info@argus-project.eu
Pilot site #2: Cellar town of Baltanás
Country:
Spain
Type of heritage:
Cultural Heritage
Owners of the site:
Private Owners of the wineries, surroundings owned by the City Hall
Managers of the site
Asociación Cultural de Barrio de Bodegas de Baltanás, Municipality of Baltanás
Coordinator for the ARGUS project:
CSIC
Coordinates:
4º15´41º56´
Description
The site is composed of 374 cellars structured in 6 superposed levels excavated in the ground, constituting the largest underground cellar complex in Spain. The cellars are spaces excavated under the clay soil where wines are traditionally made and preserved. The soil conditions guarantee stable humidity and temperature conditions throughout the year that are appropriate for winemaking
Threats of the Baltanás site
The cellar town of Baltanás is a rural remote site suffering from the significant depopulation phenomena common in many Mediterranean countries, with a significant risk of abandonment and loss of this important vernacular heritage. Site investigations show that progressive abandonment and poor interventions at the site already resulted in partial collapses or landslides. High humidity levels, measured close to 100%, evidencing lack of ventilation.
Main objectives to be reached with the ARGUS interventions
- To draw up an action plan based on a fused multi-scale monitoring and assessment of risks of deterioration based primarily on pure ventilation, high humidity, and landslides;
- to establish strategies of reducing the erosion processes and the associated risks, as well as to prevent collapsing of structures.