The Diputación is making progress with the restoration of the Xivert Castle and fulfilling its promise about heritage as a future activity
The Provincial Government has employed specialists in the masonry of the Middle Ages to consolidate the wall of the fortress
Moliner “We are restoring our heritage not only for reasons of pride, but as a tourist resource for the future”
![[Img #72761]](http://el7set.es/upload/images/05_2019/218_8997__dsc0038.jpg)
Castellón Diputación is adding the consolidation, restoration and value of the Xivert Castle to its promise to recover heritage as an activity and generator of opportunity in the territory. Tthe President of the Diputación, Javier Moliner, visited the castle to see how the works promoted by both the Diputación itself and jointly financed by the European Union are progressing within the FEDER programme (Programa Operativo del Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional). The work is part of Thematic Objective 6, which aims to conserve and protect the environment and to promote efficient resources.
The work, with an investment of 93,828 euros, has made the restoration of a section of wall which encloses the Moorish quarter possible. This was the ancient Islamic and Moorish town which was part of the fortified parts and is a continuation of the work which the Diputación is carrying out in the “Templars Territory” project to spread knowledge of the Templars legacy in the province and activate tourism.
The Diputación president, Javier Moliner, met with the town’s mayor and provincial deputy, Francisco Juan Mars, to find out the details of this important action promoting the province’s cultural and historic heritage. “In recent years we have tried to give all the value we can to our cultural and historical heritage. It has been an obsession to raise funds from all the institutions to try to make our castles shine with the splendour they deserve, and now here in the Xivert Castle it is a pleasure to check that the works are progressing well, with European funds and with the Diputacion’s own funds, trying to work on what we have been able to preserve of our ancestors and leave it in much better conditions”.
Moliner emphasised that “Castellón is a land of castles, a land of defensive fortresses, of Templar spaces such as this which, doubtless, are going to become not only a cause for pride in what we have been, but an opportunity and a resource so that in future, tourism will be based on a cultural heritage and the legendary history of the Templars life in the province of Castellón.
The care with which this renovation work has been carried out must be taken into account, as it was based on respect for principles of authenticity and rigorous history, of interdisciplinary nature, minimum intervention, of reversibility besides explaining it to the public, so that visitors would get a better general knowledge of the castle.
Description of the work
The work was carried out taking two complementary aspects into consideration. On one hand archaeology by carrying out excavations and studies, which have brought to light two elements which had remained hidden by soil and rubbish: an ancient tower protecting one of the entrances to the town and an oven backing on to the wall with a chimney enclosed in it. On the other hand, constructively there was drainage, cleaning, stabilisation, consolidation and restoration of this section of the wall structure which bounded the Moorish town, both in the masonry and in the adobe wall which had deteriorated more over time.
The result of the intervention improves understanding of this part of the castle having been consolidated and with both the town and the oven being made visible, although the work has to continue as there still remain many aspects to be investigated to learn about the history and the construction of such a significant castle as the Xivert castle is.
Also there has been investment in signage this year which has been installed in the castle as part of the Castellón Templars Territory project which the Diputación is carrying out in towns which at the time belonged to the order of the Templars, to recover and spread the Province’s rich Templar heritage.
Heritage as an opportunity for the future of the towns.
This work is part of an additional investment of 2.4 million euros by the Diputación to the FEDER Funds as part of the Provincial Government’s promise to recover the heritage aiming to engender better tourist opportunities for the future of the municipalities in the province.
With this new investment injection, the Provincial Government is consolidating its leadership in restoration and adding value to the Castellón heritage, after having invested around 10 million euros since 2011.
“From the Provincial Government we want to continue leading investment in heritage in Castellón because it defines us, unites us, makes us believe and makes us feel proud”, the president said.
The singularity of the Xivert castle lies in that it is the only Moorish settlement in Castellón outside the Sierra de Espadán and was inhabited until the expulsion of the Moors in 1609, since when, in spite of the several attempts to repopulate it, the place has remained abandoned.
Castellón Diputación is adding the consolidation, restoration and value of the Xivert Castle to its promise to recover heritage as an activity and generator of opportunity in the territory. Tthe President of the Diputación, Javier Moliner, visited the castle to see how the works promoted by both the Diputación itself and jointly financed by the European Union are progressing within the FEDER programme (Programa Operativo del Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional). The work is part of Thematic Objective 6, which aims to conserve and protect the environment and to promote efficient resources.
The work, with an investment of 93,828 euros, has made the restoration of a section of wall which encloses the Moorish quarter possible. This was the ancient Islamic and Moorish town which was part of the fortified parts and is a continuation of the work which the Diputación is carrying out in the “Templars Territory” project to spread knowledge of the Templars legacy in the province and activate tourism.
The Diputación president, Javier Moliner, met with the town’s mayor and provincial deputy, Francisco Juan Mars, to find out the details of this important action promoting the province’s cultural and historic heritage. “In recent years we have tried to give all the value we can to our cultural and historical heritage. It has been an obsession to raise funds from all the institutions to try to make our castles shine with the splendour they deserve, and now here in the Xivert Castle it is a pleasure to check that the works are progressing well, with European funds and with the Diputacion’s own funds, trying to work on what we have been able to preserve of our ancestors and leave it in much better conditions”.
Moliner emphasised that “Castellón is a land of castles, a land of defensive fortresses, of Templar spaces such as this which, doubtless, are going to become not only a cause for pride in what we have been, but an opportunity and a resource so that in future, tourism will be based on a cultural heritage and the legendary history of the Templars life in the province of Castellón.
The care with which this renovation work has been carried out must be taken into account, as it was based on respect for principles of authenticity and rigorous history, of interdisciplinary nature, minimum intervention, of reversibility besides explaining it to the public, so that visitors would get a better general knowledge of the castle.
Description of the work
The work was carried out taking two complementary aspects into consideration. On one hand archaeology by carrying out excavations and studies, which have brought to light two elements which had remained hidden by soil and rubbish: an ancient tower protecting one of the entrances to the town and an oven backing on to the wall with a chimney enclosed in it. On the other hand, constructively there was drainage, cleaning, stabilisation, consolidation and restoration of this section of the wall structure which bounded the Moorish town, both in the masonry and in the adobe wall which had deteriorated more over time.
The result of the intervention improves understanding of this part of the castle having been consolidated and with both the town and the oven being made visible, although the work has to continue as there still remain many aspects to be investigated to learn about the history and the construction of such a significant castle as the Xivert castle is.
Also there has been investment in signage this year which has been installed in the castle as part of the Castellón Templars Territory project which the Diputación is carrying out in towns which at the time belonged to the order of the Templars, to recover and spread the Province’s rich Templar heritage.
Heritage as an opportunity for the future of the towns.
This work is part of an additional investment of 2.4 million euros by the Diputación to the FEDER Funds as part of the Provincial Government’s promise to recover the heritage aiming to engender better tourist opportunities for the future of the municipalities in the province.
With this new investment injection, the Provincial Government is consolidating its leadership in restoration and adding value to the Castellón heritage, after having invested around 10 million euros since 2011.
“From the Provincial Government we want to continue leading investment in heritage in Castellón because it defines us, unites us, makes us believe and makes us feel proud”, the president said.
The singularity of the Xivert castle lies in that it is the only Moorish settlement in Castellón outside the Sierra de Espadán and was inhabited until the expulsion of the Moors in 1609, since when, in spite of the several attempts to repopulate it, the place has remained abandoned.
