The document provides information about EXPONAV, the National Shipbuilding Exhibition in Ferrol, Spain. It summarizes the exhibition's history and founding partners. It describes the location and building housing the exhibition, operating hours, and admission costs. It outlines the five thematic areas of the permanent exhibition - shipbuilding, vessels, foundry and forges, Astano shipyard, and the Spanish Navy. The exhibition allows visitors to learn about Spain's history of shipbuilding through artifacts and informative displays.

2. CONTENT
Contact information
History of the exhibition
Promoters and partners
Technical Committee
Getting here
The Herrerías Building
Times and admissions
Exponav’s video introduction
Thematic areas of the exhibition

3. CONTACT INFORMATION
Postal address Phone no.: (+34)981336017
Edificio Herrerías Fax no.: (+34)981336276
c/ Irmandiños, s/n
15490 - Ferrol
exponav@exponav.org http://www.exponav.org/
http://www.facebook.com/Exponav
http://twitter.com/exponav
http://www.youtube.com/ExponavFerrol
http://www.slideshare.net/Exponav

4. HISTORY OF THE EXHIBITION
The National Shipbuilding Exhibition (EXPONAV) was born thanks to an agreement between the Association of Naval
Engineers of Spain (AINE) and the Spanish Navy (Ministry of Defense) in 1994, and alter the interest showed and the work
carried out by the Foundation for the Promotion of Shipbuilding and Maritime Activities Knowledge, founded in 2004 and
set up by the Spanish Navy, the Association of Naval Engineers of Spain, the University of A Coruña, the Xunta de Galicia,
the Town Council of Ferrol, the Regional Council of A Coruña, Navantia, Innovamar, among others. This museum was
inaugurated on the 10th of March, 2008, and HRHs the King and Queen of Spain and HRHs Prince and Princess of Asturias
presided the ceremony.
The museum was created to be used as a meeting place for the society, industry and scientific community. Its permanent
exhibition will make easier the understanding of this technology and the knowledge of our shipping history, in order to
understand better the present and the future.
It is the main Spanish museum about the history of shipbuilding. The exhibition includes an awesome collection of pieces
from the 18th century until today, and it offers an informative view on the most important milestones related to this activity
in Spain.
Step by step we will see the development of shipping architecture and shipbuilding throughout last centuries, as well as the
evolution of ship shapes and the development of naval dockyards. In this tour around shipbuilding techniques and materials
used, we can learn about different aspects related to this matter: from technological and tools development, to the most
important moment, the launching and the floating.

5. PROMOTERS AND PARTNERS
The following organizations have contributed and collaborated with EXPONAV:
Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Public Works, Xunta de Galicia, Ferrol City Council, University of La Coruña (Ferrol
Campus), County Council of La Coruña, Spanish Marine Engineers Association (AINE), Innovamar, Spanish Engineering
Institute, Port Authority of Ferrol-San Cibrao, Fundación Nova CaixaGalicia and Ferrol Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

6. TECHNICAL COMMITTEE
From the beginning of the project, under the protection of the Convention, a Technical Committee was established, headed
by the Spanish Marine Engineers Association (AINE).
Apart from professionals from the Spanish Marine Engineers Association, there are other people from other institutions
collaborating in the technical committee, in order to provide technical support to the management: staff from the Spanish
Navy, interns from the University of La Coruña, wooden boat building associations, historians, researchers, etc.

7. GETTING HERE
The National Shipbuilding Exhibition (Exponav) is located in Ferrol, in the Cantón de Molins area. The building that hosts
this permanent exhibition is called the Herrerías Building.
Clicking on the image above Google Maps will open so that you will be able to find your way to where we are.

8. THE HERRERÍAS BUILDING
This great industrial building was built in the 18th century. It belongs to Neoclassical Academicism style. The design, made by
an unknown author, was approved by Carlos III, on 26 September 1781, and it apparently followed an earlier draft of Julián
Sánchez Bort. It was designed to host the smithies (Herrerías, hence its name) of shipyards and the ones from the Spanish
Navy Dockyard in Ferrol. There is not documentation about the structural solutions used in this building: Bolts embedded in
the columns and pilasters attached to each other by tie rods.
.
The Herrerías Building is 100 m. long and 21
m. wide and is divided into two parts. Both
parts are covered by solid vaults which rest on
132 ashlar arches, which make the building
very light.
The area aligned from East to West has three
vaulted rooms and two courtyards, with two
sections each one. In these courtyards, there
are two drinking water wells, despite the
building was built in a tidal area. Forges were
placed in this section, where heavy and
hammer works were carried out. There were
about 32 forges, four of them with a huge size
given over to build anchors. About 144 people
worked in this workshop.

