AN UNFORTUNATE castle restoration in the province of Cádiz has gone viral, sparking criticism from all over the globe.
The 9th-century Matrera fortress in Villamartín, built by the Mediaeval Arabs and now in private hands, was declared a ruin three years ago after torrential rain had gradually eroded its foundations.
But its recent and necessary restoration has horrified townspeople, been ridiculed on national TV and even reached the British national press.
A full page in The Guardian carried the headline: “What the hell have they done?”, reflecting the same rhetorical question asked on Spain's channel six, La Sexta.
“It looks as though they've called in builders rather than restorers,” the presenter commented on the programme.
One local resident filmed on the show said 'they've really messed up', whilst a specialist local history association said it was 'very concerned', since heritage laws 'ban reconstructions' and the restorers should have 'just consolidated the rest of the tower which was left'.
A smooth concrete block wall has been built inside the two remaining sides of the castle, and not even in the same colour, as the 'before and after' photos on Twitter show (above left).
Historians from Villamartín say they have even been contacted by people from abroad who say they 'cannot understand why this silliness, or heritage massacres' are allowed.
The article in The Guardian likens the botched castle restoration to that of the 19th-century Ecce Homo fresco in the local church in Borja (Zaragoza province) by local 80-something amateur artist Cecilia Jiménez.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com