The Workshop+ promoted by the Government of Castile-La Mancha in the Toledan town of San Bartolomé de las Abiertas allowed the recovery and rehabilitate an old magazine from the Spanish Civil Wartransforming it into a new tourist resource for the municipality. The delegate … of the Talavera de la Reina Council, David Gómez Arroyo, and the provincial delegate of Economy, Business and Employment, Julián Martín, recently visited this show accompanied by the mayor of the city, Esteban Benito Blázquez.
During the visit, Gómez Arroyo emphasized that this intervention “is a clear example of the usefulness and value of Ateliers+», since they combine training and improving the employability of the unemployed with actions directly benefiting municipalities. In this case, he highlighted that the project allowed “the recovery of the heritage and memory of San Bartolomé de las Abiertas”.
The rehabilitated powder magazine was until recently an unknown element in the town and it was discovered accidentally during the development of another employment workshop promoted by the Commission, when a student located this military structure while work was being carried out in the area. Based on this discovery, the Town Hall decided to allocate Taller+ to the recovery of this historic enclave.
The Council delegate congratulated the mayor for promoting this initiative which, in his opinion, reflects “Esteban Blázquez’s involvement in the development of his citythe recovery of the historical heritage of the city and the commitment to its neighbors, in particular to the unemployed who participated in the program and improved their professional placement opportunities.
The work was carried out by seven students and one student from the workshopguided by their instructor, in the specialty of auxiliary operations of factory masonry and roofing. The work began with the removal of several tons of earth and materials that completely covered the powder magazine and made it possible to prepare the space for public visits, with easier access and rehabilitated areas.
The powder magazine is located on the outskirts of the town, it has a tunnel with two entrances and an approximate area of 130 square meters. The action included the rehabilitation of the main entrance and the east and west gates, transforming this enclave into a new tourist attraction for San Bartolomé de las Abiertas.
The project received a grant from the regional government of 134,104 euros and made it possible to train eight unemployed people for six months, between June and December, who also obtained a level 1 professional certificate.
Gómez Arroyo highlighted “the importance of this program of employment workshops that the Council of Communities offers on an ongoing basis”, recalling that These initiatives have enabled many people to learn a trade and subsequently access the job market. In this sense, he announced that the employment workshops will continue in 2026 in the province of Toledo, with an investment of more than 840,000 euros.
These programs will be developed in rural municipalities in the Talavera region such as Gamonal, PepinoAldeanueva de BarbarroyaLucillos, Herreruela de Oropesa and Lagartera, and will allow 184 unemployed people, mainly women, to access a work contract and specialized training.
For his part, Julián Martín highlighted that since 2019 The Government of Castile-La Mancha has invested more than 8 million euros in employment workshops in the Talavera region, a commitment that has provided work and training opportunities to more than 700 unemployed people and has contributed to the economic and social development of the territory.
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