Oyambre Natural Park

Comillas, San Vicente de la Barquera, Udías, Valdáliga y Val de San Vicente, Cantabria, Cantabria.

Dating of the building: 1988.

Applicant: Oyambre Natural Park Association.

Reason for the award :

To defend the ecological wealth in an area where the sea, beaches, estuaries, marshes, slopes, rivers, streams, and forests interact.

The Europa Nostra medal confirms the importance of the declaration of Oyambre, a place with an unusual variety of landscapes on the Cantabrian coast, as a Natural Park.

The territory located amidst the villages of Oyambre, Comillas and San Vicente de la Barquera offers a vast diversity of landscapes going from rural areas, sites and monuments to stunning beaches, cliffs, estuaries, marshes, sand dunes and masses of trees. Since 1975 this magnificent natural setting has been threatened by property development. The College of Architects intervened to stop property development which had been threatening the park since 1975. They requested a report evaluating its natural importance and possible environmental impact. After intense public campaigns, the Regional Assembly of Cantabria unanimously declared the area a Natural Park.

Others awards in Cantabria: