Santa Cruz de La Palma was selected by the Jury because of the proposal behind which included a series of actions aimed at improving the surroundings of the Plaza de San Fernando, the former northern gateway to the city and the Castle of Santa Cruz del Barrio del Cabo, as well as its connection with the northern part of the main axis of the capital city of La Palma: the Alameda, an area of great symbolic importance to the entire island. This proposal is brought forward at a time when the Island Council has given approval to a project which is to cover the end part of the Barranco de las Nieves. This will allow to take advantage of the new platform, created as a new public space, reintegrating within the central nucleus of the city those spaces located at the north end of it. The ultimate aim is to retrieve the historic nature of the former northern access to the urban fabric, reorganizing the public spaces of the area, conveying a new image via a new façade to the built elements located at the north end of this area, and lastly, to give way to creating a new centre of attraction with the construction of a new museum space.
Santa Cruz de La Palma, capital city of the island of La Palma, is located on the western end of the Canary Islands and has a population of about 16.000 inhabitants. Over time, it has become one of the most unique urban settlements in the Canaries. In 1975 it was declared Historic and Artistic Site. Today it has the title of Good of Cultural Interest under the category of Historic Site according to the current legislation.
It is located in the middle of a wide bay surrounded by steep ridges, which even if on the one hand they have impeded its expansion, on the other hand, they have also given its streets and squares a very picturesque character. The center sits on a narrow coastal stretch, with a topography characterized by its flat and shallow waters created by the alluvial soils from large ravines and other smaller-sized ones of the area, and also in its watersheds, on top of a higher and more abrupt terrain with cliff sides ascending inland.
The capital city treasures a notable past, with many landmarks which transcend the island’s boundaries and a valuable intangible tradition which manifests via its calendar full of festivities where one must highlight the following: the Holy Week, declared a Festivity of Tourist Interest in the Canaries and the Bajada de Nuestra Señora de las Nieves, which takes place every five years, and is considered a Festivity of National Tourist Interest. It has been awarded with the International Prize by the International Centre for the Conservation of Heritage and the Golden Medal of the Canary Islands.
Santa Cruz de La Palma was selected by the Jury because of the proposal behind which included a series of actions aimed at improving the surroundings of the Plaza de San Fernando, the former northern gateway to the city and the Castle of Santa Cruz del Barrio del Cabo, as well as its connection with the northern part of the main axis of the capital city of La Palma: the Alameda, an area of great symbolic importance to the entire island. This proposal is brought forward at a time when the Island Council has given approval to a project which is to cover the end part of the Barranco de las Nieves. This will allow to take advantage of the new platform, created as a new public space, reintegrating within the central nucleus of the city those spaces located at the north end of it. The ultimate aim is to retrieve the historic nature of the former northern access to the urban fabric, reorganizing the public spaces of the area, conveying a new image via a new façade to the built elements located at the north end of this area, and lastly, to give way to creating a new centre of attraction with the construction of a new museum space.
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