9. The other part, aligned from North to South, has only two rows of arches, and smaller smithy works were
finished there. It was also used for foundry. It is worth mentioning the building of forges. The smoke never
disturbs the hundreds of workers in the building.
The number of workers reached 386.
The aim of this exhibition is to
highlight the enormous human effort
that was carried out within these walls
more than 200 years ago, and to know
how life was in the factory in Ferrol
golden age.
The entrance to the exhibition is
flanked by two stone lions, made in the
18th century, which were placed on the
top of the “Grada de Los Leones” in
Esteiro (Ferrol).

10. TIMES AND ADMISSION
Opening hours:
-Tuesday to Friday: 10.30 – 14.30
-Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays: 10.30 – 14.30
Admission costs:
-Adults: 2€
- Children under 15 and adulsts over 65: 1€
-Children under 12: Free
Opening hours in SUMMER:
-Tuesday to Saturday: 10.30 – 14.30 y 17.00 – 19.30
-Monday, Sunday and bank holidays: 10.30 – 14.30
Group visits:
Guided tours for groups need to pre-book. Guided
tours for groups are only available for groups of 10
or more. In order to request a group visit contact us
in advance:
-E-mail: exponav@exponav.org
- Teléfono: (+34)981336017
-Fax: (+34)336276
Group admission costs:
-Groups (up to 30 people): 15 €

11. EXPONAV’S VIDEO INTRODUCTION
By clicking on the image below you will be able to watch our video introduction hosted in our YouTube channel.:
www.youtube.com/ExponavFerrol

12. THEMATIC AREAS OF THE EXHIBITION
It is divided into five different areas: “La Construcción” (The Building), “Los Buques” (The Vessels), “La Fundición y las
Fraguas” (Foundry and Forges), “Astano: un milagro en la ría (Astano: a miracle in the estuary) and “La Armada Española”
(The Spanish Navy).
On the ground floor, the first stage of this tour is the Shipbuilding. This area is divided into five sections. In the first one, the
di-fferent types of ship-yards are explained. The second is focused on the structural building and ships outfitting. The third
section presents a historical overview about the different buil-ding materials used from the 18th century till today. The next
section is about moulds, which belong to the design process. Finally, this area shows other materials used in building.

13. The second area, called “Los Buques,” begins with the presentation of the ship project, its internal layout and the definition
of its external shape. The following section stu-dies the behaviour and movements of the vessel at sea, followed by the
explanation of the structural solu-tions taken. Next, we can find the introduction of several propulsion systems. Finally, this
area finishes with the demonstration of several equipment and assistant services installed on ships.
Before heading for the third area, called “La Fundición y las Fraguas”, we can move back in time and see how life was on
board a frigate in the 18th century. Then, we come back to present as we go into the rooms of a Spanish warship from the 21st
century.

14. In the first floor of the building we can visit the fourth and the fifth area of the exhibition: “Astano: un milagro en la ría”
(Astano: a miracle in the estuary) and “La Armada Española” (The Spanish Navy”.
In the fourth one (“Astano: un milagro en la ría”) the visitor will have the opportunity to discover how a small shipbuilding
company founded in 1941 became one of the most important shipbuilding companies in the world and certainly the most
important firm in the Ferrol area. In this area we have the opportunity to find out about the most important facts on Astano:
its history, its workforce, the evolutions of its facilities, the ships that have been built, etc.
The fifth thematic area of this exhibition is called “La Armada Española” (The Spanish Navy”). In this area visitors will be
able to discover the history of the Spanish Navy, see some replicas of the ships that belonged to the Navy, etc.
This exhibition, through its current five areas divided in rooms, will allow us to get a better knowledge and understanding of
shipbuilding and everything related to it.