The Censo do patrimonio marítimo inmoble de Galicia (Census of the immovable maritime heritage of Galicia) project arose from the needs identified during the research initiated in 2021. This research resulted in the foundational document for the Plan of Maritime Culture of Galicia (PCUMA): the urgent and shared requirement along the Galician coast for an inventory of immovable maritime heritage conducted with the rigour of an in-depth investigation (Project 34 PCUMA).

The Census is a publicly accessible, constantly updated tool that enables the location, description and documentation of heritage elements associated with maritime culture along the Galician coast. Access to the Census is via an interactive viewer that georeferences the recorded elements, providing clear, intuitive territorial visualisation. It is a dynamic inventory that incorporates all completed work. Of the approximately 2,000 maritime heritage elements in existence, the inventory focuses on almost 1,500 assets in the architectural, ethnological and industrial categories. This is because these elements are most closely linked to the maritime-industrial chain due to their landscape and cultural significance or because they incorporate the sea as an element that structures their spatial and functional configuration. Military and archaeological assets will be incorporated in later phases.

This pioneering project in Galicia enables the unified documentation of immovable maritime heritage for the first time, establishing spatial and thematic relationships between the elements that comprise this culture. One of its most notable accomplishments is the incorporation of 919 new entries, the result of extensive research.

 

Immovable maritime heritage as an object of study

The configuration of the Galician coast and its maritime tradition have historically shaped the location of marine infrastructure, forming unique cultural landscapes. These heritage elements, the result of crafts along the maritime-industrial chain and other maritime activities, form part of a heritage that cannot be understood in isolation, but rather within the socioeconomic networks that generated it.

The immovable maritime heritage is a material expression of Galician maritime culture and a symbol of the identity of coastal communities. Its study allows for an integrated understanding of the social, cultural, and economic aspects of Galicia's coastal territorial system.

Objetivos del Censo

El Censo busca combinar la investigación científica con el acceso público y participativo al patrimonio marítimo gallego. Sus principales objetivos son:

• Crear una base de datos representativa del patrimonio marítimo inmueble, útil para instituciones y ciudadanía, que facilite el estudio, conservación y puesta en valor de este patrimonio.
• Recuperar la memoria de las comunidades litorales, contextualizando cada elemento y mostrando la evolución del patrimonio, reforzando la identidad colectiva gallega.
• Analizar la relación entre patrimonio y territorio, estudiando como la cadena mar-industria transformó el litoral gallego e influyó en la configuración de los paisajes costeros.
• Difundir el proyecto mediante una web multilingüe con visores interactivos y buscadores dinámicos que permiten explorar los bienes inventariados de forma accesible.

Objectives of the Census:

The census aims to combine scientific research with public, participatory access to Galician maritime heritage. Its main objectives are:

• To create a representative database of immovable maritime heritage that is useful for institutions and citizens and facilitates the study, conservation and enhancement of this heritage.
• To recover the memory of coastal communities by contextualising each element and showing the evolution of the heritage to reinforce Galician collective identity.
• To analyse the relationship between heritage and territory by studying how the maritime-industrial chain has transformed the Galician coast and influenced the configuration of coastal landscapes.
• To disseminate the project through a multilingual website with interactive viewers and dynamic search engines that allow for accessible exploration of the inventoried assets.

Methodological structure:

The census is based on a robust research methodology comprising seven main phases:

1. Documentary compilation: a review of over 10 previous inventories, specialised books, archives and newspaper collections was conducted to preserve existing knowledge and provide a comprehensive overview of Galicia's maritime heritage.
2. Coastal inspection: a detailed analysis of the territory was conducted using microtoponymy, digital mapping and a comparison of historical and current orthophotographs.
3. Coastal mapping involved travelling over 24,000 km between 2024 and 2025. This included systematic fieldwork, photographic documentation using cameras and drones, and georeferencing to ensure the representativeness and accuracy of the data collected for subsequent analysis and cataloguing. It also involved collecting testimonies from key informants and local oral histories in the territory.
4. Theoretical Reflection: Creation of a multidisciplinary Scientific Committee comprising seven experts who hold regular meetings to collectively reflect on conceptual definitions, heritage categories, typologies and cataloguing criteria. This also involves individual work, including the contribution of specialised information and bibliography, as well as a detailed, section-by-section review of the entire Galician coastline. (See the Documentation section for more information about the Scientific Committee.)
5. Study of typologies: Reflection and study to identify 76 typologies, which are grouped into the following heritage categories according to Ley 5/2016, de 4 de mayo, del patrimonio cultural de Galicia (Law 5/2016 of 4 May on the Cultural Heritage of Galicia): maritime architectural heritage (25), ethnological heritage (33) and industrial heritage (18). Maritime, military, and archaeological heritage assets will be addressed in a later phase.
6. List of heritage elements: an inventory of 1,452 assets, including previously unpublished items as well as those already catalogued, such as shipyards, lighthouses, canneries and traditional boat-building workshops. The total number of immovable maritime heritage assets is approximately 2,000, including 77 military assets and 392 archaeological assets.
7. Inventory: A standardised record template has been created that includes detailed information on all aspects to consider for the correct definition and cataloguing of the asset.

• Basic data includes historical and current orthophotos, historical and current photographs, coordinates, cadastral data, applicable regulations and criteria for inclusion in the census.
• Location maps have been designed to convey not only the geometric characteristics of the asset, but also its context, relationship with the sea and importance.
• Descriptive data includes past and present uses, dating and a historical overview of the asset, as well as its state of conservation.
• A collection of current images of the asset to help describe its condition and that of its surroundings in detail.
• Contextualisation within the Catálogo de Patrimonio Cultural del Plan Básico Autonómico (Cultural Heritage Catalogue of the Basic Autonomous Plan) for subsequent coordination between administrations.