Mines valley in Aralar Mountain Range, Basque Countryの写真素材

This valley is also known as Valley Arritzaga or Buruntzuzin. In this valley of the Aralar mountain range near the town of Amezketa (Gipuzkoa province in Basque Country), ancient copper mines have been exploited since the eighteenth century. Moreover also it exploited zinc and lead.The exploitation of mines started in the first half of the eighteenth century and came to employ more than two hundred men. The activity was irregular time suffering various stages of interest and neglect. The last operation was in the first half of the twentieth century and was carried out by German investors. The mine extracted copper for the German war industry. It was in full World War when Germans came to the mines of Arritzaga in search of ore. To lower the ore to Amezketa they installed an interesting system of air pails carried by wires arranged on a linear series of wooden trestles, some of which can still be seen today on the right bank of the ravine Arritzaga. Also in masonry structures are washrooms, loaders and other mining houses together. All this legacy has been recently conditioned and there are some interpretive panels in the area.