around the outside of the brick shaft up to the first platform, not inside it.
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