Libro Fortin Ingles 12.03.11
29/3/11
17:07
Página 49
Restoration of the San Bartolomé Fort for use as the Interpretation Centre for the Pamplona Fortifications
Since 2005 Pamplona Town Council has been fostering an ambitious Conservation and Promotion Plan for its Fortifications, based on three main principles: the conservation and restoration of the walled enclosure, functional improvements to its environment (in terms of housing, staff, public spaces and better mobility and accessibility) and the promotion and revitalisation of the walled enclosure itself to disseminate its historical and architectural value. The renovation of San Bartolomé Fort as the Interpretation Centre for the Pamplona Fortifications has made it possible to work on these three principles in the same part of the monument, while also making it both meeting place and departure point for a tour of walled Pamplona. At the end of 2009 the fort was in a state of abandonment, overrun by vegetation. Its afflictions were many, though not serious, suggesting the need for immediate action. The criterion applied to its restoration has been that of complete respect for the monument, striving to maintain the historic interpretation of the fort’s evolution, as reflected in its bonding, materials and different modes of construction. The cleaning of its faces has not been deep, it has been done carefully using brushes and water, getting rid of accumulated dirt but allowing for the patina of age bestowed on the building by oxidation of its stones to be preserved. There has not been widespread substitution of materials, with only those elements that had lost their usefulness being replaced, such as a partially-
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