Modern Solutions for Historical Monuments

A modern solution for the Sagrada Familia (Barcelona)

Historic monuments are recognised for their historical, artistic, architectural and cultural interest, and are often important for both the local community and tourists from abroad. However, due to their characteristics, they are often fragile and ill-equipped for receiving a large number of visitors.

Opening up and promoting historical monuments encourages the appropriation of the national heritage by the general public as well as attracting international visitors. Appreciation of cultural heritage contributes to local and social development and to the tourist economy, cultural identity and the attractiveness of the territory it is located in.

However, attracting high numbers of visitors brings with it a number of challenges. Protecting and preserving monuments while making them accessible is not an easy task. Access to these sites is often regulated by local authorities, who apply access restrictions and capacity controls to maintain the essence of the interior and encourage conservation. However, these measures are not always sufficient to control the number of visitors. The areas where the largest number of excessive visitors tend to accumulate are at the entrance and exits to the site.

One of the most important and popular monuments in Europe is the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. As well as a church, this emblematic place is an extremely popular site for tourists from all over the world, and offers visitors the opportunity to learn about its architect, Antoni Gaudí, and other elements of the modernist style that Barcelona is famous for.

The Sagrada Familia souvenir shop is a very busy part of this site, and Manusa was asked to come up with a solution to improve the circulation of visitors and tourists. It was important that the access solutions did not interfere with the architectural characteristics of the building. Manusa installed two sliding doors with transparent and fixed leaves. These automatic doors increase security and improve the flow of people in and out of this area of the monument.

If you are looking for an aesthetic solution for an historic monument or a place with special architectural features, contact Manusa now and we will talk you through all the access solutions we offer.