Victory of the defenders of the unknown medieval castle of La Torrassa

The day dawns rainy and extremely gray, but that is not reason enough for any of those summoned – most of them not exactly young – to miss the expected appointment. They are excited to repeat the photograph taken two and a half years ago in the same place. At that time, at the end of April 2019, it was an image taken to claim a goal: that the City Council of L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, his, rehabilitate his beloved castle. This Thursday, instead, was to celebrate a fought victory: the works to ensure the future of the castle -that it does not fall- have already begun. And there is a budget and a plan to fully rehabilitate it.

Although this time they are wearing a mask, the veteran Rafael Algarra, born in the house behind which the Bellvís Castle, is unmistakable. He and his magnetic stories, which the rest of the neighbors listen to with great interest. All the members of the Defensem el Castell de Bellvís platform are great lovers of history and at the end of the day the history of Rafael It is the history of L’Hospitalet; his story.

If something characterizes this heterogeneous group of neighbors celebrating today, it is independence – they owe nothing to anyone – and the awareness that their struggle to to vindicate and conserve the patrimony of La Torrassa it goes much further than stone and the important thing is to value, collect and preserve all that intangible heritage. «That is one of the lines of work of the L’Hospitalet Study Center», He says Ramón Carbó, a member of the Center and a member of the combative platform that was born to save this medieval castle from ruin, but that fights for all of what is known as Cornissa de La Torrassa: of beauty Jordà Bridge, in front of the subway station, the huge transformer building that was part of La Canadiense, right next to the castle, which they also claim for the (dense) neighborhood.

Always alert

Maria Fañanàs It is another one that was in the first photograph and continues, well, it continues, in the second. The works have begun, yes, but she remains at the foot of the canyon. Life – and neighborhood activism – has taught him that you have to be on top of things for things to happen. And be done well.

The Bellvís Castle, considered cultural asset of national interest, was found in 2008 after The Tower House, where Rafael was born. That, among many other things, is what explains Manuel Trullols -another passionate member of the platform of those in the first photo- to all curious who, walking through the round of La Torrassa He stands in front of the construction as well as the children who come there to learn the history of the neighborhood. «In these years we have done a lot of political pressure work so that they will not let the castle fall, but what we have done the most has been the dissemination of its history. That the neighbors know the history of the castle so that they make it their own “, highlights the man.

Along these lines, on November 28, the residents celebrated a great medieval street party in which they presented the auca del Bellvís Castle, carried out by the hyperactive neighbors and they shared with the neighborhood their struggles and their history (in one of the talks of the day the mythical strike of The Canadian). And, next Saturday, December 11 – they do not stop – they organize another day on how to preserve heritage through the narrative in which they will present the project inspired by the place ‘The castle at the end of the road’, by filmmaker Sergi Páez.

The claimed action that has just begun has been entrusted to the same company that carries out projects such as that of the archaeological site of Born. The forecast is that the first intervention – the essential one to consolidate the building – that has already started will last two months. The calendar also foresees that the archaeological intervention begins at the end of 2022, and the architectural restoration, at the end of 2023.

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The Councilor for Culture of the City Council of L’Hospitalet, David Quirós, explains that the castle will house an interpretation center of medieval times in the city and the territory – “the delimitation of the municipalities was not the same at that time”, he points out – and a huge garden with an important viewpoint in which to make “small cultural activities for the neighborhood ». «It is a small space. What we want is for it to be something very educational, turn to technology so that students can imagine what the castle was like when it was built, when you could see the sea from there, ”says the mayor.

The works will cost 1,700,000 euros. The Spanish Government will allocate 850,000 euros and the council will contribute the same amount.

Reference-www.elperiodico.com

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