The Government of Spain formalizes the contract for the execution of the works of consolidation and restoration of the walled enclosure of Calatañazor

• Action will be taken in three sections of the walled enclosure to improve the security and conservation of this national historical-artistic complex

April 16, 2024. The Government of Spain, through the General Directorate of State Heritage of the Ministry of Finance, has formalized the contract for the execution of the works of consolidation and final restoration of the walled enclosure of Calatañazor. This action will have a cost of 278,670 euros and an execution period of six months. The awarded company has been Rehabisoria, Rehabilitation and Construction of Works and Monuments, S. L.

This intervention will improve the security and conditions for the proper conservation and maintenance of the complex that make up the castle and the walled enclosure. The works to be carried out are of consolidation and restoration to repair the deficiencies and damages existing in three sections of this enclosure, specifically the confluence of the sections called T9 and T10, and the inner face of the wall between the sections T3-T5 and T6-T8.

The lack of enclosure in the transited sites and the detachments that occur in the inner sheet of the wall in the northeast area of the enclosure make intervention necessary due to the danger that this represents.

Also, the loss of stone material on the inner face of the sections makes it difficult to maintain them. These areas are more exposed to damage due to the entry of water and the presence of vegetation, so they lose entity over time.

The reconstruction criterion chosen in this project continues with what was done in the last intervention. The materials are stone and lime mortar, of dimensions and appearance similar to the sillarejos that have been traditionally used in the construction of this enclosure and that have ended up partially torn away to make the constructions of the same villa, which have used in many cases the walls as a stone quarry.

In all the sections of masonry that are reconstructed, we will try to avoid the linear finish of the coronations, finishing the added masonry in an irregular way, maintaining the feeling of ‘broken wall’, of which we really do not know height and original finishes precisely.

NATIONAL HISTORICAL-ARTISTIC COMPLEX

Calatañazor was declared a National Historical-Artistic Complex in 1962, as well as a Monument by Decree of 22 April 1949 for the protection of Spanish castles. It is also part of the Catalogue of Protected Property of the current Municipal Urban Norms of Calatañazor, with the character of Monumental Architecture and integral protection.

The Government of Spain has been carrying out various restoration works in recent years to guarantee security conditions both in the upper area of the Castle and in the walled enclosure that surrounds the villa of Calatañazor.

Since some sections of the site were in a significant state of deterioration, a technical report was commissioned in 2014 to examine the entire perimeter of the wall and establish zonal performance criteria.

Based on the contents of this document, the corresponding project of execution of works was drafted, which included thirteen sections with different levels of damage, whose rehabilitation was carried out a few years ago. They were left pending the restoration work that will now be carried out in the aforementioned sections.