document

1 INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR VISIGOTHIC CULTURE

I N T E R N A T I O N A L C E N T R E F O R V I S I G O T H I C C U L T U R E


INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR VISIGOTHIC CULTURE

1. THE VEGA BAJA IN TOLEDO

3

2. COOPERATION PROTOCOL BETWEEN THE STATE ADMINISTRATION AND THE REGIONAL GOVERNMENT OF CASTILE‐LA MANCHA

7

3. GENERAL PROGRAMME FOR THE BUILDING

9

4. DETERMINING THE CENTRE’S LOCATION

12

5. NEEDS PLAN

15


1. THE VEGA BAJA IN TOLEDO


The Vega Baja in Toledo is an area of near level land covering over 50 hectares to

the north of the old quarter. It is cut off in the west by the Tagus River, and in the north and east, by hills that surround the city there. There are excellent views towards it from the city, and the line of vision across indicates an exit route probably taken by the old Roman road to Emerita Augusta (modern-day Mérida). The river terraces rich in detritus has made the terrain ideal for farming crops and keeping livestock, and for human settlement too because of its proximity to the river.

Toledo city lies halfway between two large geological units in the Peninsula. On one side is the Hesperian or Iberian Massif, whose materials and structures occupy the so-called crystalline plateau of Toledo, and on the other, the sedimentary basin of Madrid, part of the Cenozoic sedimentary basin of the Tagus. The two masses come into tectonic contact in the Toledo region through a system of alpine faults. Every so often, material appears between them which comes from a third geological mass associated with the ancient Mesozoic sedimentary basin of the Castilian branch of the Iberian mountain range.

Human habitation in the Vega Baja dates from the Bronze Age, when settlement appears to have been temporary. Excavation of the Roman circus has shown that the area might have been a centre of trade and public activity before the 1st century AD.

The Romans in Toledo had a number of buildings for their entertainment. The most important of these were put up early in the occupation. The circus is remarkable because it is one of the best preserved examples of those built in Roman Spain and it is the only 1st century circus to survive largely unaltered. Recent investigations suggest that it formed a complex with the theatre. It is 423 metres long by 101 metres wide and runs northeast to southwest, the hemicycle or semicircular structure being at the northeast end. The starting gates with twelve carceres or stalls were at the opposite end, close to which was built the basilica of St Leocadia, on which site the Minim or St Bartholomew’s convent was founded in the 16th century. Built in the high imperial period, the circus was still in use until the end of the 4th century or start of the 5th, after which, like many classical buildings, its stone was taken for the construction of new buildings. Later, it became a refuge and shelter, then a pottery-making centre and, notably, in the 10th and 11th centuries, a maqbara or mausoleum.

As well as public buildings, there were quite a number of villas that provided leisure facilities. The most significant of these was discovered on the site of the Arms Factory at the start of the 20th century when industrial workshops were being put up in the area. A salon and an octagonal based fountain were uncovered here, both decorated with mosaics showing port and sea scenes.

The complex of Roman structures was immensely important and lasted to later periods. The Visigoths maintained it whilst probably using it for their own purposes, and the policy of imitatio imperii (imitation of the empire) under successive Visigothic kings meant


that it became a reference point for the palace buildings which grew up around it, copying the one in Constantinople that was arranged around the great Constantinian circus.

At the start of the 5th century, and before the Visigoths arrived, other Germanic groups – Suevi, Vandals and Alans – came to the Iberian Peninsula and spent some time plundering it. Later they settled, possibly through a pact with the Roman authorities who could do little more than accept their presence. A group of the Vandals and Alans (led by Hadas) established themselves in a large area of central Carthage and thus in Carpetania, the region where Toledo was the capital.

In 418 the Visigoths made a treaty with Rome and settled in the province of Aquitania Secunda in Gaul, agreeing to provide military assistance should Rome need it. Visigothic forces thus entered the Peninsula on various occasions to contain the Suevi who carried out continual plundering campaigns. As imperial power weakened, Visigoths began to act more independently, starting to conquer parts of Hispania. Their kings moved around and resembled military strategists more than an established government.

When the Visigoths settled in the Iberian Peninsula after defeat at Vouillé in 507 AD, they had no definite base for several years. Not until Hispania was largely conquered did they establish a permanent seat of power in any one city. And that city had to be Toledo, even though there is actually no mention of the city in written records for a century and a half after the First Council of Toledo in about 400 AD. Some suggestion of permanence in Toledo is recorded in 546 AD with the promulgation of the Visigothic king Theudis’ so-called law of procedural costs. The reference here to Toledo is not insignificant; it indicates links between the court and its administrative apparatus and chancellery in the city. And with that a sense of permanence and stability.

