Andorra-Sierra de Arcos (Teruel, Spain), 16–18 October 2025
From 16 to 18 October, the MWINAS Mining Museum – Pozo de San Juan hosted an event of great importance for the promotion of Europe’s mining heritage: the official inauguration of the Caminos Mineros, five new routes that intertwine landscape, identity and the memory of mining work.
The initiative, organized by the Comarca Andorra-Sierra de Arcos in collaboration with the European Mining Routes of Santa Barbara Federation – MINES.B, coincided with the 20th anniversary of the MWINAS Museum, a landmark institution for the history and mining culture of the region.
For three days, participants gathered to discover and celebrate these new routes that transform the mining landscape into an open-air museum. The five trails – Ferrocarril Minero Andorra-Escatrón, Sierra de Arcos, Corta Alloza, Corta Gargallo, and Corta Gargallo Oeste – cover 42 kilometres, crossing areas once dedicated to coal extraction.
“These routes represent the resilience of our region and the deep connection between past, present, and future,” said Naiara Loras, President of the Comarca Andorra-Sierra de Arcos, during the opening ceremony, which was also attended by citizens, local associations, and international delegations.
The project, funded with €500,000 by the Spanish Institute for Just Transition and Next Generation EU funds, aims to combine industrial heritage, environmental sustainability, and slow tourism, enhancing a legacy that shaped the region’s economic and social life for decades.
The presentation of the Caminos Mineros coincided with the annual meeting of the MINES.B Federation, which brought together representatives from Italy, Spain, Slovenia, Belgium, Slovakia, and Portugal, all engaged in promoting and enhancing their national mining routes.
During the proceedings, Sergio Ortega Muñoz, Head of the Service for Heritage Protection and European Programmes at the Spanish Ministry of Culture and Vice-Chair of the EPA Governing Board – European Institute of Cultural Routes (Council of Europe), delivered an address.
His participation provided an opportunity to explore the Cultural Routes Programme of the Council of Europe, which fosters transnational networks of memory and heritage as tools for dialogue, sustainable development, and shared European identity.
The event was not limited to institutional meetings: community walks, film screenings, and cultural activities actively involved the local population, turning the inauguration of the Caminos Mineros into a true collective celebration.
This event marks a milestone in the shared commitment of European mining regions to transform their industrial past into a source of cultural value, innovation, and sustainable development for future generations.
