ARCHIVED - 7.7-million-euro rehabilitation of the Eras de la Sal venue in Torrevieja to go ahead

The project plans to completely restore the historic salt facility, home to the annual Habaneras festival

The ambitious plan to rehabilitate the historic complex of Eras de la Sal in Torrevieja was presented on Tuesday morning and the project will be co-financed by the Town Hall, the Alicante provincial authorities and the Valencia government with a total investment of around 7.7 million euros.

The Era de la Sal is an old facility built at the end of the eighteenth century where salt used to be load loaded onto barges to transport it to ships anchored in the bay of Torrevieja, but it later fell into disuse due to technological advances. In 1958, the Poniente jetty and the Muelle de la Sal were built in the port of Torrevieja and, in consequence, the salt shipments ceased in the Era de la Sal, ending the 190-year-old tradition of transporting salt by barge in Torrevieja.

In 1997 the site was restored and reconstructed by the Town Hall of Torrevieja, focusing on the loading trestle and the hopper used to pour the salt on to the barges. Currently, the Era de la Sal, known as the Monumental Complex of the Eras de la Sal, is used for different types of events, including the annual Torrevieja International Habaneras and Polyphony Contest.

The rehabilitation plan set in motion this week includes the connection of the Paseo Vista Alegre with the Paseo Maestro Velero, the restoration of the old Compañía Salinera office building, the connection of the wooden structure known as the Caballete de las Eras de la Sal with the Avenida Faleria and the creation of a museum (Museo del Mar y de la Sal) and a multipurpose room.

The Mayor of Torrevieja, Eduardo Dolón, has expressed his and the local government’s intention to complete the restoration project before the end of the current mandate in 2023 and he has thanked the Alicante and Valencia government for their support, as well as the project coordinator, Vicente Esteban Chapapría. In Sr Dolón’s opinion this is one of the most important and emblematic plans carried out in recent times, as it highlights Torrevieja’s rich history.

The president of the provincial government delegation also expresses his support for the project, stating that the historical complex of the Era de la Sal symbolizes all of the most important elements of Torrevieja’s history: sea, salt and fishing.