The Orbaizeta and Eugi Armouries

The whisper of iron on the edge of the forest

Here, where the ashlar stone preserves the memory of the military industry and the forest slowly creeps into the crevices of the landscape, time simply passes between the iron and the beech forest. In the Orbaizeta and Eugi Arms Factories, the atmosphere is revealed in the contrast between the echo of the old ironworks and the dampness that clings to the arches spanning the Arga and Legartza rivers.  

It is a landscape of observation and industrial archaeology, where the identity of the royal workshops and the pulse of the Selva de Irati and Quinto Real coexist in serene harmony, allowing the material and the traces of those who inhabited it to emerge slowly.

Orbaizeta and Eugi Arms Factories – general information

They are situated in the northernmost part of Navarre, constituting two of the most significant examples of 18th-century industrial architecture on the Iberian Peninsula. Their identity is rooted in strategic locations in the Pyrenees, where the abundance of timber, water and iron ore mines determined the siting of these military supply centres.

The Royal Arms Factory of Orbaizeta was built in 1784 by order of Charles III on the site of a former 15th-century ironworks. Its layout comprises a complex three-tiered system integrating production facilities, a settlement and the Church of the Immaculate Conception. Meanwhile, the Royal Munitions Factory of Eugi, active since 1766, specialised in the manufacture of bombs and cartridges, giving rise to a factory-settlement where up to 500 people lived in the Olaberri area. Both structures bear the scars of the 19th-century border wars and have been declared Sites of Cultural Interest as a testament to an era of economic and military transformation.

How to get to the Orbaizeta and Eugi Arms Factories?

The route to the ruins follows the roads that wind through the Aezkoa and Esteribar valleys.

• Orbaizeta : To get there, head for the village of Orbaizeta. From the village centre, follow a tarmac track for around 4.5 kilometres to the car park next to the factory complex.
• Towards Eugi : It is located about 8.5 kilometres from the village of Eugi, following the NA-138 road which climbs towards the Urkiaga Pass. The course of the River Arga runs parallel to this road, also allowing for a leisurely approach on foot or by bicycle along the forest paths.

What is there to do at the Orbaizeta and Eugi Arms Factories?

The landscape reveals how industry and the forest have learned to coexist.  

• Exploring the jungle trails: In Orbaizeta, a circular route of around 7 kilometres takes you through Mount Arlagain and past the remains of industrial sites amidst lush beech forests. Nearby you’ll also find the Irabia reservoir and the entrance to Arpea Cave.
• Observing arches and walls: A place to observe the mineral elements in the Eugi arches, which span the River Arga, or in the kilns and channels of Orbaizeta, which the undergrowth has integrated into the landscape.
• Gaztelu-Olaberri Route: A 3.5-kilometre itinerary in Quinto Real offering a view of the remains of the school, the medical centre and the homes of the workers who lived in the village of Eugi.
• Historical Reference Centre: A space in the village of Eugi to document the town’s armoury heritage and the daily lives of those who lived in the industrial complex.
• Industrial archaeology photography: Its reliefs provide a setting for capturing, through careful observation, the dialogue between the ashlar and the moss that guards the ruins.