Castillo del Mar
The Castillo del Mar is a former banana loading station and today's art and cultural center in Vallehermoso in the north of the Canary island of La Gomera .
Location and surroundings
In the north of La Gomera, on the beach of Vallehermoso, the Castillo del Mar stands in front of a rocky backdrop on a cliff in the middle of the Atlantic. It is washed around by the Atlantic Ocean all year round. In its immediate vicinity are the Los Organos rocks , which can only be reached and viewed from the water.
history
History as a banana loading station
The Castillo del Mar used to be known under the names Empaquetadora de plátanos , Pescante or Castillo .
Since 1890, all goods on the island, mainly bananas, have been packed via the Castillo del Mar and then loaded onto the steamboats via the »Pescante«, a wooden structure that led over three basalt columns. At the time, the Castillo was the most important trading point and Vallehermoso the mercantile center of the island. The first motor vehicle was unloaded here in 1910. The office was enthroned at the top of the cliff and watched over the trading activities.
The Castillo del Mar had cannons to protect the trading post from pirates. The packaging department was located on the lower floor of the building. The bananas were washed, weighed and measured in order to then be loaded according to size and quality.
In 1950 the trade via El Castillo was stopped and the place was forgotten. The old coastal road was quickly buried by rubble and rocks, making it impassable.
History as a center of art and culture
In 1981 the photographer Thomas K. Müller acquired the port facility from Don Eugenio Garcia Perez, but since access to the Castillo del Mar was only possible by sea, first attempts at renovation failed. Only when the coastal road was renewed in the course of the revitalization projects for the north of La Gomera was the land-side road to the Castillo del Mar free again in February 2001.
So only 20 years after the purchase of the Castillo del Mar, on May 1, 2001, did the first construction phase begin. Stonemasons specializing in dry stone walls first reconstructed the main entrance with the associated staircase and rebuilt it stone by stone. Then all the natural stone walls that were built as protective walls against both the sea and pirates were restored. With the completion of the shell, the prerequisites for further expansion were created.
A stage and two event rooms of different sizes were integrated into the newly built Castillo del Mar. A year-round exhibition in one of these rooms documents the history and the reconstruction through photographs and videos.
The Castillo del Mar has been closed for several years due to financial problems and the refusal of the authorities to supply the building with electricity.
Importance of the Castillo del Mar
When Franco came to power , many Gomeros emigrated illegally to South America. The Castillo del Mar was often the gateway to the New World, as it served as the last starting point for the Gomeros' journey to South America. In special screenings of the film Guarapo , which takes up the issue of the emigration of the Gomerian population, that time is still remembered today.
Web links
Coordinates: 28 ° 12 ′ N , 17 ° 15 ′ W