Almadén

Almadén (Spanish pronunciation: [almaˈðen]) is a town and municipality in the spanish province of Ciudad Real, within the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. The town is located at 4° 49' W and 38° 46' N and is 589 meters above sea level. Almadén is approximately 300 km south of Madrid in the Sierra Morena. The name Almadén is from the Arabic: المعدن, romanized: al-maʻdin, lit. 'the metal', 'the mineral' or 'lode', and so by extension, the place where these are excavated, 'the mine'. Originally a Roman (then Moorish) settlement, the town was captured in 1151 by Alfonso VII and given to the Knights of the Order of Calatrava.The mercury deposits of Almadén account for the largest quantity of liquid mercury metal produced in the world. Approximately 250,000 metric tons (280,000 short tons) of mercury have been produced there in the past 2,000 years. Due to the toxicity of mercury and its byproducts to humans, the mine has variously employed penal labour, slave labour, and prisoners of war over its long history. Almadén mine stopped working in 2002, due to the European mercury mining prohibition. In 2006, the mine opened to the public who can visit the first level, 50 metres (160 ft) underground.
In 2012, Almadén and Idrija (Slovenia) were declared World Heritage Sites, with the nomination "Heritage of Mercury".