Website : www.parcogeominerario.eu
Thousand years of history in a place unique in the world
Sardinia is unique in the Mediterranean for its environmental, geological, biological characteristics, its natural landscapes with a spectacular coast and inland relief morphology, the underground hollows and the archaeological areas that, with their variety and importance, turn it into a small, but whole continent.
Mining activity has modelled the landscape and the ancient culture of the mining populations creating an atmosphere in which the visitors are accompanied by the smell of history among the wonderful marks of industrial archaeology, in underground worlds and in contact with the wonderful Sardinian nature.
Enchanting working class villages, extraction pits, thousand kilometres of galleries, industrial systems, old railway station, important records and the memory of generations of miners turn this Park into a new large cultural deposit to be discovered.
Not only mankind’s works, but also places where the majestic nature enraptures the visitors with the wonderful cliffs and the hard stacks plunging vertically into the sea, infinite and almost desert golden sand expanses, the “magic” carsic caves, the wild forests witch a large variety of animal species surrounded by the blue sea of Sardinia.
In October 1997 in Paris, UNESCO’s general assembly declared that the Geomineral Historic and Environmental Park of Sardinia was “the first Park in the geosite-geopark world net”.
The 8 areas of the Park, with their overall 3,500 square kilometres, turns it into one of the largest and heterogeneous national parks in Italy.
A lot is being done to offer its visitors a new and interesting aspect of this wonderful island. From the unique and particular examples of mining engineering such as Porto Flavia, Henry gallery and other numerous tunnels that today hold museum to the Italian Centre of Coal Culture and Saint Barbara’s Cave.
Tourist will find a historic and environmental geomineral museum unique in the world, where they can trace 8 thousand years of mining history, in which different peoples searching for minerals followed one another leaving indelible marks of a fascinating culture.
Headquarter (General Direction, Presidency, Administrative Direction, Secretariat, Archives, Technical Office, Office’s Plane), via Monteverdi 16, 09016 Iglesias – Italy
tel. 0390781255066, fax 0390781255065,
E-mail addresses: info@parcogeominerario.sardegna.it | segreteria@parcogeominerario.sardegna.it | presidente@parcogeominerario.sardegna.it
Website : www.parcogeominerario.eu
SHORT TEXT ON GEOLOGICAL AND MINING PARK OFSARDINIA
On account of its environmental characteristics, the Island of Sardinia represents a peculiar phenomenon in the middle of the western basin of the Mediterranean. Its geological – paleontological and mineralogic elements, its biologic rarities and endemics, its forest and wet zone populations, the variety and importance of its spectacular natural landscapes in the morphology of its coasts, internal mountains, underground cavities and archaeological remains make it a small yet complete continent.
Nevertheless, among these characteristics, it was the geological and mining exigencies that most intensely spelled out the social and cultural history of the island, – an island identified as the seat of sought-after, strategic, natural resources, deposits whose variety and size have attracted Mediterranean and other populations from the most ancient times up to recent years.
In a territory rich in many resources, the closure of mining leaves a heritage of landscapes, infrastructures, equipment, facilities, documents and archives, but it also leaves human values, professional skills and know how, that are the roots of cultural identity for many generations, and must be respected, protected and passed on.
It’s true, rehabilitation of mining areas is not a new problem to Sardinia: in recent years the provisions on the recovery of sites, the necessity of immediate intervention and the wide spread acceptance of environmental culture have led to some important works of improvement and requalification of mining sites and to the preparation of a number of projects mostly oriented in a museum-like, exhibitory, tourist destination of the recovered facilities.
Geological and Mining Park of Sardinia has 8 distinct Areas on a total 3,770 square kilometres, in order to protect and valorise this heritage. Each Area is both peculiar and original in the specific varieties of the geological deposits, in their mineralogical characteristics, in the history of mining activity and in the mining techniques.
Particular attention is devoted to historical and archaeological aspects strictly related to mining.
The 8 Areas contain an extraordinary heritage of mining archaeology, that added to the naturalistic and archaeological elements of value make the “Geological and Mining Park of Sardinia” unique in the world.
In October 1997 in Paris, UNESCO’s general assembly declared that the Geomineral Historic and Environmental Park of Sardinia was “the first Park in the geosite-geopark world net”.
In September 1998 UNESCO, ITALIAN GOVERNMENT, SARDINIA AUTONOMOUS REGION, EMSA (Sardinian Mining Autority), UNIVERSITY OF CAGLIARI AND SASSARI undersigned “Carta di Cagliari” for the acknowledgment of the international values of the “Geological, Mining, Historic and Environment Park of Sardinia”
The objectives and activities of the Park are aiming at the recognition of universal value of the mining areas of Sardinia by UNESCO, and are at the same time directed to planning community in order, national and regional intervention that should be able to carry out national and regional planning and management of the recognised areas. In this perspective, the interest, recognition and subsequently the constant collaboration of and with UNESCO are particularly useful and indispensable for the success of the Project.
A lot is being done to offer its visitors a new and interesting aspect of this wonderful island. From the unique and particular examples of mining engineering such as Porto Flavia, Henry gallery and other numerous tunnels that today hold museum to the Italian Centre of Coal Culture and Saint Barbara’s Cave.
Scientist and tourist will find a historic and environmental geomineral museum unique in the world, where they can trace 8 thousand years of mining history, in which different peoples searching for minerals followed one another leaving indelible marks of a fascinating culture.