Various urban works in Olivenza

Olivenza, Badajoz, Extremadura.

Dating of the building: 13th - 17th century.

Applicant: Olivenza Town Hall.

Reason for the award :

For the successful recovery of the Saint Charles Barracks and its conversion into a retirement home.

Olivenza, the most Portuguese of Spanish cities, was the subject of different urban recovery, rehabilitation, and monumental restoration works that restored it to its old splendor.

Olivenza is perhaps the most Portuguese of Spanish cities. Located in Badajoz, a few kilometers from the border of its neighboring country, it passed from Portuguese to Spanish hands several times over the centuries. The last time in 1801, after the victory of Spain under Charles IV in the War of the Oranges. The imprint of its Lusitanian past can be seen in many of its Manueline-style buildings, the so-called Portuguese Flamboyant Gothic, such as the town hall.

The town’s great monumental richness called for diverse works of conservation and restoration undertaken by five teams of Spanish architects. As a result, Spain Square and Portuguese Boulevard were paved, their surrounding areas landscaped and the park of the Boulevard of the Sacred Heart built. In the impressive ruins of the Artillery park of Saint Charles, great efforts were directed to converting the property into a residence for the elderly. Very different was the work of restoration performed in the bastion of the gate of Calvary in the cloister of the convent of Saint John situated in its interior.

Others awards in Extremadura: