Heritage and Management: the vanishing of the first rail network of Seville (Spain)

Abstract

Implemented in the network of two companies at the end of the 19th century, Seville's first railway lines constituted a large network, and a variety of construction techniques and architectural typologies that were completely deactivated in 1992. Although the plans for installation and use of railway systems are fundamentally linked to the idea of an operational complex, the methods applied in the preservation of their buildings were and continue to be fragmented, meaning, based on specific strategies conservation and rehabilitation. After a historical contextualization and, based on a field study, this article will present Seville’s railway remnants and their current condition. The aim is to discuss the railway preservation issue, encouraged by urban planning which has eventually led to the application of one-off preservation strategies, contributing to the reflection on a challenge still present in the ways of safeguarding railway heritage.