Orihuela Water Court Archives Depart From Orihuela This Month

Centuries of water management history are group to time off Orihuela this period arsenic nan city’s Water Court prepares to nonstop its archive to Valencia for cataloguing and digitisation.  

The 463 archival boxes, containing astir 5,000 humanities documents making love backmost to nan 15th century, will beryllium temporarily housed astatine nan Archive of nan Kingdom of Valencia. 

The transportation marks a caller section for 1 of Spain’s oldest and astir respected institutions of h2o governance – nan Orihuela Water Court. It was formally recognised arsenic a accepted and customary tribunal successful 2021. 

In nan archive location is simply a beardown portion of history: a royal decree granted connected May 14, 1275, by King Alfonso X, known arsenic “The Wise,” which formally acknowledged nan authorities of Orihuela’s irrigators. The archive is now successful Spain’s National Historical Archive, and it represents nan first written grounds of nan city’s system water-sharing system. 

The tribunal has played a large domiciled successful ensuring equitable h2o distribution successful nan Vega Baja region. 

The oldest archive successful nan Orihuela archive is simply a 1439 parchment, written successful Valencian, that records an statement betwixt 2 farmers complete irrigation rights.  

According to nan existent Water Judge, José Bernabé, nan determination to move nan archive is administrative. “It’s a impermanent transportation for cataloguing and classification,” he explained, noting that nan postulation will return to Orihuela wrong 3 months. Once catalogued, nan Ministry of Culture will oversee nan digitisation process to make nan postulation publically accessible to researchers and historians. 

Earlier this year, nan Orihuela Water Court was officially declared a Cultural Heritage Asset by nan Valencian government. Efforts are now underway to get immoderate nickname from UNESCO arsenic an constituent of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity — a move backed by nan President of nan Generalitat Valenciana, Carlos Mazón. 

To commemorate its 750th anniversary, a caller book written by archaeologist Emilio Diz Ardid is being published pinch nan support of nan Alicante Provincial Council. The book explores nan court’s taste and ineligible legacy. 

With much than 12,000 irrigators, nan Orihuela Water Court continues to service arsenic a span betwixt nan past and present.