There are 7,000 boxes of archaeological remains stored by the Alicante City Council in the Cigarreras warehouse. To inventory this collection, Culture opened a public call. Only one company submitted a bid.
Heritage SL, a Madrid-based firm, was the sole applicant for the tender. The bid stood at €173,565.55 above the base price of €177,107.70, pending a full technical assessment and an economic solvency review.
The same company has previously expanded its work at the National Center for Microbiology and has conducted studies at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport. Although these activities do not directly relate to archaeology or cataloging heritage assets, Heritage SL is registered in Madrid and has connections to other artifacts in Spain.
In late June, the Board of Directors approved a procedure to issue an order for cataloging and inventory services for these remains.
The Contracting Committee is currently performing a pre-tender review to generate a descriptive inventory of items from more than 60 archaeological interventions. These items are stored at the municipal warehouse of the Alicante City Museum, known as MUSA, located in Las Cigarreras.
The cataloging system chosen for managing the museum’s assets is GV Museis, with a three-year term and no option for extension.
Alicante approves cataloging of 7,000 boxes of archaeological remains
The Cultural Councilor, Anthony Manresa, noted that the stored material largely comes from excavations in the Cerro de Las Balsas area conducted between 2003 and 2007, as well as dig sites in the old town of Alicante and La Albufereta Roman villas.
Alicante City Museum
The Alicante City Museum, housed within Santa Bárbara Castle, comprises five rooms, including the Renaissance-style Cistern. The Engineers’ Union building has been repurposed as a Visitor Information Centre, featuring archaeological remains and a large-screen multimedia presentation about the city’s history. The old hospital hosts the exhibition Alicante Transferred from the Mediterranean, while the Long Room presents Stories and People.
Additionally, Las minas de Cueva de los Ingleses, also known as the mine explosion exhibit from the War of Succession (1701–1713), offers guided tours of the castle’s historic dungeons, accessible via a guided route that highlights the castle’s past and daily life in earlier eras.
Nations Park
Last year, Alicante City Council began maintenance work on the Parque de las Naciones archaeological site as part of a cooperation agreement among the municipalities, the University of Alicante, and the Ministry of Culture. The project focuses on protecting and identifying features within the area.
Spanning approximately 15,000 square meters, the site will host an outdoor museum adjacent to the Lucentum and Cerro de las Balsas settlements in Albufereta. This will form a new core element of a broader museum landscape for the city.