View of the Gran Vía. The Hotel Marina. 1915

Before the conquest by Augustus in 19 B.C, the river Sella was the natural border between the Astures and Cantabras tribes, who were the last of the tribes in the peninsular that the Romans conquered. After the Roman conquest they named the area Tarraconesne. In the 1st century before Christ, Estrabón, a Roman writer, mentions the river Saelia (Sella) and he called the inhabitants of Ribadesella the ”Saleanos” a sub tribe of the Orgenomescos people, a Cantabra tribe. The settlements around Ribadesella were called Octaviolca and Noega. Ptolemy named them Noega Ucesia. After the tribes were defeated by the Romans, Ribadesella stayed inside the province of Tarraconense, and the river sella was still the natural border between the Asturum and the Cluniensis. From the Roman era we have preserved funeral artefacts in the archaeological Museum of Asturias that were excavated in El Forniellu

The old Plaza Nueva.

Bathing rooms on Santa Marina beach

The first mention of Ribadesella in the middle ages comes from 834 A.D, in a document concerning a donation to the church of properties in Torre Felgarias (Torre), Calabriezes (Calabrez) and Tezánicos (Tezangos). The village of Ribadesella still did not exist; the people were living in the hillsides of La Cuesta and El Cuetu de San Juan. There are many documents about donations to the church in the 10th, 11th and 12th centuries. These documents mention many hamlets, private lands, hunting reserves and mills, also mentioned are salt extraction from the beaches and fishing in the river Sella. The church grew strong with all the donations and in the 13th century it started to build the Romanic churches of San Esteban de Leces, San Salvador de Moru and Santa María de Xuncu. The Castellano-Leonesa monarchy wanted to strengthen the dominions reconquered from the Muslims by creating royal protection areas, to which they gave privileges, laws, markets and government. The charter proclaiming Ribadesella was lost, but we know the town was created in 1270 by Alfonso X (Alfonso the wise), who ordered the union of the territories of Melorda y Leduas (Meluerda y Leces) into one rural district around the river Sella, as it is today.

Images of the Apollo" building in the 1st half of the 20th century

In the 14th and 15th centuries the nobility grew too confident and they fought each other for power in the local government and for economic privileges from the monarchy. At the end of the 15th century the catholic King and queen had to take the decision to exile the count of Luna from Ribadesella and pay him a huge amount compensation, to curtail the fighting between the nobility. But by doing this they gained control of situation. They did the same in Llanes, Cangas de Narcea and Tineo, for this reason the 4 towns were called Las Cuatro Sacadas. The main resources in the middle ages came from the sea and the river i.e. fishing of salmon in the estuary, fishing in the sea, whaling, and the production of salt and maritime trade. The whaling industry was the most economically important in the early middle ages. And there was a whaling factory on the beach, known as the house of the whales, the ruins of which were preserved until the 18th century. The beach in Ribadesella called La Atalaya, which means watch tower or observation post, is another reference to the whaling industry. The importation of salt was of commercial importance and was a monopoly of the monarchy which was coveted by the nobility, even the church benefited; because from every shipment of salt imported they received 28 sacks.

In 1517 the emperor Carlos 1st of Spain and 5th of Germany, who came from Ghent, Belgium. Disembarked in Villaviciosa and travelled by road to Cantabria and Valladolid. To enter into Ribadesella he had to take a detour round until Alisal, because he couldn’t get his entourage and horses into the boat to cross the river Sella. According to the cronicler Laurent Vital, The people of Ribadesella entertained the emperor with a military exhibition, bullfighting and dancing that lasted 2 days. In 1673 the noble people of Ribadesella joined together, to petition the King for the right to buy the offices of the justice and regiment, which had always been held by the same family and from this time until the 19th century the council was run by a strict electoral rotation system between the 3 municipal districts; LaVilla, Cuesta en Fuera and Llende el Agua.

Inauguration of the new bridge. 1940.

Construction of the road to Gijón. 1912.

In July 1808 the Ribadesella battalion was created, with more than 700 solders, to fight against the French. Even with this force against them, the French entered the port at Ribadesella 2 years later. The river Sella was an important strategic point during the Peninsular war, 1808 to 1814, because the river acted as a border between the French forces. The French held quarters in Ribadesella and Berbes, and controlled the access by road (the Camino Real) therefore controlling the coast. The interior was still controlled by the guerrillas. So there were two town councils in Ribadesella, one held by the French sympathizer; José Ardines and the other in Moru on the left side of the river, presided over by Francisco Ruisánchez. The French troops were weakened, when their supply lines were cut off by the British. The French were forced to retreat in 1811, after nearly 2 years of brutal occupation. Death and relentless looting and plundering were carried out by both sides. In 1873 during the Carlistas war, a battle took place on the wooden bridge crossing the river Sella. During which the Carlista lieutenant, Oró died. In reprisal the Carlistas sacked Ribadesella destroying the telegraph system, the shops, and council records and also kidnapped the mayor of the town, who was only liberated after the council paid an expensive ransom.

During the civil war of 1936, Ribadesella was again of high strategic importance. The Republican army took control of the bridge to prevent the Franquistas from crossing; they were advancing from the direction of Bilbao and Santander. Franco’s army broke the line in September of 1937, after the Mazucu battle, the militia dynamited the iron bridge to protect themselves in their retreat to Gijon. The last front of the Republican army in the north.