A CENTURY AND A HALF OF BELGIAN PRESENCE IN ASTURIAS: IMPACT AND RELEVANCE OF BELGIAN INVESTMENT IN THE COAL MINES OF ASTURIAS (1833-1897)

Abstract

Belgian investment in the coal mines of Asturias (Spain) marked the first stage of the region’s industrialisation and has long attracted the attention of historians. However, the full extent of this investment, and its significance for all the companies that operated there over a span of 154 years, remains insufficiently understood. This article reconstructs the history of these companies and assesses the specific role and weight of the group of Belgian investors in comparison with those of other countries.