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The outstanding participation of the Chair Demetrio Ribes in the 2nd International Congress on Public Work and Civil Engineering Heritage.
The Chair Demetrio Ribes had an outstanding participation in the 2nd International Congress on Public Work and Civil Engineering Heritage.
The Chair Demetrio Ribes had an outstanding participation in the 2nd International Congress on Public Work and Civil Engineering Heritage, held on May 2026 in three locations: Castellón, Valencia and Alicante. The meeting gathered experts in different disciplines and professional fields to reflect on preservation, study, and appreciation of such relevant heritage.
Luis Arciniega, head of the Chair Demetrio Ribes and professor of History of Art at the Universitat de València, was part of the organising committee and held the conference El paso del Cabriel: siglos de catástrofes e ingenio, y su percepción social como paisaje cultural (Across the Cabriel river: centuries of disasters and wit, and its social perception as a cultural landscape). His intervention analysed the location as a critical connection point between the Valencian coast and the Castilian plateau.
He itemised infrastructures’ evolution from the 15th century to Lucio del Valle projects in the 19th century, showing how every technical intervention has been a learning experience from the previous disasters. Moreover, the leader presented the conclusions of a study on social perception of the heritage of the aforementioned nineteenth-century work, which, eventually, shows a major support to public investment for its preservation.
In turn, Ester Medán, researcher of the Chair Demetrio Ribes, presented the communication Diálogo cultural entre el puerto de Valencia y la ciudad, El edificio del Reloj como lugar de encuentro (Cultural dialogue between Valencia’s harbour and the city. The Edificio del Reloj as a meeting point). It was focused on dissemination, interpretation, and appreciation of the cultural heritage specially, related to port field.
Lastly, one of the most moving moments of the congress was the homage paid to Inmaculada Aguilar, honorary manager of the Chair Demetrio Ribes, and essential figure for promoting studies on industry, rail, and civil engineering heritage in a national scale and specially, in the Valencian Community. The acknowledgement valued a career marked by academic rigour, that has been key for social and institutional awareness of the heritage object of this conference.
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