Metallurgical workshop in the Capellada neighbourhood

Archaeological excavations in the Capellada area have uncovered the remains of a metallurgical workshop that probably operated during the second half of the 1st century AD.

In Roman times, these workshops were located in the immediate vicinity of the mines where the ore was obtained and were often itinerant workshops, which moved on once the ore was depleted.

In the case of Besalú, there is no indication of where the mines were located; thus, its role as an iron-producing centre must have been linked to its importance within the territory and to its strategic location, on the Via Annia and following a natural passage that connected the Empordà region with the Garrotxa region and the eastern Pyrenees.

The introduction of water power to blow air into the kilns in medieval times meant that the workshops became fixed, and the Catalan forge appeared in mountain areas.