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FCG Internatcional Restoration and conservation Award 2009: THE TOWN COUNCIL

OF VILLA REAL DE NAVALCARNERO

“In recognition of the exemplary work of a small locality that has opted for a more humane city project and with better prospects for progress and development, making it compatible with modernity while maintaining its local identity. They have undertaken an integral restoration project, applied in a consistent and rigorous way, which has received numerous awards nationally and internationally. The jury also wanted to pay tribute to an aspect of restoration work so far not represented in the awards, which is the restoration of buildings as cultural symbols within urban municipalities.”

According to the Jury that met in Valladolid, Spain (July 6^th, 2009), chaired by: Dr. Salvador Andrés Ordax; Professor of the History of Art at the University of Valladolid, and made up by the Following menbers: Mr. Javier Aguado Sobrino, Managing Director of the Banco Santander Foundation; Mr. Vidal Arranz Martín, Editor of El Mundo de Castilla y León Newspaper; Mr. José Miguel Rueda Muñoz de S. Pedro, Architect; Mr. Ubaldo Sedano Espín, Restoration Manager at the Thyssen Museum; Mr. Enrique Ybarra e Ybarra, President of the Vocento Foundation.

VILLA REAL DE NAVALCARNERO, History

In 1999, the 5^th Centenary of the establishment of Navalcarnero was celebrated along with the 350^th Anniversary of the royal wedding of Felipe IV and Mariana of Austria, a ceremony which had been held in the town. It was an appropriate time to cast a glance back at the past, to contemplate the present and think about the future, always uncertain, that was facing this relatively small town located just 30 km from Madrid.

A glance at the past…

In the decade of the sixties of the 20^th Century, the tide of development from the capital had stopped at the gates of Navalcarnero for different reasons. At the time it was still a traditional agricultural village made up of people rooted in Castilian lands, hardened by the historical circumstances and their own peculiar idiosyncrasy.

The 5^th Centenary celebrations also served to dust off the old roles of history, the cornerstone of the community’s identity. The opportunity was taken to weave a coherent local history set in a united regional context, jointly influenced by the presence of two cities: on the one hand its mother, Segovia, which lit up the village at a time of anxious change, when it languished in the fundamentals of late a medieval society; and on the other hand, its father, the city of Madrid, where the Court was based, and which was seen as a tyrant which embodied the modernity -and miseries- of modern times.

To build the future…

With this background, the newly-born Navalcarnero sprouted from the reconciliation of two unavoidable realities. The interest, on the one hand, to preserve its own identity, forged over five centuries, whose manifestation was the presence of a rich and meaningful heritage; and, secondly, the need to offer its residents all the benefits, services and comforts of modern times.

In recent years, the town has persevered in developing a coherent strategy to maintain the delicate balance between these realities, a balance questioned by several factors. One has been the gradual disappearance of the inhabitants’ traditional lifestyle, the work in the fields; while the other has been the pressure -in all its forms and varieties– from the big city.

Cultural Heritage and Tourism…

The heritage resources of Navalcarnero are located in the historical center of the town, a single and unique area with an endearing Castilian touch which the Town Council has tried to identify, preserve and promote. The first task, the identification, has helped to stem the "invasion" of constructive models different from those in the traditional local architecture and has thus cut off the access of “new” developments to the central area. The extensive and varied regulations dictated by the Council, many of them part of the Special Plan for the Historical Area, have put the urban life of this privileged space in order, thereby preserving its integrity.

The next step was the physical restoration of the most significant monuments, protected by the Declaration of Objects of Cultural Interest. The restoration of the Plaza de Segovia, the Hermitage of the Holy Cross (ermita de la Vera Cruz) and of the Assumption of Our Lady Parish Church (Asunción de Nuestra Señora), were all carried out under strict intervention criteria and have upgraded the historical center’s heritage. They are part of an outstanding model of cultural tourism with a sustainable and balanced approach that offers visitors a live and dynamic space dominated by the identity of its own inhabitants.

Welfare and quality of life…

The new Navalcarnero has borne its inhabitants in mind. The restoration policy of its historical center has been accompanied by actions to improve the quality of life of its citizens. They have thereby avoided some negative consequences of the monument rehabilitation processes: the exodus of the population that had historically lived in the center, due to the lack of modern services and facilities in historical areas, or the lack of social investment caused by the cost of urban land.

In a manner that was consistent with the restoration process, the Council tried to ensure the citizens of Navalcarnero take root in the historical city as the main players of the identity that was being rescued. Limiting urban traffic, creating pedestrian streets, providing them with facilities and offering activities of cultural interest are some of the different ways used to promote citizen participation in the care and preservation of their own town, and thus keeping the spirit that lies at the heart of the village alive.