Dícido Loading Pier

CULTURAL HERITAGE​
CULTURAL HERITAGE​
Project

Dícido Loading Pier

A symbol of Cantabrian industrial heritage

The Dícido Loading Pier is one of the great icons of the mining heritage of the Cantabrian coast. Built in 1938, its Warren truss steel structure and the imposing masonry pier rising from the sea made it a key element for transporting ore from the Mioño mines to the ships anchored offshore.

Its design—robust, transparent, and ahead of its time—used steel manufactured in Spain and a structural typology that clearly revealed the load-bearing mechanism of the whole. After decades without major interventions, the loading pier has been fully restored, recovering its original appearance and ensuring its preservation for future generations.

An industrial icon restored

During the preliminary inspection, it was confirmed that proximity to the sea had
caused widespread deterioration: loss of section in the lower members,
advanced corrosion, and damage to secondary elements. The intervention
required a comprehensive action to ensure its stability while maintaining its
historical authenticity.
The restoration carried out by INES has restored stability, safety, and heritage
value to the monument, preserving its original configuration, its cantilever
structural system, and the materials that define its industrial identity.

A model of living industrial heritage conservation in service of its surroundings

The rehabilitation of the Dícido Loading Pier represented an investment of nearly 2 million euros, incorporating respectful, reversible solutions aligned with international conservation standards. Thanks to this approach, the project received the Accésit Prize for Public Works Heritage, awarded by Fundación Caminos—an acknowledgment that highlights both the technical quality and cultural sensitivity of the intervention.

A living heritage serving the community

The restoration of the loading pier not only preserves a unique historic asset; it also integrates it within an exceptional natural setting and connects it to the municipality’s greenway network. It thus becomes a point of cultural and tourist interest, open to the public and capable of remaining part of the landscape and collective memory of Castro Urdiales.

Its restoration ensures that this landmark—the last loading pier of its kind in the region—continues to stand as a reference of the industrial heritage of northern Spain.

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