Runs along the upper edges of the valleys of the rivers Sil and Miño in the sections close to the junction of the two rivers. Its boundary is defined on the ground in what is locally known as bocarribeira, which is the place where the slope changes abruptly, going from values above 30% (ribeiras) to values below 10% (chairas)
To be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change.
The nominated property shows an exceptional cultural waterscape embedded between the spectacular river canyons located at the confluence of the rivers Sil and Miño (Galicia, Spain), on the Atlantic coast of rainy Iberia, popularly known as Ribeira Sacra.
It is an epic landscape brought about by the culture and heritage of water, sustained by its countless streams, brooks and rivers that define its unique identity, beauty, composition and settlement patterns. It illustrates the origin and evolution of a territory sculpted by water and a paradigm of a water culture, in which the traces that have marked its construction over more than 1,500 years of continuous occupation can be vividly recognised, and that has its origins in the ancient hermit and monastic tradition rooted in this area.
The culture of water in these places is reflected in an exceptional water heritage that includes archaeological sites, the water-associated devices of all periods, including an important hydraulic industrial heritage, the unique drainage systems of the socalcos or crop terraces, as well as multiple other vernacular manifestations in the form of sacralised fountains and mines, canals, dams, passes and bridges, river routes and other unique works associated with water.
The power of water is a fundamental part of the cultural landscape narrative. The area of the nominated property contains an exceptional catalogue of heritage elements of hydraulic use that continuously bear witness to the energy self-sufficiency of each period, including traditional water mills from different centuries, whose works survive in exceptional number and density around the area of the property, followed by the mini-power stations or fábricas de luz (factories producing electricity) that emerged at the end of the 19th century, until the hydroelectric reservoirs of the mid-20th century arrived.
In short, Ribeira Sacra presents a cultural landscape in which one can read the story of the wonderful relationship between water, humans and their ingenuity, not only to ensure their survival and well-being, but also to make the most of all its possible uses.
FONTES, the title of the international meeting held between 27 and 29 October 2024, refers to the more than 900 water springs that flow throughout the Ribeira Sacra territory and that contribute to shaping this extraordinary landscape, and also to the sources of knowledge, an essential factor when dealing with a heritage property.
The following conclusions were reached:
