Bath construction at the Spanish Mediterranean seaside: maritime heritage for the coast environment

Abstract

The construction of buildings holding baths along the Spanish seashore, not only supposed an enjoyment for affluent people but was a way of generating a new tourist landscape. The golden age of Spanish balneotherapy took place around the last third of the nineteenth century. Many sea bath structures were built at the Spanish Levante, but they have all now disappeared. Inside these constructions there were coffee-shops, theaters and casinos. People used to go there looking for therapeutic or medicinal healing, and also to find a place where they could forget their problems and daily routine. This research paper is part of a project conducted at the University of Alicante, and its main target has been to find historical documentation about these Mediterranean seashore buildings (Alicante and Murcia) in order to accomplish a cataloging that allowed us to study these architecture typologies. All the historical maps and plans, drawings and photographs used in our paper, not only offer us a romantic vision, they also convey a whole process of systematized execution. The construction system can be divided into permanent and removable structures. This removable feature and the simplicity of assembly were achieved thanks to the precarious concession carried out by the authorities at the maritime area. This paper shows the study of different architectural, structural and constructive solutions implanted in each one of these typologies characterized by the use of fixed and removable lightweight structures and the evolution of piling systems.