Portal de Cartagena
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The City Council of Cartagena, through the Area of ​​Archaeological Heritage, will present this week the project of recovery of the Roman Amphitheater and consolidation of the double wall of the old Plaza de Toros before the General Directorate of Cultural Property of the Autonomous Community, A plan that was finalized last May and that is already registered in the College of Architects.
The current team of municipal government has priority archaeological intervention in the Amphitheater and are taking all necessary steps for its implementation, working in unison the local administration and archaeological team in achieving this goal.
In this line of work, a meeting of national and international experts was held in December 2015, which set out their different points of view.
Among the conclusions of the same was established the uniqueness of the coexistence between the structures murarias of the Plaza de Toros and the Roman monument, outlining the need to make new archaeological tastings to check certain issues and any intervention in the ruinous walls of the plaza Of bulls did not undermine the outstanding importance of the Roman building.
INTEGRATION OF THE TWO MONUMENTAL SPACES
The idea was to look for an architectural solution that was respectful both with the Bullring and with the Amphitheater and that did not suppose to construct a new building of great scope of high cost that left in a secondary paper to the Amphitheater.
It should be remembered that in 2008, from the high regional estates, the construction of a museum of contemporary art - which would be the future MUCAM - was proposed, which would integrate a new space of great dimensions and high cost next to the archaeological complex.
For this purpose, the archaeological documentation has been carried out, including the municipal coordinator of the Archaeological Patrimony, María del Carmen Berrocal, such as an aerial photogrammetry of the monument, the interior and exterior scanning of the Amphitheater, creating a model and a 3D film. Studies of georradar have been carried out in Chiqueros street, without forgetting the hiring of a specialized architect - Andres Cánovas, who knows the affected constructions - to carry out a technical study on how to preserve the double wall of the Bullring, allowing the excavation of The Roman structure in the subsoil and thus obtaining the data needed for the drafting of a Master Plan to be undertaken by the City Council in 2017, where the general lines of intervention in the monument and its surroundings would be marked , Medium and long term.
Berrocal explains that this project contemplates the recovery of Roman construction by sectors, as it has the serious problem of the stability of the walls of the Plaza de Toros, currently supported by a metallic scaffold.
Thus, after 114 years since the first excavations in the Roman Amphitheater, this project provides a viable, very respectful and novel solution, designed ex profeso for the whole of the Bullring and the Roman Amphitheater of Cartagena, which raises The consolidation of the double wall of the square through a system of reinforcement throughout its surface, which will allow the full recovery of the interior space of the double wall - initially about 18 meters - at a cost of 200,000 euros that were included in the budget of the Area of ​​Archaeological Heritage.
In this way, once consolidated, the excavation of the smaller axis of the amphitheater with its set of rooms with integral ceiling as shown in the drawings of the S. XVIII will be carried out with absolute security.
The Autonomous Community has also allocated another 100,000 euros for the Master Plan and the archaeological intervention.
Thus, the project of recovery of assets.
Berrocal says that the amphitheater finally has a project with a vocation for the future, which makes the monument the central point of the patrimonial recovery that will contribute in a short time a visit through the natural accesses of the Roman building.
A GREAT BUILDING THAT WILL REVEAL THE LIGHT
The Roman Amphitheater of Cartagena, built in the S. I d.
C. and buried by the bullfighting in 1843, has an exterior dimensions of 103x77'8 meters in the major and minor axis respectively, which would accommodate between 10,000 and 11,000 spectators.
It is constructed with a mixed technique excavated in the slope of the Hill of the Conception and on radial walls and vaults.
Mainly realized in opus caementicium coated with opus vitattum of andesite with the punctual use of ashlars of sandstone and limestone, it has prisons in the main accesses that maintain in good condition their original covers.
It has been confirmed that it conserves important elevations, ranging from 4 meters in the south to a little more than 10 meters in the northern sector, next to the cut of the Gisbert street, being the old sand to 3'80 meters below the Current quota of the bullring of the Plaza de Toros.
It is worth mentioning the reflection made by the municipal coordinator of Archaeological Heritage: the amphitheater of Mérida began to be excavated in 1919, the one of Tarragona in 1952, and both are currently referring in this type of monuments.
Cartagena began to excavate its Amphitheater before the mentioned cities, it was a pioneer in the works, but the successive opportunities were lost until now, in full S. XXI, when with the increasing push of the tourism and especially before the clamor of the cartageneros , There is a firm commitment of all the social agents linked to the city to intervene without further delay in one of the great assets assets that the port city, the Roman Amphitheater, has.
Berrocal also emphasized "the magnificent state of conservation" of the same, "being therefore a 'cover' that has outstanding values ​​and keeps them hidden."
MUNICIPAL COMMITMENT FOR A USEFUL AREA
The councilor of archaeological heritage at work, Ricardo Segado, explained that the next step is to contest the project of the first quarter of the square as soon as you have the authorization of the Autonomous Community and the money to come from the regional government To later launch the Master Plan and that later the whole of the Amphitheater can be excavated.
"From the Town Hall we can say that we have done our homework, in only two years we have made this project truly pioneering and novel and we have also maintained that commitment to reserve 200,000 euros of funds for this project," said the mayor in office.
Also, Segado has reaffirmed that intention of the municipal Executive.
"We are committed to continue allocating public funds to the recovery of the Roman Amphitheater because we believe it is a priority for our future as a heritage and also for tourism," he said.
He also said that the idea is that in the future it will be "used", that is to say "that besides being visitable, events can be carried out" as it is done in the amphitheatres of other cities and include it within the different Cultural programs of the city.
He has also shown his willingness "that Cartagena and visitors can see firsthand how the actions are being carried out."
Source: Ayuntamiento de Cartagena
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