A short history of Ferrolterra
Ancient roots
The comarca is dotted with Iron-Age hillforts (castros), such as Punta dos Prados (Espasante) with its monumental sauna. In Mañón, the Porto de Bares keeps an ancient breakwater of age-old origin. Near Cedeira, the sanctuary of San Andrés de Teixido reaches back into ancestral traditions.
Middle Ages: the Andrade and the Irmandiños
In the late Middle Ages the powerful Andrade family ruled the comarca from their castles: Andrade (Pontedeume), Moeche and Naraío (San Sadurniño). In 1467 the Irmandiño revolt — a popular uprising against the nobility — stormed and tore down many of these strongholds.
The Enlightenment city
In the 18th century the Bourbons made Ferrol the capital of the Northern Maritime Department and a great arsenal. The grid-planned Barrio da Magdalena is one of Europe's first town developments laid out on Enlightenment principles. Today that ensemble — the Arsenal and the Magdalena quarter — is a candidate for UNESCO World Heritage status under the bid «Ferrol, Port of the Enlightenment».
The fame of the new Arsenal drew distinguished visitors: in the mid-18th century enlightened clergymen came to admire it, among them Father Sarmiento (1755), Father Isla and the Cura de Fruime.
Industry and emigration
Shipbuilding defined Ferrol in the 19th and 20th centuries, and it lives on: the Navantia yards (formerly Bazán and Astano) have built some of the world's largest ships, such as the flagship Juan Carlos I, Australia's Canberra (230 m) and the F-100 frigates (Álvaro de Bazán class). Watching them pass through the mouth of the ría — which narrows to just 160 m — is quite a spectacle. Like all of Galicia, the comarca also lived through emigration to the Americas and Europe, which shaped many families and villages.
Notable figures of Ferrolterra
The comarca has produced figures who shaped Spanish history. Ferrol was the birthplace of Concepción Arenal (1820), a pioneer of feminism and social reform, and Pablo Iglesias (1850), founder of the PSOE and the UGT trade union. The naval, Enlightenment city bred soldiers, engineers and thinkers.
Key dates
- Iron Age: the hillforts and the harbour of Bares.
- 1467: the Irmandiño revolt against the Andrade castles.
- 1726: Ferrol becomes capital of the Northern Maritime Department; the Royal Shipyards are founded.
- 1800: the comarca repels the British landing at the battle of Brión.
- 19th-20th c.: the shipbuilding boom and emigration to the Americas.
A general-interest summary: the comarca's history holds far more.