Recognitions
The Salt Valley, thanks to the Foundation that manages its recovery, has already become an economic stimulation in the district through a number of actions: the production of salt, tourism, gastronomy, recovery works, research, local development, pedagogical-educational work...
The multi-experience character of the different action lines that the Foundation has been developing, can be proved by the range of national and international awards received over the years.
XIX century
Universal Exhibition
London 1851
The Añana Salt Valley displayed proudly the Salt of Añana in the first Universal International Exposition hold in London in 1851. This phenomenon came up to show to the world the advances that were taking place in the industry, not only as a showcase of the products that were sold, also to estimulate the production, the technological development and to encourage the international trades.
The exhibition was inaugurated by the Queen Victoria the 1st May 1851 and more than six millions of people visited it. The Knights Community of Heirs of the Royal Añana´s Salt Valley presented these inland salines as one of the firsts to achieve a whiter and purer salt in the world, thanks to the developments in infrastructures made at the beginning of the XIX century by the general royal rent architect Manuel de Vallina.
The success of this mission made the community to present it in the following Universal Exhibitions that took place all over the world: Paris 1855; London 1862; Paris 1867; Philadelphia 1876; Paris 1878; Paris 1889.
National Exhibitions
León 1876; Vitoria 1884, where a Silver Medal was achieved
1984 (Basque Government)
Historic-Artistic Monument of national character.
The Salt Valley of Añana is considered an Historic-Artistic Monument of national character by the Cultural Department of the Basque Government.
1990 (Basque Government)
Cultural Asset
In the law 7/1990 of Basque Cultural Heritage, the Salt Valley of Añana was categorized as a Cultural Asset, the highest category of heritage protection.
2002 (Convention Ramsar)
The Salt Valley of Añana and the Lake Caicedo are considered RAMSAR Wetlands of international importance.
The area integrated by the Salt Valle of Añana and the Lake Caicedo, is considered RAMSAR Wetland of international importance, since 2002 (Agreement of the Ministers´ Council 27th September 2002 and 17th October 2002 resolution by the Ministry of Environment) registered with the number 1258, ESP-42 registrado con el número 1258, ESP-42 because of the hictorical, archaelogical and anthropogenic values and its ecosystem which has great variety of fauna anf flora species, uniques in the Basque Country.
2005 (Basque-Navarre Official School of Architects)
Award to the Recovery Project´s Master Plan.
The Basque-Navarre School of Architects created the COAVN Architecture Awards to reward differents architectural works.
In 2005, the jury chose for the occasion, reward the Master Plan with prize "Ciudad, urbanismo y ecología". With this prize the multidisciplinary team that took part in the Master Plan was also rewarded.
2005 (Basque Government)
Singular Landscape (Catalogue of Singular and Remarkable Landscapes of the Historical Territory of Alava).
2007 (Fundación Fórum Ambiental of City Urbanism and Sustainable Ecology)
"Ciudad Sostenible" Award to the Recovery Plan.
In the year 2002 the Fundación Fórum Ambiental, with the support of Fira Barcelona, created this awards to acknowledge the effort of the communities in the sustainable development.
This anual awards are granted to the communities and local entities in Spain which have succesfully done sustainable actions in the last two years and that can proof a local compromise with the sustainable development.
2011 (Basque Government)
Best touristic product of the Basque Conuntry.
The Industry, Innovation, Trade and Tourism Department of the Basque Conuntry rewarded the Fundación Valle Salado de Añana because of its contribution to the development of the tourism of the Basque Country.
2011 (International Tourism Fair and the magazine "Aire Libre")
Best cultural product of active Tourism
The organization FITUR acknowledge the Valle Salado like the Best Cultural Product in the awards XVI Contest to the Best Product of Active Tourism, organised by the magazine "Aire Libre". This contest, which is a tradition in FITUR, has as an aim to encourage the development and commercialization of the active tourism, and also to create new and original proposals.
2010 (Basque Academy of Gastronomy)
Prize to the recovery project and to the valorization of the Valle Salado in the economic and social area.
The Valle Salado Foundation was rewarded in the Prizes of the Basque Academy of Gastronomy (Basque Government) because of its recovery, one of the most spectacular and extraordinary cultural landscapes of the world.
2011 (ERNEST. European Research Network on Sustainable Tourism)
Good practice example in sustainable tourism
The European Research Network on Sustainable Tourism (ERNEST), nowadays formed by 14 regions and european entities, was created in september 2008 with the support of the European Commission and with the finance of the ERA-NET, the seventh programme of research framework of the European Commission in the period 2008-2012, conceived to develop the sustainable tourism in coordination and colaboration between resarch programmes in the european regions.
