#NaturalParadise #preromanesque #caveart #UNESCO #museums #festivals Edit: SOCIEDAD PÚBLICA DE GESTIÓN Y PROMOCIÓN TURÍSTICA Y CULTURAL DEL PRINCIPADO DE ASTURIAS, SAU Design: Paco Currás Diseñadores Layout: Creativos Cayco Cartography: Intermapa Texts: Sociedad Pública de Gestión y Promoción Turística y Cultural del Principado de Asturias, SAU Translation: Claudine Centro de Idiomas y Traductores, Orchestra Photography: Front cover - Benedicto Santos. Inside pages - Alfonso Suárez and own fi les. Creativos Cayco Printed by: Imprenta Mundo, S.L.U. D.L.: AS03801-2016 ©CONSEJERIA DE EMPLEO, INDUSTRIA Y TURISMO DEL PRINCIPADO DE ASTURIAS DON’T THROW ME AWAY, RECYCLE ME! TAKE CARE OF NATURAL PARADISE Fine Arts Museum of Oviedo DENMARK UNITED KINGDOM NETHERLANDS BELGIUM GERMANY FRANCE SWITZERLAND AUSTRIA PRINCIPALITY OF ASTURIAS SPAIN PORTUGAL BARCELONA ITALY MADRID SEVILLE VALENCIA ALICANTE PALMA DE MAL LORCA MALAGA sturias is a Natural Paradise treasuring reveal the real nature of Asturias and of the A its remarkable historical background Asturian people. Those towns receiving the resulting in a very rich cultural heritage, a Prince of Asturias Award are distinguishable legacy that becomes part of its identity and features of a tradition being carefully constitutes a major touristic destination. preserved. They are villages where hundred- Within this heritage, art expressions year-old houses, hórreos (food warehouses), declared World Heritage by UNESCO such paneras (bread warehouses) and mills as the Palaeolithic rock art and the Pre witness how their inhabitants fi ght together Romanesque stand out on their own. for the survival of their way of living and of those values which do not have to be Even though it is a not a very large against progress. region, the diversity of the Principality of Asturias is enormous. This cultural During the 19th and 20th centuries, Asturias mosaic must be discovered: from underwent decisive changes thanks to East to West without disregarding the both the industrialization process and the peculiarity and remarkable personality of emigration to America which modelled its Aviles, Gijon and Oviedo conforming an territory and defi ned its idiosyncrasy thus essential triangle. It is a territory where ensuring the preservation of its cultural archaeological sites, medieval towers and heritage and its own identity up to the 21st temples, noble houses of the modern century. period, coal mine towers or 19th industrial facilities live in harmony together with a For this reason, anyone who comes to magnificent ethnographic heritage that Asturias enjoys the green paradise, the constantly surprises and shows the roots traces of its history. Heritage and identity of this land. permeate the process of experiencing indescribable, unique and one and only This tradition, crystallized in the mythology feelings. That is why Asturias is living inherited from the most primitive believes culture. and in the festivals as living celebrations #asturias #culture 01 Santa María del Naranco (Oviedo) 02 #asturias #culture 01 Introduction 04 UNESCO World Heritage Palaeolithic Rock Art Pre Romanesque in Asturias The Way of St. James 14 Covandonga Covadonga and is paths 19 Tradition and identity 20 The Latin American memory 22 The Great Industrialization Legacy 24 Facilities for 21 st Century The Niemeyer Centre Laboral City of Culture The architectural complex of Buenavista 28 Asturias, Cinema Paradise The camera loves Asturias 31 A country of festivals Living celebrations 37 Museums and Resources of Interest 44 Map #NaturalParadise #preromanesque #caveart #UNESCO #museums #festivals #asturias #culture 03 Covaciella Cave (Cabrales) UNESCO World Heritage The brand that recognises the excellence of the cultural legacy of humanity is inclusion on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage. Asturias has three important elements appearing on this distinguished list, raising awareness beyond our borders of the fi ve Palaeolithic rock art caves, the six buildings of Asturian pre- Romanesque architecture, and the coastal routes of the Way of St. James, explicitly recognising their exceptional value and global signifi cance. They are all there for us to enjoy. San Julián de los Prados (Oviedo) Cámara Santa (Oviedo) 04 #asturias #culture La Peña Cave (Candamo) The Palaeolithic rock art Five Asturian caves have been included on the World Herita- ne and on a 600m longitudinal gallery out of which the fi rst ge list within the declaration of Northern Spanish Palaeolithic 300m can only be visited. Divided into fi ve areas, this set from Rock Art. the Magdalenian period houses zoomorphic representations such as deer, horses and bison standing out a fi sh and a mam- The Principality is full of late Palaeolithic testimonies (bet- moth. ween 35,000 and 9,000 B.C.), as it counts on paints and engra- vings found in caves which are unmistakable remains of the TITO BUSTILLO CAVE is located in the Villa of Ribadesella. It existence of hunters and collectors in the Upper Palaeolithic opens at the mountain mass of Ardines integrating