Ore mines

Far above the Arctic Circle lies Kiruna, a Swedish city that reveals little at first glance. Yet the wealth, and the very reason for Kiruna’s existence, lies hidden deep underground.

For the construction of the Eiffel Tower for the 1889 World’s Fair in Paris, Gustave Eiffel had to source 7,000 tons of iron, iron he found near Nancy in the French region of Lorraine.

This summer, a 113-year-old wooden church was moved to a new location in the Swedish town of Kiruna, and that has everything to do with the iron and steel that surround us.

Neutral Moresnet was a mini-state on the border with Belgium for over a century, with the zinc company Vieille Montagne exercising control there.

A mechanical ore-washing plant was also established in the late nineteenth century near the Monteponi mining complex.

Iron ore has been mined on the banks of the Nervión River since the 15th century. The soil there is veined with galleries from the various iron ore mines, including San Luis. 

Since Roman times, the Aiako Harria massif in the Basque Country has been mined for iron ores. Iron ore mining gained momentum in the mid-19th century.