ARCHIVED - New Cueva Victoria visitors centre in Cartagena a step closer to reality

Cartagena's Department of Archaeological Heritage has awarded the project to create a visitor centre at the archaeological site of Cueva Victoria

The museumisation of the Cueva Victoria archaeological site in Cartagena and the creation of a visitors' centre has taken a step close to becoming a reality after the city council's Department of Archaeological Heritage awarded the contract to open up the "unique and valuable mining cavern" to the public.

A detailed proposal must now be drawn up before the end of the year to include a reception area, ticket office, waiting and exhibition rooms, storage and toilets.

"It's important to remember that the architectural proposal must take into account the landscape in the heart of the Sierra Minera, a short distance from the Monastery of San Ginés, the hermitages of Monte Miral and the salt lake," explained Deputy Mayor Ana Belén Castejón.

The main attractions of the Victoria Cave are its large and wide route, along which visitors can learn more about outcrops of iron and manganese, which were exploited from 1878 to 1952; and the presence of barium sulphate which typically occur as colourless prismatic crystals or thin white flakes.

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But, some of the most impressive features are the palaeontological formations that confirm the cave was used as a den by hyenas around one million years ago, as well as other species that frequented it. One of these, the Homo Neanderthalensis, has been well documented, and the remains of a phalanx is on display in the Municipal Archaeological Museum.

"The objective of the contract is the recovery of a series of structures next to the entrance to the cave and which are related to the mining exploitation of the site, in order to provide the centre with a series of facilities that are essential for the proper functioning of this cultural, geological and tourist resource," explained Cartagena City Council.

The architect in charge of drafting the project, Pedro García Martínez, professor at the School of Architecture of the Polytechnic University of Cartagena (UPCT), now has until the end of the year to draw up all of the technical specifications, chart the development of the works, and carry out a Health and Safety and a Waste Management study to ensure the initiative gets full approval following an investment of almost 16,000 euros.

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Image: Ayuntamiento de Cartagena