Interior of the exploitation chamber number 11 of the potassium salt mines of Cardona, owned by the company “Unión Española de Explosivos”, 600 meters deep and as big as a soccer field in terms of volume (note the human figure in the center).

Date: 1950 - 1955

Archive: Historical Archive of Cardona

Document type: Imatge fixa

Reference code: CAT-AHC-500-10-7

Link to the archive

Description: This impressive image of the interior of operating chamber no. 11 of Cardona’s potassium salt mines, 600 meters deep, show the scale of mining activity in the heart of Catalonia during the Franco regime. The human figure in the center of the photograph makes it possible to measure the space, as big as a football field, and shows the magnitude of the extraction work promoted by the “Unión Española de Explosivos” society. This graphic document is witness to an economic model based on the intensive exploitation of natural resources, which transformed the landscape and local life. It is a clear example of how Catalonia participated in European industrial processes, despite the political limitations of the regime.

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