Inventory of the railway heritage of the Greenways

Inventory of the Railway Heritage of the Greenways

Funded by: Consorcio de las Vías Verdes

Period: 2019

Drafting Technician: Carles Gorini Santo

Description

The inventory describes more than three hundred architectural elements that had been part of the lines of the former Girona carrilets. It therefore confirms that a vast majority have disappeared forever, following the different waves of intervention—both regular and irregular—that have taken place on the old train routes.

However, the elements that have not been preserved correspond to the most modest works which, in the case of the railway, were produced in series: if one has been preserved, we have the model, because all the others were identical. That said, we cannot overlook the fact that among what remains there are buildings in poor condition, that the Cellera station was demolished, and that bridges, pontoons, culverts, wagons, and embankments are being engulfed by vegetation which has turned the old railway path into a narrow strip—too narrow to be easily understood. Perhaps it could be argued that the individually inventoried elements possess little heritage value. It is true: the lines were built with a great economy of means. There are no great works of art. However, the true richness must be sought in the whole, in the interrelation of the human and material landscapes that have accompanied them from the precise moment they were conceived, exploited, and, over time, reused to pedal upon them. This is what this Inventory seeks to convey.