visitingmine

Discovering Cartagena

More Articles By Phillip Bruce www.raxomnium.com

Visiting An Old Mine

The mines of the Sierra Minera that gave so much wealth to the Carthaginians and the Romans and which still produced minerals until relatively recently are silent now.

The short and narrow range of hills runs to the east of Cartagena up to Cabo de Palos. Some geological process that is running in the crust of the earth produced vast amounts of lead and silver that were worked by hand in the deep shafts, particularly by the Romans. Later, in the 19^th and 20^th centuries mining activity boomed again.

Visitors can visit see one of the old mines which has been restored and which features photographs, models and displays illustrating the days when the hills were covered in shafts, pit winding gear and washing plants.

The Mina Las Matildas can be found at El Beal, which is off the motorway that runs to La Manga. It is hoped that in the future the area can be extended to include another mine building nearby that was built to a Cornish tin mine design to house a big steam engine.

A few years ago Las Matildes was a complete ruin, as a photograph of what is now the exhibition centre then shows. Now the roof has been replaced and there is a lot to see. However, when we visited none of the captions on photographs or information appeared in English. You have to try and work it out if you don’t speak Spanish but the staff is very friendly. The centre also has an environmental education role and the outside areas have been planted with native species.

The mine can be seen from the La Manga motorway but it’s a bit difficult to find the right tracks that lead to it. You may have to stop and ask locals for directions. The telephone number for the mine is 628 073 428 but you may find it easier to locate an English speaker by contacting the La Union tourist office on 968 541 614, email: ofitur-launion@telefonica.net. A leaflet says the mine is open from 10am to 2pm. From 4pm to 8pm it is open for previously-arranged guided visits for groups of a minimum of 15 persons. Closed Mondays.

There is also a fine mining museum in La Union itself which is situated in an old worker’s educational institute and which is full of fascinating exhibits.

An old mine and surrounding area across the narrow-gauge FEVE railway tracks at La Union is being restored for future opening to visitors.

The tourism office is located in the former public market, which is an early 20^th century architectural masterpiece reflecting the great wealth brought to the town by its mines.

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