Parque Minero de Almaden, Castile-La Mancha, Spain

5mercury_miner 5:00 PM Nov 12, 2019

A Visit to Parque Minero de Almaden (Almaden Mining Park)
This is a fantastic cultural site and wonderful village. Descend into one of the world's greatest mines and walk mining galleries that are ancient. Ride a lift down a great mining shaft that is hundreds of years old. Visit various aspects of the mine and town and tour wonderful interpretive displays of mining and social systems both ancient and modern. The directors and operators of the park work very hard to make sure there is something for all interests. The mining buff will love the mine and its equipment, the historian will love the artifacts and exhibits, children are fascinated by the mercury displays that allow the liquid metal to be manipulated in different ways, sociologists will be fascinated by the human history, and environmentalists will marvel at how the largest mine in the world was cleaned up and converted to a premier interpretive center for visitors. Arriving at the first level, 150 feet below ground, the visitor walks through workings old and new and sees first hand how the ore occurs and was mined since prehistoric times. A short train ride on a real electric mining locomotive and cars for worker transport then takes the visitor back to the surface plant. Up top, there are many different themes of visitor exhibits and places to see, including the main operations of the mine, the mining hospital, the world-class technical and mining university, the old mine prison, the town, and the interesting and unusual six-sided bull ring. Restaurants and accommodations are plentiful in the town. We stayed at the Hotel Condes Fucares, which is very old and a wonderful experience sleeping in an ancient house built by Franciscan friars and then taken over and formerly used as a main residence by the famous and powerful House of Fuggar banking family. Our hosts served home-style breakfast for us and we lived like royalty. For lunch and dinner we dined at Restaurante El Cordobes, and it was fantastic. Again, we lived like royalty and dined on wonderful meats, cheeses, and vegetables, and drank fantastic Spanish wines. Almaden is a must see for anyone visiting Spain.

5paspain 5:00 PM Jul 15, 2013

Worth a visit
I have had the pleasure to stay in Almaden for a week on business. I visited the mines, a great experience, a great place and most of fantastic people (staff) The mercury mines are 700 metres deep and have tunnells running for 230 kilometres, many under the town of 6000 people. The guided trip goes to the first level (50 metres). Here can be seen the slate rock and fissures with the cinnebar mineral in vertical seams, in one area in the distance can be seen the light entering from the town while on the left you have the "Gypsy Tunnell" named after the Gypsy who were forced labour as were the prisoners from the local jail which had a direct tunnel to the mine. Most of the guides are people who worked underground most of their life and their stories are fantastic. A MUST: Visit the miners hospital which was restored in 2007, first opened in 1740. In fact it has little to do with a hospital today: its a museum of the life and times of the mines and the people of Almaden, it is a must see. It is ran by Luis Angel, Mari Carmen and Ana, all very helpful people who made my visit "pure pleasure". The bullring is also part of the mining history as is the museum on the mining site. all worth a visit. The university which is beside the hospital was the old prison in the past. I have travelled a lot and it is not often I can say that the people made my visit such a pleasure In Almaden The staff of the mines werein one word "The best"