Restoration of the City Walls of Hondarribia
The restorations already undertaken in the City Walls of Hondarribia are part of a much larger project to restore the fortifications of the city. The proposed Master Plan seeks to continue the restorations initiated by Manzano Monís in the 60s, trying to recover the bastioned façade which was nearly lost due to successive military demolitions and posterior neglect.
In the restoration of the Queen’s Bastion – which exterior image is a result of the careful restoration of Manzano Monís – a system of gabions that gives both structural and visual strength is employed. The structures of the upper platform and the two lateral squares are recovered and also linked by a walk through ramps, stairs and platforms that wish to give a new cohesion to the original remains by analogy with the way they were used originally.
In the western curtain, both the straight finishing of the wall and the Saint Nicholas gate are rebuilt, thus recovering its lost image of urban entrance to the historical city centre of Hondarribia. Inside the city, a wooden portico connecting the Queen’s Bastion to the Gate of the Saint Nicolas and its bastion is built dominating the inner square.
In the next phase, the restoration of the Saint Nicholas Bastion – the best preserved of the whole ensemble – is to take place. In such a way the urban role of the bastion will be reinstated as it appears in the beautiful drawing by Francesco d’Olanda.
