ARCHIVED - King of Spain opens the Roman Forum museum in Cartagena
Felipe VI visits the museum at the largest city centre archaeological park in Europe
King Felipe VI of Spain visited Cartagena on Thursday to officially open the Roman Forum Museum, the latest addition to the long list of important archaeological sites and monuments related to the Roman city of Carthago Nova.
The opening ceremony began at 11.30 and despite restrictions on the number of people attending dozens of members of the public gathered outside to welcome the monarch. Accompanying him were various dignitaries including the president of the regional government, Fernando López Miras, and the Mayoress of Cartagena, Ana Belén Castejón, and the King dispensed with pandemic protocols to chat briefly with staff at the neighbouring medical centre, greeting them with his hand on his chest rather than handshakes.
Displays at the new museum include over 350 items of great historical and artistic value, telling the story of the Molinete hill in Cartagena over the last 2,200 years. Roman marble and mosaic flooring has been restored within what is now the largest city centre archaeological park in Europe, occupying 26,000 square metres, although the area considered to be “on display” is rather smaller, on the southern side of the hill.
The main part of the hill has been converted into a large, open air archaeological park, with public walkways and shaded areas opening up the top part of the site to the general public and more excavations on the southern face of the Molinete. The elements included are the thermal baths complex, the atrium building, a temple dedicated to the worship of the deities Isis and Serapis and part of the Decumanus Maximus, one of the main streets of Carthago Nova.