Almadén

Almaden is a municipality in the Spanish province of Ciudad Real Castilla -La Mancha Autonomous Region.

The name derives from the Arabic term المعادن / al -ma ʿ Adin /, the minerals ' from.

Near Almaden are the largest deposits of cinnabar earth. These are mined for mercury recovery since antiquity. About a third of the world ever mined mercury comes from here. In previous centuries, prisoners were often used for this purpose, which often suffered mercury poisoning. According to a contemporary study of the 16th century 24% of the prisoners died before completing their penalty. The promotion was discontinued for economic reasons and because of the environmental protection in 2003.

In place of the mine is currently (as of March 2013) is built with co-funding from the LIFE (EU ) program, a European mercury repository. The mining site was recorded together with the Slovenian mine Idrija in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012. On the site of the mine, a museum was built, from which guided tours are offered into the interior of the plants from the 16th to the 18th century.