Linking Cultural and Postindustrial Heritage with Potential Economic Activities—A Proposal to Revitalize a Demographically Degraded Area in Spain

Abstract

Mining and quarrying were important economic activities in Europe in past centuries, but during the 20th century, raw materials became vital to societal development. Mining has been subject to fluctuations related to wars, economic crises, and advances in environmental rights. A series of events led some European countries, such as Spain, to assume a leading position in the market for certain raw materials, such as tungsten. However, most of Europe’s mines have been abandoned. This paper considers several postindustrial heritage sites that can used to illustrate how metal and stone were extracted in past centuries. Such sites have become a tourist attraction in the context of heritage in some countries. This area in western Spain, which contains ancestral quarries that helped build the architectural heritage of UNESCO World Heritage Cities and artisanal mines that contributed to building the economy of an extremely poor population, has a story to tell. All these mines and quarries can be used to explain the cultural heritage of the area as part of a postindustrial heritage landscape.

Keywords

• cultural heritage
• postindustrial heritage
• heritage landscape
• Salamanca
• silver route
• circular economy