Marbella blast furnaces

Jardín Botánico La Concepción, in honor of the steelworks.

The Marbella blast furnaces (Spanish: altos hornos de Marbella) were the first steel works in Spain.

The blast furnaces in Marbella emerged after the discovery of iron deposits in Ojén and because of the availability of charcoal in the Sierra Blanca and the passage of water from the Verde River. So, in August and September 1826, two societies called La Concepción and El Angel were established, the first promoted by Manuel Agustín Heredia, the second by Joan Giró.

The furnaces at one time accounted for 75 per cent of iron that was smelted in Spain. But production of charcoal kilns was much more expensive than that obtained by coking coal and the steel industry in Marbella gradually died out due to more efficient competition from the steel producers of the north.

In honor of the first steelworks in Marbella, the Jardín Botánico La Concepción, gardens were created.

Bibliography

• García Montoro, C. Málaga en los comienzos de la industrialización: Manuel Agustín Heredia (1786-1846), 1978.
• Fernández, Álvarez y Portillo, Siderurgia malagueña en el siglo XIX. M.A.H.