El Club · Medinaceli

The Aula arqueológica de Medinaceli is a heritage interpretation museum dedicated to explaining the archaeology and history of Medinaceli and its region, with special attention to the evolution of the settlement from prehistoric to medieval times. The Junta de Castilla y León presents it as an exhibition space installed in the Plaza Mayor of Medinaceli, designed to initiate the visit to the historical complex of the town. The museography includes full-scale reconstructions and models of public and private environments of the prehistoric and historic past, so that the tour functions as a visual introduction to the Paleolithic and Neolithic groups of the Ambrona Valley, as well as the Bronze Age and 2nd Iron Age settlements of the Jalón Valley. Access to the space is also described as part of the Living Museums initiative of the Medinaceli Town Council. It is not a monumental historical building in itself, but a contemporary cultural resource located in the historic center of Medinaceli, a town declared a Historic-Artistic Site and located in a strategic enclave between the basins of the Ebro and Duero rivers. Its main function is didactic, to contextualize the archaeological heritage of the environment before visiting other assets of the town and its region. In the files consulted there is no construction chronology of the building or a singular architectural style that should be highlighted; therefore, the value of the resource lies mainly in its interpretive content and in the dissemination of the archaeological past of Medinaceli.

The Collegiate Church of Our Lady of the Assumption is a collegiate church in Medinaceli, in the province of Soria, located in the church square of the historic town. Its typology is that of a collegiate or parish church of great rank, linked to the old religious complex of the town and today one of the heritage landmarks of the old town. The present building was erected in the first half of the 16th century, in late Gothic or late Gothic style, with Renaissance elements added or present in its configuration. The local patrimonial tradition places the construction on a previous Romanesque temple; of that primitive building the crypt under the main altar is preserved. Architecturally it has a single nave, pentagonal chancel, lateral choir and lateral chapels, mostly from the Baroque period. The roof is resolved with vaults of terceletes on octagonal pillars, and the façade is described as Hispano-Flemish. Among its outstanding elements are the grille of the presbytery, dated 1534, and the tomb of the dukes, made in the early seventeenth century. The collegiate church is part of the monumental heritage of Medinaceli and is part of the cultural route of Castilla y León dedicated to Tierra de Medinaceli.

The Ducal Palace of Medinaceli is a palatial manor house located in the Plaza Mayor of Medinaceli, in the province of Soria, and today serves as the DEARTE Contemporary Art Center. It is a noble building of great patrimonial relevance, declared of Cultural Interest as a Monument in 1979. Its construction dates back to the 16th century according to a local heritage source, although other references date it to the 17th century and link it to the design of Juan Gómez de Mora; in any case, it responds to Renaissance architecture with Herrerian influence. The palace was the seat of the House of Medinaceli and has a quadrangular floor plan organized around a two-story central courtyard. Among its outstanding elements are the stone façade with the ducal coats of arms and the Renaissance courtyard, which preserves a remarkable architectural value. The building fell into disuse in the 19th century and reached a state of serious deterioration, until its restoration and cultural reopening at the end of the 20th century and in 2008 as an exhibition space. It currently houses contemporary art exhibitions and cultural activities promoted by the DEARTE Foundation, integrating a Roman mosaic found in the villa within the visitable route. Its exact location in Medinaceli makes it one of the main heritage resources of the municipality.

Las Salinas de Medinaceli is a place linked to the old salt exploitation located next to the confluence of the Jalón and Pradejón rivers, in the municipality of Medinaceli, province of Soria. The enclave is associated to a historical locality of the municipality and to an activity of long tradition, already known in Roman times, whose mark has marked the landscape and the identity of the place. The most interesting for the visitor are the pools and structures of the salt mine, which can still be recognized as part of a traditional productive landscape. This type of space allows us to understand how salt was obtained in the interior of the peninsula, taking advantage of springs or brackish water and organizing the land in evaporation ponds. The complex also offers an open rural environment, linked to the valley landscape and the transition between the moorland and the surrounding plains. Its relevance is both patrimonial and territorial: it preserves a clear testimony of the salt economy and of the historical occupation of the valley, and it is part of the cultural and natural resources disseminated by the municipality itself and by heritage promotion entities. At present, the interest of the site lies in the reading of the landscape, the memory of the old exploitation and its value as a unique landmark within Medinaceli.