Archaeological parks

The Diputación Provincial, through the MARQ and the Architecture Areais responsible for the management, custody, conservation and public access to the Alicante archaeological sites of La Illeta dels Banyets (El Campello), Tossal de Manises/...Lucentum (Alicante) and the Pla de Petracos (Castell de Castells).

Although legally they are not archaeological parksIn this way, there is no doubt that the concept of their enhancement, whose objective is to protect and present these sites, of recognised monumental, scientific, historical and educational interest, by integrating them into their environment, making them accessible and comprehensible to the visitor, responds to this figure. All the interventions carried out are governed by the need to guarantee a balance between scientific requirements (archaeological and architectural restoration)and didactic functionalityThe basic principles of architectural restoration have therefore been followed: the reversibility of the action, continuity of form and minimum intervention.

Today, "archaeological parks" continue to be the subject of new archaeological research and subsequent museumisation of excavated areas. The MARQ offers visitors the opportunity to architectural remains consolidated and musealised, accompanied by itineraries accessible visitors, rest or recreation areas landscaped and information through audiovisuals and explanatory panels with texts - in various languages and in braille- and illustrations and QR codes that provide access to complementary content. In addition, MARQ organises activities, guided tours, dramatised visits y historical re-enactment events that help to ensure that these archaeological parks continue to emerge as proven heritage assets. tourist-cultural value for the province of Alicante.

LA ILLETA DELS BANYETS

The Provincial Council holds the ownership of the archaeological site of La Illeta dels Banyetsby committing itself to its management, custody and conservation. Linked to the museum's research work from its earliest days, its strategic position on the stretch of coastline stretching from the Serra Gelada to Cape Huertas made the archaeological site the ideal place for monitoring maritime traffic and controlling trade routes and marine resources. For this reason, many cultures have occupied it discontinuously, from Neolithic to Roman timesand the remains preserved in its subsoil constitute a fabulous heritage., The site is essential to increase knowledge about each of the peoples who settled there.

All this wealth of heritage has led to the fact that in 1978 the site was declared Historic-Artistic and Archaeological SiteSince then, it has enjoyed the highest degree of protection provided for in Spanish and regional legislation, and is currently classified as a B.I.C. The Diputación de Alicanteacquired in 1999 in order to ensure the protection of the architectural structures exhumed at various times in the 20th century. Initiated in 2000the recovery works and museumisation of the remains exhumed in the 6,000 m² of the upper plateau of the site, made it possible to offer the first guided tours as early as 2004culminating in 2006 the process of making available to society this open-air museum installation dependent on the MARQ. The Cultural Asset, until then seriously threatened, has since benefited from a process of recovery, consolidation and conservation of its remains and, at the same time, it is emerging as an important cultural asset. new space for cultural dynamisationIn parallel, the research and is published in a number of monographs and articles in the field and in the disclosure dissemination.

More information about the Illeta dels Banyets park and the actions carried out on it, in this link

TOSSAL DE MANISES/YWAM

The archaeological site of the Tossal de Manises is state ownershipalthough it is well advanced in the free transfer process in favour of the Provincial Council which started in 2013 to take on, on a permanent basis, the management, custody and preservation of the Archaeological Park, some of the tasks which it already carries out through MARQ and the Architecture Area..

The Tossal de Manises is one of the most important archaeological sites in the Valencian Community. The site of a fortification erected in the framework of the Second Punic Warwhich pitted Carthage against Rome on Hispanic soil, and of the Roman city of LucentumIt is one of the few Roman cities that are well known, as there are no later constructions that affect it. It is located at the top of an elevation (tossal) by the sea, which reaches a height of 38 metres, 3.5 km from the centre of the modern city, in the district of La Albufereta. At present, the entire urban area (around 25,000 m²) has been preserved intact, enclosed by a wall whose perimeter measures approximately 600 metres. Following the abandonment and deterioration of the original Roman city, centuries later, in an area of the site, a maqbara or Islamic cemetery.

From the first excavations, carried out at the end of the 18th century by Antonio Valcárcel, Count of Lumiares, it was some time before, in the years prior to the Civil War, thanks to the support of the Provincial Monuments Commission, J. Lafuente Vidal and F. Figueras Pacheco were able to carry out new excavations. In the sixties of the 20th century, the urban greed threatened the site, but its designation as a Historic-Artistic Monument in 1961 by the Ministry of Culture opened a process that ended in the expropriation of the area now preserved from private owners. Once the danger of destruction had been removed, hardly any action was taken until the year 1994when the Museum and the Department of Architecture of the Provincial Council promote a joint strategy of actions for its recovery, research and enhancement, which would culminate in its opening to the public in 1998The open-air archaeological site has been converted into a exceptional opportunity for the visitor to get to know, not only an important stage in the history of the city of Alicante, but also an exceptionally preserved space that reflects, through the superimposition of settlements, the strategies of occupation and urban development in Antiquity. A ideal space for the historical recreation and an unparalleled framework for the development of other cultural initiatives.

More information about the Tossal de Manises park and the actions carried out on it, in this link

PLA DE PETRACOS

The Pla de Petracos contains One of the main sites with cave art in the Valencian Community. Easily accessible, its visit allows you to enjoy a natural environment and at the same time to get close to artistic works from the beginning of the Neolithic period. Discovered in 1980work begins in the sanctuary itself in 1997and in 1998 benefits from the maximum legal protection that comes from being part of the Rock Art of the Mediterranean Arcrecognised that year by theUNESCO as World Heritage. Visit 2001 y 2003 the intervention for the protection and dissemination of the contents of Macro-schematic Art and Levantine Art of the Pla de Petracos complex is completed by means of the improvement of fencing, signage and access.

In addition, thanks to the agreements signed between the Provincial Council and the Castell de Castells Town Councilhas been set up, a exhibition space in an old house that belonged to a prominent family of the town. The upper area houses the Rock Art HallIt is conceived as an interpretation centre of the Sanctuary, where the cultural context and the landscape of the first farmers of our lands are dealt with. But the centre also offers the visitor a Ethnographic Collection The visitor is able to get in touch with the traditional life of the Alicante mountains and the history of the town by means of a variety of objects donated by the locals themselves. A patrimonial ensemble which is added to the offer in order to enhance the inland tourism in this municipality of the province.