This forge was one of the last workshops for iron production in Catalonia, where iron was manipulated to create raw materials subsequently transformed by other professionals. It is one of the best-conserved forges and still preserves its two original drop hammers.
La Palau Forge is a unique witness to the era and evolution of Catalan foundries. Its most unique features are the two working drop hammers, with metal bearings, elm handles and steel mallets, conserved there alongside other machinery.
The visit to the forge is complemented with another to the Ethnographic Museum, where you can see iron products from the forge.
Throughout history Ripoll has been the cradle of the protoindustrialization of Catalonia, and home to many industrial activities. Palau Forge in Ripoll is one of the last examples of the historic Catalan foundries, which played a vital role in the industrial development of iron production in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
Producing iron in the seventeenth century, this establishment continued in operation until 1978, and still conserves the machinery used in the foundries once found all over Catalonia. The most important products of the Forge were firearms, nails and railings. This was the only forge in Catalonia to continue to produce pieces in copper until the second half of the twentieth century.
The Palau Forge is provided with an autonomous access system that allows visitors to do the tour freely by themselves. In order to do the tour, the tickets must be purchased at the reception of the Ripoll Ethnographic Museum.
For more information and group tours check the museum website.
