Hernández Park
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Hernández Park is the most important park in the autonomous Spanish city of Melilla and is located in the Ensanche Modernista neighborhood, in the Plaza de España. [1]
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History
changeThe park's origins date back to 1872, when the old Río de Oro riverbed was filled with excavated soil to create the new riverbed. In 1900, the then commander general of the plaza, Venancio Hernández Fernández, decided to transform the vast plain, which was used as a training ground for troops and a public landfill, into a forest park. For this project he obtained the collaboration of the Junta de Arbitrios, which financed the works through a fund intended for leisure. [2]
In 1902, the park was built in a trapezoidal shape according to the project of the engineer Vicente García del Campo, based on a design from the previous year. The park was inaugurated on May 18 of the same year. In 1906, urbanization began, but a flood destroyed the park. In 1907, a small temple was built in the centre of the park and the commemorative "Farola" was installed in honour of General Hernández, financed by a popular subscription promoted by the newspaper El Telegrama del Rif . In 1914 the main door was built, with an ambiguous name "Café Alhambra", between 1911 and 1918. In 1915, a raised water reservoir was built, which allowed the park to be transformed into a real garden, and in 1918 the park's enclosure was completed. [3]
Between 1927 and 1930 the pergolas were built, the kiosks were eliminated and the avenues were paved. Furthermore, a collection of archaeological finds was set up in the basement of the temple. In the early 1930s, the rotunda at the end of the park disappeared and the archaeological collection was moved to the area around the Porta della Marina, while a popular library was installed in the basement of the temple. In 1945, the temple was demolished and a luminous fountain was installed, which was however demolished between 1951 and 1952. In 1966, the metal fence of the park was restored and repaired, while in 1987 the central avenue was renovated, with the addition of a fountain in the center of the park. However, starting in the late 1970s, the park began to undergo a long decline. [4]
In April 2007, during the XXXIV Congress of Parks and Gardens, Hernández Park, together with the gardens of the Plaza de España, received the title of "Historical Garden". [5]
Description
changeThe park has a main gate composed of three doors, with wrought iron gates, the central door is flanked by two prisms with the coat of arms of Melilla, crowned by a crown. On the tower is a statue of Guzmán el Bueno, holding a dagger.
Notes
change- ↑ "La ciudad de Melilla y sus autores, Diccionario biográfico de arquitectos e ingenieros (finales del siglo XIX y primera mitad del XX)". 1997-01-01.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ↑ "Site is undergoing maintenance" (in Spanish).
- ↑ "El Legado Modernista (Guía de arquitectura)". 2002-01-01.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ↑ "La construcción de una ciudad europea en el contexto norteafricano. Arquitectos e ingenieros en la Melilla Contemporánea. Málaga: Ciudad Autónoma de Melilla Consejería de Cultura, Educación, Juventud y Deporte" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-06-19. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
- ↑ "Los entresijos del jardín histórico de Melilla: el Parque Hernández" (in Spanish). 2021-12-18.