Canary Islands 2025, Spain

At the playa the Vallehermoso you can find the Castillo del mar. It was formerly known as Empaquetadora de plátanos, Pescante or Castillo.
It is a former banana loading station.

Since 1890, all of the island's goods, mainly bananas, were packed and then loaded onto steamships via the "Pescante", a wooden structure that ran over three basalt columns. At that time, the Castillo was the most important goods transshipment point and Vallehermoso was the island's commercial center.

In 1910, the first motor vehicle was unloaded here. The office was perched right on top of the cliff and watched over the trading activities.

The Castillo del Mar had cannons to protect the trading post from pirates. The packaging department was located on the lower floor of the building. The bananas were washed, weighed and measured, and then sorted by size and quality before being loaded.

After Franco came to power, many Gomeros emigrated illegally to South America. The Castillo del Mar was often the gateway to the New World, as it served as the last starting point for the Gomeros' journey to South America.

In 1950, trade via El Castillo ceased and the place was forgotten. The old coastal road was quickly buried under rubble and rocks, making it impassable.

In 1981, Thomas Müller (* 1952) bought the port facility for 3.000€ from Don Eugenio Garcia Perez. As access to the Castillo del Mar was only possible by sea, initial attempts at renovation failed.

It was only when the coastal road was renovated as part of the revitalization projects for the north of La Gomera in February 2001 that the land-side path to Castillo del Mar was open again.

The construction phase began in May 2001. Stonemasons specializing in dry stone walls first reconstructed the main entrance with the associated staircase and rebuilt it stone by stone. Then all of the natural stone walls, which were built as protective walls against both the sea and pirates, were restored. With the completion of the shell, the conditions were created for further expansion. A stage and two event rooms of different sizes were integrated into the newly built Castillo del Mar.

In 2002, he, who had now successfully established himself on Gomera as "El Fotografo", opened the Castillo del Mar as a cultural and event centre. Until 2008, the castle in the sea was the meeting place for full moon parties, an exhibition venue, a cafe and a tourist attraction. However, financial success failed to materialise, profits were not forthcoming and when the old diesel generator broke down and the local authorities came after Müller, he had to close his cultural centre.

After a long legal process, Müller received the official 60-year concession in 2016. But for several years now, not only has the money for the renewed renovation and the electricity connection been lacking, the government would also have to clear and secure the access, which is repeatedly blocked by rockfalls and slides.

As long as it is not clear who pays for what, the former banana loading station will continue to stand alone and abandoned above the roaring surf.En savoir plus