The Farga Palau in Ripoll
The Farga Palau in Ripoll is one of the last examples of a historic industry, the Catalan forge that played a very important role in industrial development of iron-working in the 17th and 18th centuries. Amongst the most important items made here were firearms, nails and railings.
The forge is located in the original foundry building, in which all the machinery is preserved and it has been restored. It was sep up in the 17th century. The public can visit it and learn about the process of iron manufacture and transformation.
The building has several flats which have been used as houses. The ground floor is occupied by the forge, which has the forge hammers, water horn, coal bunker, furnace.
Water, fire and wind were the three key elements for the process of turning metal from the mine into boilers, jars and dishes. A ditch and a pond stored the water from the river Freser, which was sent along two different channels: one drove the hydraulic wheel bearing the drop hammers to forge and shape the work pieces, while the other flowed into the water-jet pumps that generated the air draught needed to keep the furnace and the forge red-hot at all times, that being the method used in Catalan forges.
The furnace was lit once or twice a month to melt down the scrap copper. Forged slabs were produced in each batch, and these were later re-heated to make them ductile again before being worked into the desired shape using the drop hammers.
The Farga Palau was the only forge in Catalonia, and probably in Spain as well, producing copper pieces down to the second half of the twentieth century. It closed its doors in 1978. From 1997, it belongs to the mNACTEC’s System. In 2007 has been opened to the public.
OPENING TIMES
Tuesday to Sunday (visit only from outside glass doors)10:00 to 17:30 h.
Pre-arranged guided visits
tel. Tourism Ripoll +34 972 70 23 51