Philosophy

The sharp decline in the profitability of salt production from the mid-twentieth century onwards led to a decrease in the maintenance of the production infrastructure. The salt producers who were still fighting for their Valle Salado began to organize themselves and turned to public institutions for help. First to request subsidies and carry out studies to propose how to make salt production profitable again, even if by means that were far from sustainable, and then so that the administrations would become directly involved in the conservation of their tangible and intangible heritage.

This situation led public institutions to realize that the Salt Valley was not only the oldest industry in the territory, but also a fundamental part of the heritage that needed to be safeguarded. For this reason, they promoted a series of laws and decrees for the protection of the salt flats and their surroundings, both in terms of heritage and the environment.

The turning point for the Salt Valley came at the end of the 1990s, when the Provincial Council of Alava initiated a series of direct actions with the aim of generating the necessary conditions to recover the lost sustainability. To this end, a Master Plan was launched (2000-2004) based on the good results achieved in one of the most important monuments in Alava, the Cathedral of Santa María de Vitoria-Gasteiz (Europa Nostra Award 2002).

The phrase that best reflects the philosophy of the work carried out is: “To know in order to recover, to recover in order to survive”. It must be taken into account that the image that the Salt Valley offers today is the result of a complex evolutionary process, both from a political and economic and social point of view, which began when the first human beings in prehistoric times took advantage of the brine from its springs to produce salt with fire and is still very much alive today, producing salt in the same way as the Romans did more than two thousand years ago.

For the Salado Valley landscape to regain its sustainability, it has been necessary to understand this process. Only by learning from the mistakes of the past is it possible for the valley to be passed on in optimal conditions of authenticity and integrity to future generations.

Consequently, the methodological procedure of the Master Plan is based on three basic interrelated steps. The first is “documenting”, the second “analyzing” and the third “proposing”.

1.- DOCUMENT

It is a sine qua non condition to have the highest possible level of knowledge of the object on which we are going to intervene, because in the field in which we operate it is necessary for the studies to be carried out to have detailed documentation. In addition, the documentation itself becomes a historical document of great value for future generations. For this reason, before intervening in the Salt Valley, a complete documentation of the salt pans has been carried out from different points of view: architectural, historical, archaeological, functional, landscape, biological, geological and organizational.

2.- ANALYZE

In order to understand the physical reality of the Salt Valley and face the last step of the process with guarantees of success, it is necessary to analyze it from as many points of view as possible. A multidisciplinary work team was created whose objectives were aimed at understanding the keys to the constructive, functional, landscape, geological, social, touristic and economic evolution of the valley.

As part of the analytical process, it has also been necessary to examine and reference a broader context than the strictly local one in order to search for promoters of actions, potential users and beneficiaries of the recovery of the salt pans.

3.- PROPOSE

The proposals for the maintenance and enhancement of the landscape are based on a determining premise: for thousands of years, industrial activity has existed in the Salt Valley and has been the economic engine of the area throughout its history. However, it is absolutely necessary to complement this activity with others that are viable today. In the last part of the adopted procedure, different paths have been developed, since each of the teams that participated in the elaboration of the Master Plan was in charge of making the proposals it considered most appropriate in its field of action.

Thus, first of all, the area and the elements that make up the group of elements have been clearly determined on the basis of historical, typological, landscape, functional or opportunity criteria, establishing a scenario for a sustainable future. Then, the different intervention proposals have been designed and, finally, the execution deadlines and the economic cost of the works have been designed.

The different agents interested in the project have been directly involved in the project proposals: Basque Government, Provincial Council of Alava, Cuadrilla de Añana, Añana Town Council, Gatzagak salt producers’ society, associations, etc. In this way, complex and viable solutions have been promoted jointly, which are undoubtedly a fundamental part of achieving the objectives and making the most of the potentialities that guarantee the future of the Salt Valley.

Undoubtedly, civil society and the participation of the local community have played a decisive role in the proposals, thus ensuring future human development through their active inclusion and participation.