An urbanization of more than a thousand houses projected next to the Duero river has put on guard those who see in this site one of the sacred places of Spanish literature
The news in recent months surprises us with a story in which the weight of literature is measured by that of the brick. In the city of Soria The fate of a landscape that was an inspiration for important Spanish poets is hotly debated. Urban plans against the preservation of a landscape with literary value.
A urbanization of more than a thousand homes projected next to the Duero river, in the vicinity of the Cerro de los Moros, the Castle of Soria, the remains of the monastery of San Polo and the Hermitage of San Saturio has put those who see this site on guard one of the sacred places of Spanish literature. A locus amoenus that inspired some of the greatest Spanish poets.
THE SORIA OF THE POETS
The relationship of the Castilian city with poetry is undeniable. Gustavo Adolfo Becquer he spent long periods in Soria, where his wife was from. Antonio Machado He said that Soria “is a city for poets” and left the place that occupies us today in his work several times:
- "I have seen the golden poplars again,
- road poplars on the riverbank
- of the Duero, between San Polo and San Saturio,
- behind the old walls
- from Soria -barbican
- towards Aragon, in Castilian land-"
It was later Gerard Diego, in 1923, who summarizes what Soria meant to both authors, adding himself to the list of those inspired by the city:
- Andalusian poets
- that you dreamed in Soria a long dream:
- you, Becquer, and you, Antonio, good Antonio Machado,
- that here to love you were born and you premiered the crosses
- of pain, of death...
- Also, like you, I went up to Soria to dream”
A PLACE COVETED BY URBAN PRESSURE
He already held his breath a few decades ago, when the construction of a road access to the city of Soria was planned, but finally they decided to preserve the place and opt for another project that avoided this recreation area of the Sorianos and where the muses of the poets lived mentioned.
How difficult it is to make an assessment of the controversy without anyone being offended. For the entanglement, formed between an approved urban plan (PGOU) that made a land that until now had been considered rustic and those who want to preserve a space with such literary weight, developable, has been going on for a long time.
Soria, the Duero river and its surroundings seen from the air
This time it is a real estate developer that has projected more than a thousand homes next to this place, with the visual impact that it supposes in an environment of great landscape and literary value, at the foot of the Castle of Soria.
LOCUS AMOENUS
At the end of 2020, the Royal Academy of Arts of San Fernando is positioned and enters the debate at the request of the Sorianos Studies Center. If one of the functions of this institution is to ensure the conservation of the Spanish cultural heritage, it was foreseeable that he would take action on the matter.
The negotiations have been advancing and the Monuments and Historical Heritage Commission of the aforementioned Academy has held a meeting with the Ministry of Culture and Sport in order to expose the situation and request the intervention of Ministry officials through the initiation of an informative file.
In these months there have also been collections of signatures and mobilizations to stop “An attack against such a singular locus amoenus” if we take the exact words with which the Royal Galician Academy of Fine Arts has adhered to the emergency call of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando.
The ICOMOS, International Council on Monuments and Sites, associated with UNESCO, which published years ago A study that highlighted the cultural importance of this place, has just joined the cause.
Plan and elevations of the Castle of Soria, built by Dionisio Badiola (signed in Soria on September 15, 1812)
Everyone agrees on the need to stop the urban project on the banks of the Duero in Soria, looking for the formula to achieve it without the council of Soria being mortgaged for decades, having to face important compensation to the promoters.
**CITY COUNCIL OF SORIA**
According to the latest press release provided by the Soria City Council, the City Mayor's Office, through the technicians, is working so that, of the 434,975 square meters of the budding sector, the City Council obtains ownership of more than 337,000 square meters. This would mean that 81.47% of the sector would be “of all Sorianos and Sorianas”.
In this same sense, the mayor of Soriano, Carlos Martínez, explained that if these negotiations advance and the management is positive, it will be possible to develop later “a protection plan for the Castle and the Riberas. In line with this, it will be possible to delve further into the declaration of the BIC area to have official recognition of their values.”