“No apartments will be built in the old Calderón summer cinema,” says the mayor of Talavera de la Reina

With the help of 14.3 million euros in European funds, Talavera is preparing a transformation of its urban and heritage space. The mayor, José Julián Gregorio, details how these investments will be used to rehabilitate the House of Canons, the Alfar … de la Purísima and several municipal buildings, while intervening in the historic streets and recovering the walls. The commitment combines heritage preservation, cultural promotion and urban revitalization, with the aim of unifying neighborhoods and strengthening the identity of a reference city.

— During the last call for European funds, EDIL, they obtained 14.3 million euros. We know that they will be assigned to the Casa de los Canonigos, as you mentioned, to a sports center in Cerro Negro, or even to rehabilitate a municipal building on Calle del Baño. Among all these medium-term investments, do you have a favorite project?

—They are all important, yes I would like to revive the city to attract investment from businesses and residents. With these transversal axes that I mentioned, we are going to unify Talavera so that there are no first and second class neighborhoods, betting on historical and natural heritage, such as the Tagus. We talked about the Casa de los Canónigos, but I am also working to recover the Alfar de la Purísima, in the Plaza de los Descalzos, next to the old Calderón cinema. We are close to reaching an agreement, we have already opened the file and there the Ceramic Interpretation Center will open its doors to continue preserving ceramics as a UNESCO Intangible Heritage of Humanity. In this pottery the only kiln of Arab origin in the city is preserved.

— Do you manage deadlines?

— Next year we will have to work on the rehabilitation. And not only that, with these European funds we are going to repair San Sebastián Street and Hospital Street in this area, in addition to the building on Baño Street that we are going to transform into a hostel for pilgrims of the Camino Real de Guadalupe.

—Will the real estate project for the Calderón cinema and the land of the former summer cinema continue?

—I continue to negotiate with Enrique Cerezo on the future of Calderón Cinema and the positions are already very close. But the first step is to conclude the agreement with the property of the Alfar de la Purísima, which is almost concluded. I tell you that the technical services of the City Hall are developing a project for this area, which includes the Calderón cinema, which will not be destroyed, and the summer cinema, in which the apartments will not be built, that is my intention. The latter is located in what was the cloister of the Franciscan convent and we cannot allow another heritage to be lost.

—You also announced an exhibition to commemorate the sixth anniversary of ceramics as the intangible heritage of humanity.

—Yes, it will be in 2026 and I cannot yet give you more details because it is in preparation. Well, it will be in a municipal building, not in the Ruiz de Luna Museum, and it is one of the most important cultural projects we have on the table, along with the ceramic sculptures in the gardens on the banks of the Tagus.

“The ceramic exhibition will take place in a municipal space and not at the Ruiz de Luna Museum”

Jose Julian Gregorio

Mayor of Talavera de la Reina

—In this heritage line, why are they not acting urgently on the wall of Carnicerías Street?

—We are going to act with our own funds, finally as a Town Hall because no Administration has responded to our request. There is a line item in the budget for 2026 and we have already prepared everything to address this area. The Town Hall will launch a call for tenders and we will carry out the rehabilitation.

— Are you planning to invest more in the wall?

—Yes, we obtained 2.6 million euros thanks to the 2% cultural contribution from the ministry. This is the first time that Talavera has obtained funds from the ministry in this area, and it is very important, because other cities that achieved this for the first time have continued to benefit from funds to rehabilitate their heritage. With these 2.6 million we will unify the urban area of the Charcón Wall with that of Salvador and we will request more funds so that in the future more sections can be visited, including the Alcazaba de Carnicerías.

— Do you have a defined use for the House of Canons?

—Yes, it will be a new space open to citizens, to all Talaverians and to the region, as a cultural space for exhibitions, also as a museum of the history of Talavera de la Reina, and for associations to carry out events. That is to say, it will be a cultural space, but already of first order in the Historic Center.

Gregorio opposes the transfer: “I will continue to work to make the Tagus a worthy river”

— Without a doubt, Mr. Mayor, the most ambitious and unexpected project that you are currently facing in the field of heritage is the restoration of the Pont Vieux.

—Yes, the Minister of Culture confirmed to us a few days ago that he would soon send us the project so that we could see it. The most important thing is that the money is allocated to the direct cultural 2%. So all the elements are there, the only thing we need is for the project to happen now. The writing company specializes in heritage and we trust it completely. From Madrid we have been told that this will be a powerful and comprehensive action, so that we do not have another similar problem with the bridge. And that gives me great peace of mind.

—A bridge over the Tagus, are you worried about the situation of the river?

—Well yes, the truth is that it worries me because to do anything on the river you have to ask for 200,000 permits. We have managed to clean part of the banks, but I would like the Tagus Hydrographic Confederation to help us a little more with its resources, as it does in Aranjuez, Madrid. We need to dredge some areas that were filled with sand during last year’s flood. We wanted to act with our own means, for example in the field of canoeing and they told us that this had to be an action with the Confederation and there we are fighting with them to give us permits or to do it with their means.

—Do you consider that the main problem of the river is the transfer to the Levant?

—Yes, it’s true, and I will continue to fight so that Talavera has water of quality and quantity. I will continue to work to make my city and the Tagus a worthy river. The first thing is to look at the yielding basin, which is the Tagus and this mayor will be there to defend it.

— Is your clarity in your answer surprising? Are you not afraid of the regional or national leadership of your party when it comes to transfers?

— I was clear because that’s what I have to do, defend the interests of Talavera de la Reina. Obviously, I share with my party almost 90 percent of the shares, but if there is something different, then they must accept it, because that is what my people are asking for.