Castle of Matrera

Castle of Matrera
Native name
Spanish: Castillo de Matrera

The renovated Castle of Matrera
Location Villamartín, Spain
Coordinates 36°48′26″N 5°33′56″W / 36.807256°N 5.565622°W / 36.807256; -5.565622Coordinates: 36°48′26″N 5°33′56″W / 36.807256°N 5.565622°W / 36.807256; -5.565622
Built 9th century
Official name: Castillo de Matrera
Type Non-movable
Criteria Monument
Designated 1985
Reference no. (R.I.) – 51 – 0008200 – 00000
Location of Castle of Matrera in Spain

Castle of Matrera (Spanish: Castillo de Matrera/Torre Matrera) is a medieval castle at Villamartín in Spain dating back to 9th century. It was declared a national monument in 1949[1] and an example of Bien de Interés Cultural ("Heritage of Cultural Interest") in 1985.[2] The structure underwent a controversial restoration in 2015.

Renovation

By 2010, only a few walls of the castle remained standing,[3] and the ruins were further damaged by rain in 2013.[4] A restoration project was launched in 2010, led by the architect Carlos Quevado, and completed in 2015. Parts of the tower were rebuilt with lime plaster similar to samples found on the site,[3] with large, plain blocks defining the original shape of the castle. Quevado described his aim as being not only to protect the ruin, but to "recover the volume, texture and tonality that the tower would originally have had", and to differentiate new additions from the original structure.[5]

The renovation received negative reactions from some locals, with Spain's cultural heritage organization Hispania nostra calling the project "absolutely terrible".[4][6] It was praised by the architectural community, and was nominated for the 2016 Architizer A+ Award, in the Architecture Preservation category, winning the public choice vote.[3][7] The Guardian described the design as neo-brutalist, and praised it for restoring "the clout its Moorish creators originally intended".[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ García, Juan. "Castillos de España en CastillosNet".
  2. ↑ País, Ediciones El (16 April 2013). "La última bóveda del castillo medieval de Villamartín se derrumba".
  3. 1 2 3 "Carquero Arquitectura restores ancient Matrera Castle". 3 October 2016.
  4. 1 2 Jones, Sam. "'What the hell have they done?' Spanish castle restoration mocked". www.theguardian.com. Guardian. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  5. 1 2 Wainwright, Oliver (10 March 2016). "Spain's concrete castle: a case of accidental genius?". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  6. ↑ Krishna, Rachael. "This Is A Perfect Example of How Not To Restore An Old Castle". buzzfeed.com. Buzzfeed. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  7. ↑ "2016 Winners – Architizer A+ Awards".
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