Almeria City - Fascinating Fact 2

Almeria became a focus for French and British mining companies in the 19th century.

by Fiona Flores Watson

MINE, ALL MINE

Like Rio Tinto, in Huelva province, Almeria became a focus for French and British mining companies in the 19th century, reviving the city's flagging fortunes, with the Alquife mines in the interior producing iron, lead and gold. A new railway line (Almeria-Linares) and port were constructed, the most notable remains of this period of industrial prosperity being the Cable Ingles, a huge iron railway pier used to transport the mineral ores to the waiting ships which dates from 1902. Built in the school of Eiffel, like the Muelle de Rio Tinto in Huelva, it is currently under restoration and will house a restaurant and exhibition centre.

• Fact 1 - In the 1880s, two Belgian engineers discovered the largest Copper Age settlement in Europe, just outside Almeria
• Fact 2 - Almeria is rich in minerals, which brought new wealth and revived the city´s fortunes in the 19th and early 20th centuries
• Fact 3 - John Lennon sojourned in Almeria - and wrote one of his most heartfelt, personal songs here
• Fact 4 - In Arab times, Almeria was the richest and most important port in Andalucia
• Fact 5 - La Chanca is the Sacromonte of Almeria, but without the cheesy flamenco tablaos