Report on the hydraulic heritage of Potries, Valencian Cultural Capital
The “Consell Valencià de Cultura” meets in plenary at Potries, in order to congratulate the neighbors for the appointment of Valencian Cultural Capital of less than 5,000 inhabitants, carried out by the Generalitat Valenciana, and offer our support to promote cultural projects which requires the municipality of Potries.
The “Conselleria de Cultura” highlighted the importance of Potries for the project he has carried out with the motto “Patrimoni viu” for more than a decade, and revolves around the culture and history of water.
BACKGROUND
Ten years ago, the “Consell Valencià de Cultura” had the opportunity to visit the municipality of Potries to know its cultural heritage and to support the initiatives that the City Council carried out.
Two reports emerged from that visit.
The first, approved at the Plenary on January 28, 2008, referred to the various heritage elements and cultural projects that the City Council wanted to carry forward. The CVC informed about the museum plan “Potries, un poble terrisser”, on the project “Tura de l’aigua”, on the “Cassoleria d’Àngel Domínguez”, and on the water partition “Assut d’en Carròs “.
The second of the reports was approved at the Plenary on March 25, 2008. It consisted of the Declaration of “Bien de Interés Cultural Inmaterial del Porrat” of Potries. The CVC advised, in the first instance, that the City Council declare it as “Bien de Relevancia Local”, and subsequently requested to declare it as “Bien de Interés Cultural Inmaterial.”.
CURRENT SITUATION
In 2008, the Potries City Council initiated the actions for the Declarations of “Bienes de Relevancia Local” of the City Hall and the Pottery buildings, as well as the elements of the hydraulic heritage. But these procedures did not conclude. And neither was it declared the “Porrat” as “Bien de Interés Cultural Inmaterial”.
The City Council has rebuilt the actions to approve a partial listing of assets that must be declared of “Bien de Relevancia Local”, some of which are pending approval of the PGOU.
Regarding the “Porrat”, the City Council is in charge of a report that basically reflects the Declaration of “Bien de Relevancia Local” of the doctor in Medieval History Frederic Aparisi, to be able to finish the request of “Bé d’Interés Cultural”.
The City Council has carried out with its effort some essential issues, such as the “Museu Cassoleria d’Àngel Domínguez Cassoleria”, opened from May 2018.
Another of the municipal efforts has focused on the water route and the architecture that is derived from it. Guided routes have been designed, with adapted routes and explanatory panels. In addition, this year the route to the east has been extended, towards the neighboring villages of Rafelcofer, Alqueria and Bellreguard, with the so-called “Sotaia Route.”
The Town Hall also has information activated on educational and informative websites to make known the Potries and Safor heritage.
The City Council’s latest initiative consisted of the days on June 15 and 16 of this year titled “Huertas históricas valencianas en Potries”.
RECOMMENDATIONS
First of all, we want to emphasize the great interest that the hydraulic architecture has for the CVC, which has produced several reports on specific enclaves and on the hydraulic heritage of the Valencian Community. This is what we did in the aforementioned 2008 report on the Potries water cultural assets.
Secondly, we highlight the opportunity of the appointment of Potries as a cultural capital, to promote the project of the Ethnological Museum and the Water Route, and the conservation of all hydraulic elements and assets, which would provide the Municipality of a cultural complex of great interest, extensive to the rest of the region.
We are aware of the Potries City Council’s commitment to conserve the hydraulic system of the municipal district and to emphasize it for the pedagogical and cultural knowledge of all Valencians. This heritage is a very important part of the La Safor irrigation system.
We express our support for the statements expressed by Mayor of Potries, Assumpta Domínguez, in pointing out: “We are committed to the culture to face the challenges of the future, and we are convinced that this is the strategy to generate wealth and increase the quality of life of residents and newcomers, and thus prevent depopulation of the municipality. ”
Thirdly, and as we have already emphasized in the 2008 report, the Potries project is not an isolated piece, “but it should be part of a larger project”, in which the presence and commitment of the Ministry of Culture to definitively consolidate projects that began a decade ago.
CONCLUSIONS
We congratulate the people of Potries for their appointment as a Cultural Capital of less than 5,000 inhabitants.
We emphasize the effort of the City Council of Potries to recover and highlight its cultural heritage. And we urge you to make the declarations of “Bien de Relevancia Local”.
We emphasize the cultural importance of the whole of the hydraulic heritage in all its dimensions: guided routes, architecture and elements, traditional forms of irrigation, as well as the traditional work in our orchards. And we appeal to the institutions to support and consolidate this project with a dimension that transcends the municipality of Potries.
We raise the need to safeguard and protect this hydraulic complex as a Valencian cultural heritage.
