Presa de Salime

The Presa de Salime is a large arch dam on the Navia river in the municipality of Grandas de Salime, in Asturias, completed in 1954. The dam impounds the Salime reservoir and was one of the major hydroelectric infrastructure projects of the Franco period in Spain, generating power for the Asturian industrial zone.

The dam is notable not only for its engineering scale but for the murals painted inside the dam complex by the Asturian artist Vaquero Palacios, depicting scenes of Asturian history and prehistory. The crossing of the dam is one of the most visually striking moments on the Camino Primitivo, with the deep gorge visible on both sides of the narrow dam road.

For pilgrims, the dam crossing marks the transition from the high western Asturian sierra to the lower terrain approaching the Asturian-Galician border.