On 20 August, restoration work began on the historic salt mill located next to the Castle of San José. This initiative is driven by the Centres for Arts, Culture and Tourism (CACT) of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, and is awarded to the specialised company Cierres Enrollables – Puertas Automáticas Lanzarote (CEPAL).
The intervention aims to restore an infrastructure that, due to its advanced deterioration, presented a decayed image near the well-known Fortress of Hunger. “We cannot turn our backs on our history,” emphasised the CACT councillor, Ángel Vázquez, who added: “We have the responsibility to protect and conserve our ethnographic heritage so that new generations can understand how the sea and salt shaped the life and landscape of Arrecife.”
The project involves dismantling the mill to evaluate which elements can be salvaged and to create exact replicas of irretrievable parts. Key actions include the manufacture of new blades in stainless steel, the replacement of essential components such as the rotor, weathervane, and the crank and connecting rod transmission system, as well as the fabrication of a new “Y” support piece for the crankshaft attachment.
Additionally, the support pillars will be inspected to ensure the stability of the structure before the reassembly of the renovated mill.
With a budget of 80,000 euros, the project has an estimated execution period of six months.
The Mill and the Memory of Salt Production
Salt extraction in the coastal area where the mill is located began in the mid-19th century. Its purpose was to channel water towards the salt pans situated north of the Castle of San José, at a time when salt production was an economic driving force for the island.
The passage of time, coupled with marine erosion, has accelerated the deterioration of this infrastructure, which was previously restored by the Cabildo in the 1990s. Three decades later, it requires intervention once more to prevent its collapse and ensure the preservation of one of the last vestiges of the salt industry in Arrecife.
