The City Council of Torrelavega and journalist Elena Tresgallo will be honoured on 15 October with the 2025 Awards for Merit in the Conservation of Industrial Heritage in Cantabria, awarded by the Cantabria Industrial Heritage Network. The ceremony is set to begin at 19:00 in the auditorium of IES Marqués de Santillana, with free entry, and will be followed by the presentation of the documentary 'SNIACE: the forging of a city', which will start at 19:30.
Pedro Pérez, the councillor for Industry, and Víctor Moreno, the president of the Cantabria Industrial Heritage Network, announced the details of this fourth edition of the awards, which recognise the efforts of individuals and organisations committed to the recovery, preservation, and promotion of the region's industrial heritage. Pérez expressed gratitude to the network for its collaboration with Torrelavega on projects related to its industrial past, particularly following the closure of Sniace.
Moreno highlighted that this year's institutional recognition will go to the City Council of Torrelavega for its efforts in preserving the industrial memory of the city, especially its work in recovering historical materials from the former Sniace factory. He noted that Torrelavega is “the industrial city of Cantabria par excellence” and mentioned that since the dismantling of Sniace began in September 2023, the network has sought municipal support to recover historically significant remnants.
Elena Tresgallo will also be awarded for her professional career and her advocacy for the cultural, ethnographic, and industrial heritage of Cantabria.
Documentary screening to follow awards
Following the awards ceremony, the documentary 'SNIACE: the forging of a city' will be screened. This film, produced by the Cantabria Industrial Heritage Network with support from the General Directorate of Culture and Historical Heritage of the Government of Cantabria and the City Council of Torrelavega, chronicles the history of Sniace and its impact on Torrelavega and Cantabria over nearly 80 years, from its inception to its final closure.
The documentary features interviews with former workers and individuals knowledgeable about the company's history, alongside photographs and archival footage. A significant portion is dedicated to historical films recovered during the factory's dismantling, showcasing industrial activity and daily life associated with Sniace during the 1960s.
Moreno described the recovered materials as “an incredible treasure” for the insights they provide into life at Sniace, as well as the social and sporting activities of its workers and their families.
A unique audiovisual testimony
The documentary is divided into two main sections. The first focuses on the company's later decades, marked by labour conflicts, sit-ins, economic difficulties, and ongoing attempts to sustain operations, featuring testimonies from those who experienced these events firsthand. The second part revisits Sniace's early decades through historical footage, mostly in black and white, depicting production processes, industrial facilities, the construction of housing for workers, and social initiatives.
Moreno emphasised that this second section provides a “unique” audiovisual testimony, particularly highlighting the human aspect and the individuals who were part of Sniace's history.