with the and which document the artistic activity and the creation of Karstic complex located next to the mouth of the River Sella later sedentary social communities. Among all them El Pindal, where other caves such as La Lloseta or la Biesca stand out. Dis- Tito Bustillo, Candamo, Covaciella and Llonín were chosen to covered in 1968, it is made up of just one 700m gallery long to become the best acknowledged Asturian sites worldwide. which to adjacent areas lead. Its collection is organized into 11 sets (some including several panels) which gather more than a EL PINDAL (PIMIanGo, RIBADEDEVa). It is located at the hundred engraved and painted representations related to two mouth of the River Cares – Deva, in the Eastern part of Astu- stages being the pre-Magdalenian period (red signals and little rias, which is a coastal area known as San Emeterio Cape. It animal fi gures) and the Magdalenian period with several zoo- counts on a unique way into the sea overlooking the coastli- morphic representations and diff erent techniques. It should be #asturias #culture 05 El Pindal Cave (Ribadedeva) El Camarín (Candamo) mentioned that horses and reindeer transmit an extraordinary and living polychrome fee- ling thanks to using diff erent pigments and STONE AGE to scraping off the outlines. The Gallery of Horses, Chamber of Vulvas and the recently Palaeolithic Mesolithic Neolithic discovered Anthropomorphic Gallery should Upper Lower also be highlighted. Asturian Rock Art In addition, the adjacent Ardines Cave (inha- 120.000 B:C. 35.000 B:C. 10.000 B:C. 7.000 B:C. 4.000B:C. bited later than Tito Bustillo cave) can be visi- ted. It presents a large central room and visits are welcome during the whole year. Likewise, Technique • 1 or 2 colours (black and red or yellow). the Tito Bustillo Rock Art Centre building is • They used their fi ngers, burnt branches and rudimentary brushes. located nearby. This innovating building dis- Topics: • Animals (bulls, bisons, horses, deer, bears….) plays an overall view of Asturias prehistory • Hands and sexual organs. providing information and interesting ar- • Abstract symbols. chaeological pieces particularly these unique • Quite realistic style except for the human fi gures highlighting their sexual representations of the cave. organs. Other caves in Asturias with rock art that can be visited are La Loja Cave (El Mazo, Peñamellera LA PEÑA CAVE is located in San Román Baja), El Buxu Cave (Cardes, Cangas de Onís), La Lluera Cave (Las Caldas, Oviedo), Conde Cave (Candamo) in the lower reaches of the River and the Santo Adriano rock shelter (Tuñon, Santo Adriano). Nalón and close to its mouth and represents the most Western European Palaeolithic site. It opens at the base of a limestone hill and is made up of a small gallery that leads to a lar- Llonín and Covaciella complete the World Heritage Caves list and are fundamen- ge room thus being totally 70 m long. tal to acknowledge Western Asturias as “Cave Paradise”. This artistic area (some belongs to the Gravet- tian period up to the end of the Magdalenian Teverga Prehistorical Park constitutes an authentic and complete experience period) is located in the Room of Engravings to know this period particularly thanks to its “Cueva de Cuevas (Cave of Caves)” and it includes 6 panels. The two outstan- where the main European Palaeolithic Art samples are fully recreated. ding ones are the Wall of Engravings becau- se of its numerous images and a complex organization based on superimposition and the Chamber which is a high cavity with re- presentations of horses and bovid displayed Prehistorical Park (Teverga) as such to be looked at from the room thus revealing a clear and attractive scenography concept. Candamo Rock Information Centre and Didactic House are located in the refurbis- hed Palace of Valdés-Bazán, a wonderful civil works from the 17th century. It displays full-scale reproductions of cave treasures together with a multimedia system dealing with Cantabrian rock art. 06 #asturias #culture Santa María del Naranco (Oviedo) Asturian Pre The decorations of these works present a combination of original pieces and those recycled from pillaging. However, Romanesque Art it is the pictorial decoration the main achievement of this structural set. Even though the external decoration has been In 1985 UNESCO agreed to register Santa María del Naranco, worn out by the passing of time, the extraordinary interior San Miguel de Lillo and Santa Cristina de Lena on the World is preserved which could be classifi ed as the most important Heritage list. In 1998, the registration was enlarged to include Western European painting set from early Middle Age. San Julián de los Prados, la Foncalada and the Holy Chamber of Oviedo’s Cathedral. Therefore, a total number of six the 9th SANTA MARÍA DEL NARANCO. century Asturian monuments enjoy such privilege thus con- fi rming what experts had already stated. “It constitutes the This work, dated in year 848 due to its altar dedication, is still most complex and homogenous set of Western Europe early an enigma nowadays.