No 995 Monday 30th October - Sunday 5th November 2023
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TORREVIEJA’S HISTORIC ‘EL TURBIO’ DOCK UNEARTHED
SEE PAGE 5
After just two days of surveys by archaeologists from the Arpa Patrimony company, the profile of the historic Turbio, or Mínguez dock in Torrevieja, has been unearthed, clearly exposing the ashlars, large square-cut stones, of the town’s 19th century mooring, the centre of the commercial seafaring and fishing activity in Torrevieja, before the city was able to build its own port. Expert archaeologists now have the mission of working on the ground and documenting the remains, after which the Torrevieja Council must then decide what to do with them. For decades - now it is seen more clearly than ever - the protected area in the catalogue of protected assets of the General Plan, has been buried under tarmac, and occupied by the private parking lot of the sports marina, where the fencing of the area concessioned to the Paseo del Mar project is located, just a few centimetres from the eastern cliff, which has now been discovered by the excavating machines. The pier has about a century & a half of history. The archaeological excavation was a recent municipal initiative, because the area located around the docking area of the Tabarca tourist boats, is part of the section to be redeveloped by the Council as part of it’s new leisure area. Beyond its desire for the preservation of its legacy, the council is complying with the legislation on the preservation of cultural heritage, although what it will do with the remains - in this case it is a complete structure – will be the subject of future discussions. At the time of the original construction Torrevieja was just salt and sea and with the arrival of the 19th century, the construction of the port was perhaps its most pressing need, since the population was experiencing a constant growth of the merchant and fishing fleet.
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