• The findings located in the first phase of construction of the Mataró-Maresme Circular Park would explain the origin of the urban area of the city

At the end of 2020, during the removal of the industrial pre-constructions and the initial archaeological prospecting necessary for the start-up of the construction of the Mataró-Maresme Circular Park, archaeological remains of Roman and Visigothic origin were found.

The archaeological remains found correspond to 3 chronological phases. A first phase with the remains of the outbuildings of a Roman establishment (1st century AD – 4th century AD); a second phase with the remains of a large building that could be interpreted as a centre of worship, around which a large necropolis has been found, dating from the 5th and 7th centuries AD and corresponding to the Visigothic period; and a third phase dating from the 14th century with the remains of a wall and an extensive cultivation area.

Interpretation of the remains

The remains of the second phase fill a chronological gap between the end of the Roman city and the medieval period. The importance of the discovery lies in the interpretation of these remains, which are important for the city and for Catalonia, given that very little is known about this period in Spain. The remains are the origin of the nucleus of the town of Mata, a toponym that would be related to the present-day Mataró, and explain the historical period of the transition from the lower Roman Empire to the early Middle Ages.

Interpretation Centre at Bon Recés

The importance of the site makes it necessary to create an interpretation centre to disseminate the remains through the application of modern technology. Mataró City Council’s proposal is to locate this facility in the green zone near the site, in the Bon Recés area. There, a new urban park would be planned for the city, which would house the interpretation centre and welcome visitors.

This area is part of the ‘Anella Verda‘ and is a natural viewpoint of the Cinc Sénies. The City Council will commission a museum project for the findings to make the centre a reality in the medium term.

With this proposal Mataró maintains the project of the Circular Economy Park, while gaining a new centre to house the findings that will explain the origin of the city and will enhance the value of a green area with a new cultural reference for the city.

Mataró-Maresme Circular Park

The Mataró-Maresme Circular Park is a unique and disruptive public infrastructure project in Europe, contributing great environmental, economic and social value, focused on the circular economy and aimed at promoting the repair and reuse of materials and products to reduce the production of waste.

€20 million of public investment

Its construction, which occupies a 2 ha plot, is being promoted by the Maresme Waste Consortium, a body made up of 28 town councils in the region under the presidency of Mataró, and also with the participation of the Barcelona Provincial Council and the Maresme Regional Council. The estimated public investment is €20 million from the Maresme Consortium Town Councils, the Generalitat de Catalunya and the Next Generation Funds through grants already awarded.

The Park will develop activities of a different nature, all of them integrated in an overall vision under the principles of the circular economy.

The Remake Area

The first phase of the project foresees the Remake Area, which will include a set of free services for citizens aimed at reducing waste: an advisory service for self-repair in different areas (computers and electronic devices, carpentry and furniture, bicycles, textiles, domestic DIY, etc.), a library of things, a Scrap Store, a reusable tableware lending service, a large second-hand shop, a kitchen eliminating food waste, among other actions that will include the social inclusion of disadvantaged groups.

The implementation of the first phase also includes improving the management and sorting of bulky waste to maximise the potential for recovery.

Public-private initiatives

The next phases of the Park will focus on activities of a more technological and industrial nature, of a private initiative.

What makes the project disruptive is unifying in the same ecosystem initiatives aimed at citizens along with private initiatives aimed at implementing business activities in the field of the circular economy.

High socio-economic impact

The Mataró-Maresme Circular Park will generate synergies with the urban improvement and development policies of the adjoining neighbourhoods and will boost the Mata-Rocafonda industrial estate as a centre of attraction for circular industries and initiatives. It will also generate new and better employment, economic and social resilience, territorial impact and a ‘pulling’ effect, with scalable and replicable experiences.

The project will have a very positive socio-economic impact on Mataró and the Maresme region. It is estimated that during the construction phase, 381 jobs will be generated and an impact in the form of gross added value of 17.2 million euros; while during the operation phase, 211 jobs will be generated and an impact of 14.1 million euros per year.

It is a project aligned with the European Green Pact and the Spanish Circular Economy Strategy and represents the innovative transition towards a new model of production and consumption that acts as a lever for industrial modernisation, the generation of knowledge and the development of new urban models.

The Mataró-Maresme Circular Park is committed to Industry 4.0, the knowledge economy and digitalisation.

Virtual recreation of the future Mataró-Maresme / Maresme Circular Park