Apple Inc.
has discovered an ancient site in the place it wants to build its new store in
the Spanish capital Spain. The ancient site is the ruin of a hospital San
Andres Hospital which was built in the early 15th century and later changed its
name to Buen Sucesco (which means Good fortune).
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| The ruin, don't mind the foundation... Pic: El Pais |
The building
was later demolished in 1854 to give way to the Puerta de Sol square. The license
had been given to Apple for the land before the ruins were discovered.
Excavation of the site has revealed that there are no remains of human beings
on the site.
A similar
building; a church which had the same name as the hospital was found when the
Sol Metro and Cercanias light rail station was to be built beside the site for
the Apple store in 2009. Excavation of this site revealed remains of burials
from the Peninsular War and the execution that followed the May2, 1808 uprising
against Napoleon’s troops in the capital. This led to the delay of the
construction by ten months. The ruins were preserved and a partition had to be
made so that commuters can still see the ruins.
However it
will be a different matter in Apple’s case as Apple is only requested to build
its store on the ruins but not to display it under glass floors. The Director
of Madrid Heritage Department, Jaime Ignacio Munoz, told El Pais that this
discovery is not a surprise as they knew it could be there.
“We’re not
surprised to find these remains because we knew they could be there. Tha building
is located on a historic site and is protected as an area of public cultural
interest, so that any action on the ground has to have the approval of the
Heritage Department,” he said.
He recommended
that Apple place an information panel in the store to explain this part of the
building to customers. He further explained that Apple was allowed to build on
it without showing it because of a “lack of great interest from a visual point
of view. It’s just foundations. The information that they suggest about the
shape of the walls is more important.”
It is
expected that the new Apple store under construction will be completed later
this year.
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Apple to build store on 15th-century Spanish ruin