• Mining
  • Industry
  • Transport
  • Immaterial
  • Esp
  • Ast
Immaterial
Heritage Sites
Photo gallery
  • Cultural Representations
  • Documentary Archives
  • Workers’ movement
back

Documentary Archives

The archives of the industrial history of Asturias

by Eduardo Núñez Fernández

B.A. in Geography and History; postgraduate studies in library and archival science; head of the Archives and Records Services of the City of Gijón. Publications include several articles on library science, local and regional history, and documentary heritage.

Asturias preserves a large archival legacy from its industrial past. The industrial and accounting records are at times the only physical testimony left from this part of our history.

The single most defining aspect of Asturias from the beginning of the nineteenth century and even earlier is its industrial nature, as exemplified by the coal mines and the steelworks. These were the main propellers of intense and diverse activities, together with other auxiliary services and industries – railroads, shipyards, workshops, workers’ residential buildings – necessary for its development. This is the reason why any discussion on the matter of archives in Asturias involves the industrial and accounting records from the archives of mining companies, goods manufacturers, banks, and retailers: they are the byproduct of the region’s industrial and business history. Nowadays, when much of what was left from that past is gone, they are the only means for remembering and reliving our local history, as well as the researchers’ main tool for creating a record of it. Some of the main surviving archives are mentioned here, yet it is saddening to learn that many others were not able to survive the many adverse circumstances in our most recent past.

It is necessary to distinguish the archives proper – records’ storage facilities – from the facilities – archival or otherwise – where the documents are preserved; for instance, the archives of Real Compañía Asturiana de Minas (Royal Mining Company of Asturias) remain right by the factory that produced them in Arnao (Castrillón), while the archives of ENSIDESA (Avilés) are preserved at the Historical Archives of Asturias (Oviedo). The records of all of the largest industries of Asturias have been preserved: ENSIDESA (Empresa Nacional Siderúrgica S.A., National Steel Company Ltd.), Real Compañía Asturiana de Minas (Royal Mining Company of Asturias), Asturiana de Zinc (Zinc Company of Asturias), Juliana Constructora Gijonesa (Juliana Construction Company of Gijón), Fábrica de Mieres (Mieres Factory), Sociedad Metalúrgica Duro-Felguera (Duro-Felguera Steel Company), Hulleras de Veguín y Olloniego (Veguín and Olloniego Mining Companies), Sociedad Hullera Española (Spanish Mining Company), Hulleras del Turón (Turón Mining Company), HUNOSA (Hulleras del Norte S.A., Northern Mining Company), Industrial Química del Nalón (Nalón Chemical Company), Fábrica de Armas de Trubia (Trubia Weapons Factory), Hidrocantábrico (Cantabrian Hydropower Company), Fábrica de Armas de Oviedo (Oviedo Weapons Factory), UNINSA (Unión de Siderúrgicas Asturianas S.A., Asturian Steel Conglomerate Ltd.), HULLASA (Hulleras e Industrias S.A., Mining and Coal Company Ltd.), Fábrica de Tabacos de Gijón (Gijón Tobacco Factory), Ferrocarril de Langreo (Langreo Railway Company), Ferrocarril Vasco-Asturiano (Basque-Asturian Railway Company), Banco Herrero (Herrero Bank), Casa Masaveu (Masaveu Company). Finally, it should be pointed out that some regional records are preserved outside Asturias, at the archives of the Instituto Nacional de Industria (INI, National Industry Institute, 1941-1995, in Madrid) which included all the state-run companies.

Bibliography

NÚÑEZ FERNÁNDEZ, E. (Coord.) Estudio básico sobre el patrimonio documental industrial asturiano: los archivos históricos industriales y mercantiles, INCUNA, Ediciones Trea. 2000.

NÚÑEZ FERNÁNDEZ, E., “Archivos de empresa en Asturias”, en Patrimonio industrial de Asturias: 33 propuestas de industria, cultura y naturaleza, Consejería de Cultura y Turismo del Principado de Asturias, CICEES, 2010.

NÚÑEZ FERNÁNDEZ, E., “Los archivos de empresa en Asturias y España”, en ÁLVAREZ ARECES, M.A. (Coord.), El legado de la industria: archivos, bibliotecas, fototecas de empresas. Fábricas y memoria, INCUNA-CICEES, 2016.

PAREDES NAVES, M.C., “El patrimonio documental empresarial en el Archivo Histórico de Asturias”, en ÁLVAREZ ARECES, M.A. (Coord.), El legado de la industria: archivos, bibliotecas, fototecas de empresas. Fábricas y memoria, INCUNA-CICEES, 2016.

TIELVE GARCÍA, N.; DÍAZ GONZÁLEZ, M.M., “El patrimonio documental de la Fábrica de Armas de Oviedo”, en Patrimonio Industrial de la guerra en tiempos de paz, CICEES, INCUNA, 2006.

Heritage Sites

Tobacco Factory Archives

ENSIDESA
Historical Asturias
Municipal Archives
Gijón
Duro Felguera Historical
Barros
more sites
”
1882-2001
HUNOSA (Hulleras del Norte S.A.)
Archives´ Preservation Facility: HUNOSA Historical Archives (Sama de Langreo).
Skip to content
  • Mining
  • Industry
  • Transport
  • Immaterial
  • Esp
  • Ast

Recent Posts

  • ¡Hola mundo!
  • On The Road
  • Nulla Magna
  • Forest Path
  • Magna Quis

Recent Comments

  • Un comentarista de WordPress on ¡Hola mundo!

Archives

  • March 2019
  • July 2014
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013

Categories

  • Sin categoría
  • Fashion
  • Food for thought
  • Gaming
  • Music
  • Uncategorized

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries RSS
  • Comments RSS
  • WordPress.org

About The Blog

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur elit porta. Vestibulum ante justo, volutpat quis porta non, vulputate id diam.

Recent Posts

  • ¡Hola mundo! 13 March, 2019
  • On The Road 15 July, 2014
  • Nulla Magna 21 April, 2013
  • Forest Path 23 March, 2013
  • Magna Quis 21 March, 2013
Top

Contact us at info@patrimoniuindustrial.com

© 2019 Freews. All rights reserved.

ABOUT US SUPPORT OF LEGAL WARNING

FOLLOW US

                  

Promoted by:

We use cookies to ensure that we give the best user experience on our website READ MORE ACEPTAR
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.

necessary Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.