Andorra Allocates €310,000 to Restore Historic Farga Rossell Ironworks

The Andorran government plans to invest around 310,000 euros in rehabilitating Farga Rossell, a historic ironworking site in La Massana, following a technical report that identified severe structural deficiencies and safety risks.

The report, commissioned last October by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports—through its Museums and Monuments department and the site's managers—from a local firm, detailed critical issues including partial collapses and deformations in the wind chest that have lifted exterior terrace slabs, and advanced rusting on metal sheets of the exterior anchored wall along the main path, with some panels already detaching and posing risks to visitors near public toilets below. Other problems encompass waterproofing failures in the workshop glazing, deformations and cracks in the mill's axles and degraded blades, deterioration and leaks in the water intake ditch, and malfunctions in the charcoal shed's audiovisual system.

Earlier this year, authorities removed the wind chest—a replica element originally used to channel air to the forge—as an urgent measure. The report urged immediate action on high-risk areas, specific project planning, and a periodic maintenance plan to prevent irreversible damage.

The Official Bulletin of the Principality of Andorra (BOPA) published a tender on Wednesday for an architect to prepare the rehabilitation project, direct the works, and incorporate resource-efficient maintenance strategies alongside a rethink of the site's museological and educational approach.

Opened in 1842 and active until 1876, Farga Rossell on Avinguda del Través includes a forge building and the Factor's house. Restored and reopened in 2002, it now operates as an ironworking interpretation centre, currently closed temporarily for these interventions.