The Arsenal de Ferrol is the working heart of the city — a fenced naval shipyard and base that runs along the entire south side of the centre, between the Magdalena district and the ría. It has been Spain's principal Atlantic naval dockyard since 1750, when the Marquis of the Ensenada chose Ferrol over A Coruña for its deep, sheltered water and easily defended ría. The current shipyards (operated by Navantia) build frigates for the Spanish Navy and major surface combatants for export — the Australian Hobart-class and the Norwegian Nansen-class were both constructed here.
You cannot walk inside the arsenal without prior permission, but the eighteenth-century gates and outer walls — built in the same heavy granite as the Co-Cathedral — are themselves a sight, and the entire complex is a national monument. The Sala de Armas is one of the great covered slipway halls of European naval architecture. The best view of the working yard is from the Mirador de Bertón, on the hillside above the city, where you can see the dry-docks and frigates on the building ways. The smaller Naval Museum of Ferrol is inside the arsenal and can be visited with photo ID at the main gate.