Under the heading Guardians of Stone. Castles of Alicante'. on MARQ has presented the valuable legacy of fortifications that the province of Alicante treasures. This new exhibition was created with the a vocation for itinerancy all the counties and, to this end, it has an outstanding technological support which facilitates the accessibility people with disabilities.
The Second Vice-President and Member of Parliament for Culture and Education, César Augusto Asencioinaugurated the exhibition together with the director of the Archaeological Museum, Manuel Olcina, and its commissioner, José Luis Menéndez. All of them agreed on the attractive and impressive presentation, presided by a model of the province where they appear fifteen fortifications scale models made with a 3D printer and illuminated.
The exhibition, which will run until 21 Februaryaims to disseminate and bring the public closer to the history, remains, characteristics and, in short, everything that encompasses the rich heritage that make up the province's castles, through 84 of the 250 registered fortifications. In this respect, the deputy for Culture explained that "the project was a difficult challenge to solve, having to transfer a material reality of these characteristics to museum rooms, but the technicians have done a great job and the result is an exhibition with exceptional levels of quality and design.".
The exhibition is structured as follows five routes which roughly coincide with the delimitations of the large counties of the province: the Vega Bajathe Vinalopó Valley, L'Alacantí, L'Alcoià-El Comtat and Las Marinas de Alicante. Thus, there are as many display crates - easily transportable for the itinerary - that offer shocking images and all the necessary information on historical context or relevant people linked to each territory. The set is complemented by the audiovisual Almiserata production made by the department of Image and Promotion of the Area of Good Governance of the Diputación de Alicante with spectacular aerial views of the castles.
On the other hand, it is worth mentioning that the museum has made a significant effort to generate a greater accessibility and the use of the visit to people with disabilities. Thus, the MARQ is once again putting QR codes available to usersThe aim of the project is to provide access to the virtual portal and expand the data and characteristics of each route.
The five castle routes
The first route focuses on the territory of the Vega Baja and makes reference to the Tudmir Castles which groups together the large fortifications of the region, headed by the Orihuela Castle. The Inner Border Castles is the second proposal that covers the Vinalopó Valley, one of the great frontiers that divided our territory in medieval times and that has left us an extraordinary legacy formed by some of the most spectacular fortifications in the province, such as the fortifications at Villena, Sax o Biar.
Already in the area of L'Alacantí, we can find the Clau del Regne CastlesThe first route, with the city of Alicante as a strategic centre from the 14th century onwards, was intended not only to defend the urban enclaves, but also the properties in the huerta (market gardens). The fourth route corresponds to the Mountain Castles with simple constructions in crenellated enclaves or defence towers, such as Almudaina or the Tower of Les Maçanes.
Lastly, 'Guardians of Stone' shows the Castles on the Frontier of FearItinerary covering the fortifications of the northern coast of the province, so called because of its special orography and besieged by corsairsThe city was built in front of which an imperfect wall was constructed, full of watchtowers and urban ramparts.
