Ferreira

Ferreira is a locality in the province of Lugo, Galicia, whose name derives from ferrería, meaning iron forge or smithy. Ferrerías were small water-powered iron-working installations that operated on the rivers of the Galician interior from the medieval period onward, using local iron ore and the abundant water power of the Atlantic region.

The settlement developed in association with one of these forge installations, and the name preserves the industrial memory even as the forge itself is long gone. The surrounding terrain is the humid enclosed valley landscape of the Lugo interior, with the watercourse that once powered the forge still running through the valley.

For pilgrims on the Camino del Norte, Ferreira is a passage point in the interior stages of the Lugo province.