Unesco Rejects Literary Café Project on Cuesta de Moyano

The UNESCO advisory body, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), has advised against the installation of a literary café on Madrid's Cuesta de Moyano, a key cultural initiative of the Madrid City Council. While the city government believes the café could help preserve this historic area, ICOMOS argues that it could overshadow the local booksellers’ activities. Though the recommendation is not binding, the City’s Cultural Delegate, Marta Rivera de la Cruz, plans to continue working with ICOMOS and has requested a meeting with ICOMOS Spain to discuss the project's potential impact on the area's survival.

As a result, the literary café is unlikely to be completed by 2025, which marks the centenary of the Madrid Book Fair on Cuesta de Moyano, as originally planned by the municipal government. Rivera de la Cruz expressed her intention to collaborate with other political representatives to try to reverse ICOMOS’s decision, emphasizing the importance of the café to the area's revitalization. Lara Sánchez, founder of the local citizens' group "Soy de la Cuesta," believes the café is essential to attracting visitors, especially during the colder months, when the area sees fewer people.

ICOMOS has raised concerns about the project's negative impact on the authenticity of the heritage site, questioning whether it can align with the architectural character of the area. The organization suggests that the café, which is intended for tourists, might shift the focus of activities away from the booksellers and towards catering to visitors. Booksellers, however, have supported the café, believing it would be beneficial to their businesses. This idea emerged from the public consultation process known as ‘Territorio Moyano’ conducted by the City Council in 2016, which involved input from booksellers, residents, and frequent visitors.

The proposal for the café began in 2018 when the Madrid City Council first presented the project to the Local Commission of Historical Heritage, where it was initially accepted. After the "Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro, Landscape of Arts and Sciences" was declared a World Heritage Site, the design had to be modified to meet UNESCO's criteria. However, ICOMOS remains dissatisfied with some of the changes, including the café's location. The placement of the pavilion near the existing bookstalls, particularly at the eastern end of the Cuesta, is seen as a direct competition with the booksellers’ stands, and ICOMOS fears that the new structure may overshadow the long-standing literary hub of Cuesta de Moyano.