Heritage overhaul for Denia
Changes for castle and archaeological museum
THE FIRST phase of the renovation, adaptation and reform programme for Denia’s museums in order to bring them into line with new regional regulations has been presented by mayor, Vicent Grimalt councillor for culture, Raúl García de la Reina and the head of the town’s archaeology department, Massu Sentí.
The regional department of culture had warned the council that the current facilities were not up to scratch, and the museums had to be fully accessible to the public and include ramps and lifts for people with mobility problems, signs in braille and audio guides, as well as incorporating information in more European languages, reinforcing safety measures for visitors (evacuation protocols) and security measures for pieces on display.
The improvements will take place gradually over a five-year period, they noted.
Mayor Grimalt highlighted the importance for a town like Denia, to not only receive sun and beach tourism but to also showcase its history, not only to tourists but also to its citizens, noting: "It’s sad not to know one’s history."
Sra Senti stressed there was an urgent need for a heritage database in order to catalogue the thousands of items that are currently stored in warehouses which have reached their capacity. The idea is that the archaeological
department will have a web page in the future, which is accessible to the public.
Before cataloguing the items, an inventory of the pieces will take place and the relevant restoration work will be undertaken.
Councillor García de la Reina underlined ‘Denia's debt with its legacy’, referring to the poor state of the museum facilities in relation to the large amount of historical objects found in the municipality. Both the councillor and the mayor wanted to congratulate the museum staff and the municipal archaeologist for all the work they have done so far.
Relocation of archaeological museum
The first action from the plan will be the transfer of the permanent collection of the archaeological museum, located in Denia castle, to the 19th
century ‘Casa de Cavallers’ due to the lack of space. The pieces will be exhibited temporarily on the first floor of the building.
The definitive distribution of the collection will be decided at a later date, according to Sr García de la Reina.
Pieces currently in storage will also be exhibited on the first floor.
This first installation will have five different areas: an audio-visual projection area, an Iberian area, two Roman areas, an Moorish area, and a medieval Christian area.
The museum project for Cavallers has a budget of €151,249, which will come from the European Next Generation fund.
In the space vacated at the castle, the idea is to install a historical interpretation centre to highlight the port of Denia as a fundamental enclave in the trade and maritime transit of the different periods, as well as in the historical development of the municipality.
The exhibition aims to carry out a didactic and informative task, showing the urban, social and cultural evolution of Denia and ‘giving special importance to historic milestones’ such as the granting of the title of the town by Philip III or the War of the Spanish Succession.
According to data provided by Sra Sentí, only 27% of the users who currently access the castle visit the archaeological museum’s exhibition, which is partly due to its reduced opening hours, but this, she believes, is also due to the deficiency in terms of signage and available information.
This project has a budget of €135,750, also financed by Next Generation funds.