• Heritage.The deficiencies that ballast El Retiro

The road for the axis between the Paseo del Prado and the Buen Retiro to become part of the Unesco World Heritage list in 2020 took a new firm step on Monday. The private visit of auditors of the International Council of Monuments and Sites ( Icomos ) together with a delegation of representatives of the candidacy kicked off the start of the evaluation of the downtown area of Madrid before the final vote will take place. out next June.

According to sources close to the team that manages the project to EL MUNDO, the inspector of the United Nations agency made a guided tour on Monday of some of the points of greatest interest of this cultural axis. Among them, he made a stop at the Florida Retiro restoration complex, the Eugenio Trías public library, the Artificial Mountain or the monument to the Fallen Angel .

The same sources reveal to this newspaper that in the delegation in charge of showing the main points of interest of the Madrid candidacy are the conservative director of the Retiro Park, Caridad Melgarejo Armada ; the general director of Cultural Heritage of the City Council, Luis Lafuente Batanero , or the coordinator of the project, Mónica Luengo Añón , among other representatives of both the Consistory of the capital and the Community of Madrid. Both institutions are those who have submitted the application under the name "The Paseo del Prado and the Buen Retiro, landscape of Arts and Sciences" , endorsed by the Ministry of Culture and Sports. «The real promoter and the one who has more interest in this project is the City Council and the Culture area», the sources consulted comment to this newspaper.

Precisely from the Consistory Culture area, they are referred to the official agenda they manage in the department and the information about meetings they consider "private" is reserved. However, municipal sources confirmed to this newspaper that this visit took place on Monday and that this was part of the itinerary shown to the Unesco delegation that is evaluating the Madrid candidacy.

THE WORLD already reported last April that some of the facilities of the Parque del Retiro, which is already considered a Site of Cultural Interest and archaeological zone of the historic site of Madrid, suffered deficiencies that could make it difficult for the agency of the Organization of Nations United will include it in its World Heritage list. It is for this reason that, in recent months and more specifically in recent days, the repair and cleaning of some areas of the gardens have been expedited.

Specifically, sources consulted by this newspaper explain that before the visit of the auditor of Unesco, the exterior of the Artificial Mountain was being cleaned, one of the points of the itinerary followed during the visit on Monday, as well as other Garden areas.

Among the points that have begun a process of reforms are also the Paseo de México , main entrance to the park from the Puerta de Alcalá , which began last July and is expected to be remodeled in November, or the pond of the Casita del Pescador , in the northwest area of ​​the Retiro, which suffered water leaks.

After the visit that is being carried out, Icomos will issue a first non-definitive report at the end of November with some clarifications of the candidacy. The deadline for the Madrid response is extended until February and, lastly, in April the agency will take this candidacy to the World Heritage Committee that will decide on inclusion.

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