The Junta earmarks nearly 860,000 euros for improvements to the Castle in Castellar

Gibraltar & El Campo
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Marifrán Carazo, Regional Minister of Development and Territorial Coordination, and Adrián Vaca, Mayor of Castellar de la Frontera, have signed an agreement for the restoration and integration of public spaces in the walled enclosure of the castle of Castellar de la Frontera.

This action has a budget of 857,532 euros, of which the Junta will contribute 97 percent of the total cost, with a completion period of six months for work to be carried out throughout 2023.

The intervention, co-financed with European Feder funds, is based on two main axes, the first of which focuses on the recovery and enhancement of two emblematic areas of the castle, currently in disuse, such as the garden and the cistern square, which will be used for the development of economic and cultural activity.

The garden, one of the most singular enclaves of the castle, currently presents a situation of abandonment derived from a previous unfinished action that left some archaeological remains uncovered.

The approved project will not only allow the conservation and protection of these remains, but will also improve access to the garden from the main square of the fortress and the open spaces related to a nearby hotel.

In addition, an intervention will be undertaken to recover the interior vegetation with orange trees, cork oaks, olive trees and lavender, giving value to a place with panoramic views of the natural park of Los Arcornocales.

The intervention in the courtyard of the cistern focuses, on the other hand, on seeking a functional access with interior and exterior routes, for which it will promote the recovery of the façade of the fortress, where the existing paths will be conditioned to form a landscaped and terraced urban space in direct relation to the residential area outside the walls.

All these actions seek to enhance the value of the interior spaces of the castle-fortress, with particular emphasis on improving accessibility conditions.

The second axis of the intervention focuses on the squares of La Posada and El Salvador, the beginning and end of the route within the historic walled complex.

The councillor highlighted the "singularity of this intervention to make the castle of Castellar de la Frontera, declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in 1949 and one of the few examples of medieval fortifications still inhabited today, more attractive and accessible".

The project is included in the ITI programme in Cadiz as part of the Urban Public Space Regeneration Programme (Prepu) aimed at promoting urban development actions for the regeneration of spaces that boost the tourist and commercial sector through cooperation with the town councils.

The project, drafted by municipal technicians and supervised by the technical services of the Regional Ministry of Development, Territorial Planning and Housing, will be tendered and executed by the Regional Development Office in Cádiz.

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The Junta earmarks more than 700,000 euros to refurbish the Castellar Castle

The Junta de Andalucía, through the Regional Ministry of Development, Territorial Planning and Housing, has held the signing ceremony of the contract for the regeneration of urban public spaces in Castellar de la Frontera. The signing ceremony at the Andalusian Government Delegation was attended by the Government Delegate of the Andalusian Regional Government, Mercedes Colombo; the territorial delegate for Development, Territorial Planning and Housing, Carmen Sánchez, and representatives of the company Díaz Cubero, which was awarded the contract for these works.

The delegate of the Andalusian Government, Mercedes Colombo, pointed out that "this signature will allow these works to begin, to the benefit of the municipality of Castellar de la Frontera". She also alluded to the agility in the processing so that this action can become a reality and indicated that these works, awarded for 710,155 euros, respond to "a commitment to greater accessibility and comfort, as well as sustainable mobility".

In addition, the regional delegate of this Ministry, Carmen Sánchez, has specified that "this action consists of the recovery and integration of public spaces within the walled enclosure in the castle of Castellar de la Frontera and will contribute to its enhancement". She also stressed the historical and cultural wealth of this municipality, as well as its tourist attraction, and recalled that this initiative "is part of the Vive Tu Ciudad Plan and the Integrated Territorial Investment (ITI) of Cádiz".

Both delegates alluded to the urban transformation promoted by the Andalusian government through this type of action in the province and the collaboration with the city councils for its development. They also pointed out that this type of initiative contributes to the promotion of commerce and tourism, as well as to the improvement of environmental quality.

Specifically, the action to be undertaken in the municipality of Castellón will improve accessibility to the castle area, declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in 1949, with an intervention co-financed with European Feder funds.

This initiative has two axes. The first includes the recovery and enhancement of two emblematic areas of the castle, the garden and the cistern square, which will be used for the development of economic and cultural activity. The garden is in a state of neglect as a result of a previous unfinished project that exposed archaeological remains.

These works will not only allow the conservation and protection of these remains, but will also improve access to the garden from the main square of the fortress and the open spaces related to a nearby hotel. In addition, an intervention will be carried out to recover the interior vegetation, giving value to a place with panoramic views of the natural park of Los Alcornocales.

The intervention in the courtyard of the cistern focuses on seeking a functional access with interior and exterior routes, for which the recovery of the façade of the fortress will be promoted, where the existing paths will be conditioned to form a landscaped and terraced urban space in direct relation to the residential area outside the walls.

These tasks will enhance the value of the interior spaces of the castle-fortress by improving accessibility conditions, including the recovery of the cobblestones, the creation of specific urban furniture integrated into the environment, etc.

On the other hand, in a second axis, the action will focus on the squares of La Posada and El Salvador, the beginning and end of the route inside the historic walled complex. The intervention will design both spaces to improve their accessibility, with the introduction of adapted furniture, as well as eliminating, as far as possible, the existing architectural barriers.