Restoration and fine tuning
1.- Read the Castle. Analysis of the preserved remains
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The Castle, as it has come down to us is the result of a process that extended several centuries.
Each new occupant was based on what they find and perform the work necessary of to form and expand according to fit their needs, and did it by following the construction techniques and tastes of the time.
The intervention now we face it is, finally, a chapter of that history.
It is intended, in addition to an intervention that is faithful to the castle, which does not pose uses, routes or distributions that were contrary to those who had in his day.
The first step consisted in a careful reading of the preserved remains, looking for the largest possible amount of information about voids, decks, floors, beams, etc.
2.- The castles had roofs. Recovery of volumes and decks
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The idea of a castle with decks may seem surprising at first. This is, without doubt, because we assimilate these constructions to the romanesque visions of the ruins.
The truth, however, is that there are numerous examples of castles with roofs scattered to the north of the Peninsula (Galicia, Castilla y Leon, País Vasco ...), exactly where it rains. And the castle of Ponferrada was not an exception.
We know from historical documents that the castle had decks and they were not just in buildings but in the towers too.
If we had know the castle without the desk is precisely, for its state of ruin. His recovery is now one of the most important and certainly most striking aspect of this project.
3.-The castle that we'll see. Interior image and materials
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The historical documents provide us with valuable data of the original architecture of the castle and the materials used, which allows us to avoid decisions that might "betray" the original building or to make the castle a foreign element in the environment.
The new interior image of the castle will be marked, in this sense, for two main elements that are closely linked to the architecture of El Bierzo:
- The recovery of the galleries of wood, both in access as in the form of viewpoints.
- The election of the slate for the desks because, although there is evidence that the originals were of tile, it is considered a priority to prevent the new image of the castle contrast with its surroundings, the Old Town, where the slate roofs are virtually unique.
4.- The castle, once again enabled. Distribution and use of plants.
The project's ultimate aim is to return the castle to support life again with cultural, educational and leisure activities:
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Palatial area: Research activities in the library and documentation center; cultural activities in the museum and conference hall; institutional activities of the city in the reception room and spaces for leisure in the restaurant.
Torres (Malvecino, Moclín, Malpica y Cabrera): With the most modern audiovisual media, schools will perform educational visits; the visitor will tour the castle's past and present; he will know the customs and the defensive systems of the Middle Ages.
Inside the fortress: the archaeological sites are maintained for study in fields of work.
