Puerto de Santa María, El

El Centro de Arqueología Subacuática de Andalucía is a specialized organization belonging to the Department of Culture of the Government of Andalusia, created in 1997 and integrated into the Andalusian Institute of Historical Heritage. It has its headquarters in the city of Cádiz, in the Balneario de Nuestra Señora de la Palma y del Real building, declared an Asset of Cultural Interest.

The objectives of this center are the research, protection, conservation and dissemination of the underwater heritage of the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, as well as the training of professionals in this discipline.

To achieve its objectives, it has developed an exhaustive catalog of underwater archaeological sites, integrated into the Andalusian Historical Heritage Information System. In total, 81 sites are known, covering, chronologically, from protohistory to the Contemporary Age. Through this inventory, information has been obtained regarding 1250 historical shipwrecks in Andalusian waters.

The centre is not open to visitors but the building itself, the Balneario de la Palma y del Real building, is definitely worth a visit. It is located on the Playa de la Caleta, on the western edge in the historical center of of Cádiz. There is a natural harbor by which Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Romans penetrated historically. Caleta beach is the smallest beach in the city, and is isolated from the others.

The beach is perfect for enjoying the sunset and as it is right next to the old town it is very popular with the Gaditanos and they consider it one of the most emblematic places of their city, and use it as a recurrent song subject during Carnival.

But what about this building?
The Balneario de Nuestra Señora de la Palma y del Real building was inaugurated in 1926 and replaced the traditional Baños del Real, a wooden facility that already existed at the beginning of the 19th century, next to which were also located those of La Palma, with a similar structure, which were later unified under the name “Real y de la Palma”.

The poor condition of the barracks led the Provincial Council to call a competition in 1924 to build a new spa. This project was intended to offer an alternative for leisure, beach and sea bathing to the population that lived in the old town, avoiding the inconvenience and expense of moving to the beach of the Reina Victoria Spa.

A wonderful building, I love it and I love that so many locals hang around there to take a swim. Czytaj więcej