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Remains of the Royal Foundry of Sant Sebastià de la Muga

Sant Llorenç de la Muga, Alt Empordà, Girona

1 Villages · 1 Monuments · 2 Curiosities

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Remains of the Royal Foundry of Sant Sebastià de la Muga

Curiosity · Sant Llorenç de la Muga, Alt Empordà, Girona

Image of Sant Llorenç de la Muga, not of the place itself.

The Reial Foneria de Sant Sebastià de la Muga, dating from the 18th century, next to the chapel of the same name in the municipality of Sant Llorenç de la Muga, is considered the first cast-iron blast furnace in Catalonia. It was the initiative of Pere Grau Balló i París, who in 1766 obtained royal authorisation to work the iron mines in the area; it was built between 1768 and 1771, with labour brought from the Périgord, and began production in 1773, under the Swiss engineer Jean Maritz, producing ammunition and artillery for the army, which was taken to the citadel of Roses. During the War of the Pyrenees, in 1794, the French general Augereau occupied and destroyed it, and it never produced again; its land was sold at auction in 1835. Since the building of the Darnius-Boadella reservoir in 1969, its remains have stayed submerged and only emerge during extreme droughts.

Photo: Fizzerbear at English Wikipedia (Public domain)

What to see and do in Sant Llorenç de la Muga