Marbella_blast_furnaces
The Marbella blast furnaces (Spanish: altos hornos de Marbella) were the second iron works in Spain.
The blast furnaces in Marbella were built after the discovery of iron ore deposits in Ojén because of the availability of charcoal in the Sierra Blanca mountain range and the supply of water from the Verde River. In August and September 1826, two societies called La Concepción and El Angel were established, the first promoted by Manuel Agustín Heredia, the second by Joan Giró.
The furnaces at one time accounted for 75 per cent of the iron smelted in Spain, but iron produced in charcoal-fired kilns was much more expensive than that obtained by using coke as fuel; consequently the steel industry in Marbella died out due to competition from the more efficient steel producers of the north.