In 1967, the Fondón shaft was integrated into Hunosa together with the rest of the mining assets of Duro Felguera. The mining activity continued until August 1995. One year later, the project for the integral restoration of the shaft was launched, aiming to repurpose part of the facilities to turn them into the company's historical archive. Hunosa’s Historical Archive was made up by the documentation generated by the company and by the documentary collections from the historical mining companies which were integrated into it. This archive has become a fundamental tool for the study of the industrial history of Asturias.
In addition to the information service offered to researchers and the general public, the archive has set up a program of guided tours to show both the archives and the work carried out for their conservation.
The first floor of the building was formerly occupied by the offices, the lamp room and other shaft services. Now, an exhibition space has been set up there to display outstanding examples of the most common types of documents in the historical archives of companies, as well as collections of books, furniture and objects located in the different workplaces of the now inactive business.
In the guided tours, visitors also stop by the building of the old forge, which preserves part of its original equipment and houses a complete collection of mining machinery and tools. They also visit the machine house, now used to store blueprints together with part of the original machinery of the shaft.
Mónica García Cuetos
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