It was King Athanagild who finally settled the court in Toledo in the middle of the 6th century. The city was strategically and topographically unique with a significant built-up area and a fertile expanse for farming close by. The city was in the middle of the kingdom, it had good connections with outlying areas, and it was close to the major roads that led to other important places in the country. The size of the city also assured agricultural supplies from the surrounding land.

Toledo became the urbs regia; royal residence, court and headquarters of the administration. The central administrative organ of the kingdom and palace, the Palatine Office, was established. This was divided into different sections, each of which was headed by an important official or “count” - someone whom the king trusted, drawn from the ranks of the nobility. The most important of these was the official who looked after the royal treasure. This collection of precious objects was a symbol of power and a financial reserve to pay any unexpected expenses in difficult times.


During the 14th century, the Vega Baja acquired a new role when the Mesta farmers’ association turned it into a resting place for animals being driven and a control point in the network of livestock routes. The city council itself purchased various properties to set up a cooperative scheme giving pasturage for the animals that would supply the needs of the city’s population. At the start of the 16th century, the St Francis Minim convent was founded on the site of the former chapel of St Bartholomew. Architects involved in the new construction included Alonso de Covarrubias, Nicolás Vergara el Mozo, Juan Bautista Monegro and Bartolomé Zúmbigo. In 1515 the St Susanna convent was built near the Casa de la Monja, the centre of a district that was later abandoned in the 18th century.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Vega Baja was still being used for farming and livestock when Charles III’s enlightened factory was built there. The area then remained unoccupied until the 20th century when the Reconquista development went up. At the end of the century, when it was decided to use this large piece of land for residential purposes, thoughts turned again to its archaeological and landscape value. This led to a proposal to protect the space and keep it free by launching a cultural project that would incorporate these assets and take advantage of the dynamic arising from their urban location and from cultural and educational resources.


2. COOPERATION PROTOCOL BETWEEN THE STATE ADMINISTRATION AND THE REGIONAL GOVERNMENT OF CASTILE‐LA MANCHA


The General Cooperation Protocol between the State Administration and the

Regional Government of Castile‐La Mancha (21 May 2007, Official State Gazette (BOE) June 2007) established a framework for collaboration on the creation of an International Centre for the Visigothic Period in the Vega Baja, Toledo, which intends to “provide a new educational opportunity in cultural heritage, within the framework of the knowledge society”. The Centre is conceived as a permanent instrument of education, constituting a cultural hub and meeting place accessible to all where visitors can dip into, or submerge themselves ‐ as they wish ‐ in history. It will have an international dimension that goes far beyond regional and national frontiers, being superbly qualified to join in the debate on the need for new strategies in heritage evaluation within the framework of the Knowledge and Information Society, that developed at the start of the 21st century.

The components that make up the Centre will be:

• Museum of the Visigothic Period

• Vega Baja Interpretation Centre

• Research Centre for Cultural Heritage

They will be organizations each with their own personality, working to increase public exposure and appreciation, and towards the research and advance of science. They will share a single conceptual vision that should follow through into the architectural project, not from the perspective of optimizing and economizing spaces but out of a belief in the interaction and interdisciplinary approach that drives the Vega Baja project.

Hence both the Museum and the Interpretation Centre, as well as the Research Centre, will be part of the same architectural complex ‐ this integrating them all ‐ even if they are spatially differentiated in the projects undertaken. This integration will mean that the two institutions can be equipped with communal zones – laboratories, libraries, assembly hall etc – that will also function as a spatial and conceptual link, a point of union propelling the development of shared research, restoration and dissemination projects.


3 . GENERAL PROGRAMME FOR THE BUILDING


In accordance with what has been set down in the protocol, the building comprises the following elements:

1.1 MUSEUM FOR THE 1ST‐10TH CENTURIES This will be structured through an exhibition that offers both a permanent

collection (combining the museum’s own objects and others transferred to it) and a reconstruction of the different stages in this historical period through a multimedia, interactive and virtual project.

Given the organization of Toledo city’s museums, the Vega Baja Museum will be able to describe a period that practically spans from the 1st to 10th centuries, housing the major archaeological collections from this period that are held in Toledo and incorporating pieces from the Vega Baja archaeological site. Expanding the museum’s content in this way will allow it greater scope in reflecting a journey through time.

1.2. VEGA BAJA INTERPRETATION CENTRE

This will be structured as another of the Museum’s sections but it will be independent, being intended as a point of connection between the Museum and the archaeological site and other historical venues already in being in the Vega Baja.

