Hornillo jetty in Aguilas welcomes it first visitors in 50 years!

The Mayoress of Águilas was among the first to visit after a recent restoration project

The iconic railway loading jetty of the Embarcadero del Hornillo received its first visitors for many years on Saturday, and given the restoration effort which made this possible it was no surprise to see local dignitaries among the first to see what is at the same time the newest and one of the oldest tourist attractions in Águilas!

Among them was Mayoress Mari Carmen Moreno, and the Councillor for Culture, Maido Simó, accompanied by some of the specialists who have been working on the first stage of the restoration project. As a result of their efforts it is now possible to walk on the jetty for the first time since 1973, with guided visits scheduled during June between 11.00 and 13.00 and during July and August from 19.00 to 21.00.

Registration for these free visits is currently through the Águilas tourist office only but an online facility is soon to be added.

The jetty was built under the supervision of engineer Gustavo Gillman in 1903 and is considered to be one of the two most important of its kind still standing in Spain, and the first phase of its restoration has cost a million euros (75 per cent of which came from national government funds and the rest from the Town Hall). The local council is now applying for a further 3 million euros of funding to restore historic buildings in the municipality, and part of this would go towards completing the rehabilitation of the Embarcadero de Hornillo.

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