CULTURE
- The Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mariano de Paco, signed the accession agreement today with the Mayor of Leganés, Miguel Ángel Recuenco, after a tour with the Councilor of Culture, Mercedes Neria.
- They visited the Church of San Salvador, declared a Cultural Interest Site (BIC) last August, and the Luis Arencibia Sculpture Museum.
- “It is a historic day, opening our Virtual Tourist Office will serve a purpose that we were very clear about in this government team: to feel proud of the identity of being a neighbor of Leganés. We have many emblematic places: the Church of San Salvador, the Sculpture Museum, the Sabatini building, the oldest mental health center in Spain, or the Hermitages of Butarque and San Nicasio,” Miguel Ángel Recuenco enumerated.
- “Leganés and the Community are joining hands again to work for the citizens. This city has a lot to offer. Up to 146 sculptures spread between the Museum and the entire municipality, and one is amazed by a wonder like the Church of San Salvador and its twelve altarpieces,” highlighted the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mariano de Paco.
- “From today, all citizens can access the new website we have created with everything that can attract tourism in Leganés and the entire history of the city through the Network of Tourist Offices. It is a first, very important step, to later establish a physical tourist office,” announced the Councilor of Culture, Mercedes Neria.
The Leganés City Council officially joined the Network of Tourist Information Offices of the Community of Madrid today, with the aim of strengthening the dissemination of the city’s cultural and heritage attractions. The Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Sports of the Community of Madrid, Mariano de Paco Serrano, signed the accession agreement with the Mayor of Leganés, Miguel Ángel Recuenco, and they visited the Church of San Salvador, declared a Cultural Interest Site (BIC) last August, and the Luis Arencibia Sculpture Museum, alongside the Councilor of Culture, Mercedes Neria.
This accession is the result of the collaboration agreement signed between both administrations and entails the commitment of the City Council to provide its virtual office with the necessary means to fully join this network. The Ministry will make its databases and public tourist information available to this service, thus facilitating unified and updated access to the available resources.
The Network of Tourist Offices of the Community of Madrid is the result of a coordination policy between the regional Administration and local Corporations. Comprising a total of 65 centers, it offers a comprehensive set of services that homogenizes content, support instruments, and interactive mechanisms to enhance visitor satisfaction in the region.
“You have to be proud of Leganés’ identity”
The Mayor of Leganés, Miguel Ángel Recuenco, stated that “it is a historic day, opening our Virtual Tourist Office will serve a purpose that we were very clear about in this government team: to be proud of the identity of being a neighbor of Leganés.”
“We have many emblematic things that have been recovered in these two years of government: like the Manuel Rodríguez Sales Music School, the abandoned Sculpture Museum, the Church of San Salvador. And this agreement allows us to value everything the city has and turn it into a tourist attraction so that people know that Leganés exists and they can visit it and have a great time, from our sports facilities, to appreciate our culture and gastronomy,” detailed the Mayor.
Minister of Culture: “Leganés has a lot to offer”
The Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mariano de Paco Serrano, indicated that it is “a happy day, Leganés and the Community are joining hands again to work for the citizens, which is the fundamental element that guides the Government’s actions of this Mayor and his team. Culture, tourism, and sports are hallmarks of the leadership of the Community and also of Leganés, which offers a lot.”
“We have signed this historic agreement to integrate Leganés’ Tourist Office, we have visited the Sculpture Museum, which is filled with many others in the city, with up to 146 sculptures, and also the Church of San Salvador, a marvel with twelve altarpieces and one is amazed by so much art and the effort that has been made to make it accessible to citizens,” highlighted the regional Minister.
San Salvador, Sabatini building, the Hermitages of Butarque and San Nicasio
Miguel Ángel Recuenco listed that “Leganés is an emblematic place: the Church of San Salvador, whose first vestiges date back to the 15th century; the Sabatini building at Carlos III University, which housed the Royal Guard for many years and now puts us on the map with the creation of talent of engineers; the oldest mental health center in Spain, a building of the Medinaceli family; the Hermitage of San Nicasio, which we are also working to declare a Cultural Interest Site (BIC); and the Hermitage of Butarque, 200 meters from the Butarque stadium.”
“Everything that can attract tourism will be announced on our website”
For her part, the Councilor of Culture, Mercedes Neria, detailed that “in practice, this agreement will mean that any citizen who wishes can enter the Virtual Tourist Office of the Community and find the link to Leganés, which will take them to a new website that we are inaugurating today, with a very modern image, to attract people to tourism in Leganés, whether to a Cultural Interest Site like the Church of San Salvador, the Sculpture Museum, or a Sacred Music Contest, or a Tapas Route. Everything that can attract people will be announced here, in addition to all the city’s history, all the located sculptures, a virtual site that explains each of the figures in the altarpiece of the Savior.”
“We have created a new image of the city and, of course, we thank the Community of Madrid for allowing us to be part of this Tourism Network, and this is the first step, a very important step, to later create a physical tourist office in the future,” announced the Culture Councilor.
The Minister visited the Church of San Salvador and the Sculpture Museum
During the visit, Minister De Paco Serrano was able to visit the Church of San Salvador, declared a Cultural Interest Site (BIC) for being a relevant example of Madrid’s architecture from the 16th and 17th centuries, showcasing the late Gothic and ornamented classicism. The Community of Madrid invested 2.3 million euros in the comprehensive renovation of this monument, which was completed in 2023 and included improving the foundation under the temple’s tower, restoring the vaults of the central and lateral naves, completely replacing the wooden structure and finishes of the roof, implementing a radiant floor heating system, and renewing the interior lighting.
The construction history of the church dates from the late 15th or early 16th century until the Churriguera altarpieces are completed, in the years 1701-1707 and 1720.
Additionally, De Paco Serrano visited the open-air Sculpture Museum Luis Arencibia. It is a unique project in Spain that, since 1984, has expanded its collection and become a pioneer in this discipline. It covers an area of about 27,000 square meters, with a collection that includes pieces by 20th-century artists such as Martín Chirino, Jorge Oteiza, Agustín Ibarrola, Juan Bordes, Pablo Serrano, or Francisco Leiro.