Given its unique location, it will be, at the same time, an interpretation centre for the area in which the Roman circus and the Vega Baja archaeological site are located.

Since the two spaces will be united, the catalogue of different events may be carried out jointly; the division will be more a spatial issue, and therefore only considered from the point of view of the visitor’s path.

The objectives and functions of the Museum and Interpretation Centre are set out in the document attached to the signed Agreement between the Regional Government of Castile‐La Mancha and the Ministry of Culture.

1.3 RESEARCH CENTRE FOR CULTURAL HERITAGE

It is also important to stress that the historical legacy of the Visigothic period is seen in all categories of elements in heritage activity – personal property and real estate, archaeological sites and monuments in country and urban situations etc. All this is plenty of reason for the Centre not just to go deeper into the facts of a historical period but to be conceived also as an institution that is fully committed to joining in the international debate on the new intervention strategies being developed in heritage following the emergence of new technologies.

The Research Centre for the Visigoth Period, as well as being part of a project of such scientific magnitude as is the Vega Baja project, will drive and support the execution of and collaboration on excavation and heritage intervention projects, including archaeological sites and features related to the period ‐ both in Spain and in other Mediterranean or European countries.


The Centre intends to be a world reference for research into the Visigothic period and for research into, and utilization of, new technologies in the information society within cultural heritage.

Objectives:

From all the above, we arrive at the following objectives:

• To develop an institution of research excellence for the research, conservation, management and dissemination of archaeology of the Visigothic period, and for the appreciation and dissemination of cultural heritage.

• To promote and undertake interdisciplinary research projects with other centres, nationally and internationally, in any of the areas related to its research objectives.

• To develop support plans for the Regional and State Administration, and for society in general, by running specialized courses and scientific/technical meetings, and by offering services concerned with archaeological impact, analyses and heritage management, or other similar activities.

• To develop support and collaboration projects with industry and with national and international companies involved in the field of cultural heritage, particularly those specializing in new technologies ‐ through R&D projects, specialist courses and scientific/technical advisory and assistance services.

• To collaborate on university materials, teaching on official qualification programmes in relevant areas of specialization and on postgraduate, doctoral and internal programmes.


4. DETERMINING THE CENTRE’S LOCATION

Given the archaeological interest of the zone and the urban planning of a large area

of the city (about 50 hectares) that is required, the most suitable location must be considered in line with the findings in the appropriate archaeological and town‐planning reports.

The location of the Centre should consider the following factors:

1. Archaeological assets in the zone: the existence or not of remains may be another factor in the appreciation of the building itself in terms of its architectural design and the way it fits in to its precise location.

2. In terms of town planning, a location should be sought that will dynamize this large area of land (which is non built‐up and currently unused for any particular purpose) so that it becomes a reference point and a focus to activate the whole, and so that it establishes a satisfactory relationship with built elements in the surroundings.

3. As an interpretation centre for the area, it should be located in a zone that allows the great archaeological space in the middle of which it is inserted to be understood.

4. The research centre would wish to facilitate a satisfactory relationship with the university campus located in the old Toledo Arms Factory.


Plan showing the Museum location


5. NEEDS PLAN

Having established the general premises of the project, the purpose of the needs

plan is to fix the details of the project in the three areas set out in the signed Protocol.

• The Museum of the Visigothic Period is intended to have a chronological setting prior to and subsequent to the existence of the Visigothic royal city and capital in Toledo, housing pieces ranging from the 1st to the 10th centuries. The Museum will be thus integrated in the programme of Toledo museums, providing a satisfactory historic account of the Visigothic culture and making full use of museum space resources to document this long time span. • The Interpretation Centre will give details about the Vega Baja, from Roman presence there with the 1st century circus to remains found in the archaeological site that go back to Andalusian times. • The Research Centre will undertake study in collaboration with the University of Castile‐La Mancha. It will be a centre for heritage research that focuses on the Visigothic period but which is also concerned with the general study of cultural heritage, especially archaeological and architectural heritage. The centre will accommodate European and international projects. At the end of this document there is a preliminary needs plan for each of the three areas of activity set out in the details of the project.


