The walled city and the castle of Guardamar del Segura is about to receive the largest economic investment in its history: One million euros that will be used for the research, restoration and improvement of the city walls, deemed to be the most important historical reference of the municipality, according to the Councillor of Historical Heritage, Pilar Gay.
Starting immediately, and with a term of 18 months, the million euros, contributed by the City council and the funds from the FEDER program, through the Valencia Generalitat, will be used for the protection, conservation and repair of this patrimonial expanse.
The objective is to ensure that the walled city becomes a heritage reference point at the provincial level, further improving the town’s cultural attraction and serving as a focus in attracting more visitors to the municipality who can get to know and experience for themselves the attraction of Guardamar pre 1829 when an earthquake destroyed most of the surrounding area.
“Our aim is to improve the image of the castle, give it life, recover its identity and dignity, that is, recover this landmark site that is today the most visited archaeological location in the municipality, thanks to its accessibility and vista, which also make it in an exceptional viewpoint “, explained Ms Gay.
The funding will also provide a service area and a visitors centre that will be equipped with exhibition resources (panels, audiovisual …) that will be based on the results of archaeological excavations and preserved historical documentation.
The project will ensure urgent repairs of different existing constructions in the castle, guaranteeing the correct maintenance and stability of the elements that make up this patrimonial asset.
Archaeological excavation work will also be carried in the vicinity, allowing experts a better understanding of the many different stages of development of the hill that today houses the Guardamar fortress. The area affected by the archaeological excavation is estimated at 2,237 square metres.
The different archaeological activities carried out on the hill since 1982 can be dated back to the Phoenician period (middle of the 8th century BC) although it was during the Iberian period (5th to 7th centuries BC) when the original settlement had a greater relevance.
Islamic remains have also been found and a Christian fortification was established in the early medieval period. The hill was inhabited until 1829 when an earthquake seriously affected many of its buildings. This tragic event led the population to abandon the site and build a new villa on the plain, the current urban centre of Guardamar.