1. MUSEUM The Museum project is structured around the following elements:

1. VISITOR ACCESS AREAS Access Hall 200 Shop and Sale Points 200 Access and Personnel Check Point Areas

150

Café 150 TOTAL: AREA 1

700

2. GENERAL SERVICES Assembly/events hall 300 Library 200 TOTAL: AREA 2

500

3. EXHIBITION HALLS Exhibition Halls 15x200: 3000 Main Halls 2x500: 1000 Temporary Exhibition Halls 2x300: 600 TOTAL: AREA 3

4,600

4. STORAGE General Storage Facility 500 Smaller Storage Facilities 3x200: 600 Loading and Unloading Bays 200 TOTAL: AREA 4

1,300

5. SYSTEMS Air Heating/Cooling 400 Electricity 300 Voice and Data Service 300 Fire Protection 200 Maintenance 200 TOTAL: AREA 5 1,400 TOTAL: SURFACE AREA

9,800

CIRCULATION AND GENERAL SERVICES 30%

2,940

TOTAL: MUSEUM SURFACE AREA

12,740


2. INTERPRETATION CENTRE FOR THE AREA

This will be a part of the Museum and will basically comprise two spheres of activity:

EXHIBITION HALL: MODELS ETC

400

AUDIOVISUALS 200

TOTAL: CENTRE 600

3. RESEARCH CENTRE FOR CULTURAL HERITAGE This will be made up of two large scientific departments, dealing with: • Study of the Visigothic period • New technologies in the conservation and dissemination of archaeological and architectural heritage.

As previously explained, research undertaken at the Centre will be of a clearly interdisciplinary nature. The Centre will thus be set up from the beginning with two large scientific areas, interrelated and dealing with:

• Study of the Visigothic period: comprising research of, and promotion of the research of, all aspects of Visigothic times, Late Antiquity and the primitive Andalusian age. The department is intended to be a leader in its scientific field and a meeting place for national and international specialists in the sphere. It will work on the essential functions of epistemological renewal of studies, considering these


against the most fruitful and up to date research trends and renewing them methodologically using new technologies.

• New technologies in the conservation and dissemination of heritage: comprising the study of, and intervention in, problems specific to heritage conservation and dissemination. This section of the Centre will develop a complete project aiming to integrate the field of new information technologies into activities of research, preservation and dissemination of heritage.

Both areas will develop Research Groups, each of these with one or more Work Groups, to carry out different research activities. Each group will have a co‐ordinator responsible for group operations and will be provided with the cutting‐edge scientific equipment it needs to complete its research.

To meet these objectives, the Centre will be equipped with the following facilities:

• Research rooms and units • Three large laboratory areas:

• Renewal • Research • New technologies

• Library • Storage areas

Given the single conception and their link with the Museum, the Research Centre laboratories will provide services to the Museum and, likewise, the Library and Storage facilities will be for both to use, although a differentiation of space could be established when the need arises.

Localization, construction and facilities management: With regard to these phases, once the localization and the shared features of the architectural complex integrating the two spaces (Museum and Research Centre) have been determined, it will be necessary to establish a protocol to define the fields and competences of each of the projects to be developed. This is especially important because of the different organizations that will be involved, their interrelation and the zones they will share – laboratories, libraries, event/assembly halls, storage etc. The constitution of an entity to coordinate the work will therefore have to be a consideration.

Organization of the Research Centre: It is advisable to start planning the Centre’s organizational structure (scientific and administrative organization chart) and the existence of Governing, Executive and Scientific Advisory Committees.


NEEDS PLAN FOR THE RESEARCH CENTRE

AREA SPECIFIC FIELDS APPROXIMATE BUILT SURFACE AREA

DIRECTION Director’s Office 30 Secretariat and Administration Office: Secretariat/

Administration 40

Meeting Room 60 TOTAL: DIRECTION 130 COMMUNAL SPACES

Library 80 Events Hall (Meetings, Degree Awards, Conferences)

100

TOTAL: COMMUNAL SPACES 180 LABORATORIES/RESEARCH Archaeological Units 3 300 Documentation Units 2 200 Architecture: Studies and Documentation

3 300

New Technologies 2 200 TOTAL: LABORATORIES/ RESEARCH

1,000

STORAGE AND SERVICES Specific Storage Facilities 2 differentiated

areas 200


Services and Facilities 150 TOTAL: STORAGE AND SERVICES

350

TOTAL: SURFACE AREA SPACE FOR USE

1,660

CIRCULATION SPACES AND GENERAL SERVICES 30%

500

TOTAL: BUILT SURFACE AREA 2,160

TOTAL SURFACE AREAS

MUSEUM 12,740

INTERPRETATION CENTRE FOR THE AREA 600

RESEARCH CENTRE FOR CULTURAL HERITAGE 2,160

TOTAL BUILT SURFACE AREA 15,500 M2

document

Documents

toledo city

century circus

toledo region

roman circus

number of buildings

public buildings

tagus river

northeast end