The Basque Country is represented by the basque agency of tourism "Basquetour", Basque Agency of Innovation (Innobasque) and the Research Centre of Tourism (CICtourGUNE) as a support for this project.
2013 (Basque Government)
Valle Salado was declared a Cultural Landscape as a Monumental Site.
The Basque Government rewarded the Valle Salado de Añana the highest protection in cultural matters in 2013, including for the first time in the heritage legislation of the autonomous community the designation "Cultural Landscape". In particular, this unique salt landscape was declared as a Site of Cultural Interest in the category of Monumental Site.
2012 (UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)
Valle Salado in the Tentativ List of UNESCO.
Valle Salado is part of the Tentativ List of UNESCO since 2012 and it was submitted as a Candidate to become World Heritage by the Historical Heritage Council in 2013, where all the autonomous regions and the Ministry of Culture are represented.
After the ICOMOS assesment, the institutions decided to taked down the candidature in 2014, before UNESCO reach a decision, to submmit it with better guarantee in the future.
2013 (ERIH - EUROPEAN ROUTE OF INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE)
Salinas de Añana are included in the most important european route of industrial heritage.
Valle Salado is being included in the list European Route of Industrial Heritage, a tourism information net of the industrial heritage in Europe, that nowadays gathers more than 1000 sites in 43 european countries.
It is an initiative supported by the European Union, but boosted by countries in Northern Europe such as Germany, the Netherlands and Great Britain, which can be noticed in the structuring and in the contents.
2014 (Slow Food International)
International Slow Food Presidia to the Añana Salt
The salt which is produced with traditional techniques, known as "Sal de Añana", has obtained the recognition Slow Food Presidia, the biggest recognition of this international movement which bundles 100.000 partners and milliones of supporters
The Salt of Añana became one of the 400 Presidia products in the world. In Spain only ten food products have this distinction.
2014 (Repsol Guide)
Valle Salado de Añana, second Best Spot of Spain
Valle Salado de Añana was selected second Best Spot 2014 by the Repsol Guide in a competition with more than 1000 candidates. Due to the mistrust generated by the big amount of online votes, the managers decided to select two different spots as finalists.
2014 (III Forum of Creative Cities and Territories of Spain)
Recognition to the "Project of integral recovery and place value on Valle Salado de Añana" as an example of creativity and social development.
The "Project of integral recovery and place value on Valle Salado de Añana" was selected as an example of creativity and social development for the III Forum of Creative Cities and Territories. This meeting was organized by the University Juan Carlos I (Madrid).
2014 (Onda Cero)
Onda Cero Award, "for the Intertational Projection of the Salt Valley of Añana"
Añana Salt Valley Foundation recieved the award from the radio station Onda Cero, for contributing to he international dissemination of the image of Alava thanks to the recovery and value of the saltwork.
2015 (European Comission / Europa Nostra)
Award European Union of Cultural Heritage/ Great Award of the Jury of the rewards Europa Nostra 2015 to the integral recovery of Valle Salado.
The integral recovery of the Valle Salado de Añana was acknowledge with the award European Union of Cultural Heritage/ Award Europa Nostra 2015. Granted by the European Commission and Europa Nostra, this is the biggest recognition of cultural heritage acknowledge in Europe and endorses the quality of the works in salines and the results of the recovery and place value.
The candidacy presented by the Valle Salado Foundation, in the category of conservation, was one the 28 awarded among 263 projects of 29 european countries. The Award Europa Nostra rewards the works and the results of the lasts three years, even though the Valle Salado is being in research and recovery since the 90s of the XXth century.
The president of the Europa Nostra Awards, the spanish tenor Plácido Domingo, underlined that the recovery of the Valle Salado, as well as the rest of the winners are "very important examples of creativity and innovation in the work for the European Cultural Heritage".
In the assessment, the jury highlighted the "impressive magnitude of the project, that covers its landascape, its architecture, its environment, the saliner activity and its traditions, but also in overall the territory through cultural and touristic initiatives that are the engine of social, culture, economic and tourism developmen".
Besides this award, our project was awarded with Great Prize of the Jury, gifted with 10.000 euros, for been one of the 7 best european projects among the 28 that that year were acknowledge with the Europa Nostra Award.
Both of the recognitions are the most importants prizes in Europe to the recovery in cultural heritage.
2015 (Madrid´s Book Fair)
Cultural Project of the Year 2015
Madrid´s Book Fair chose the Valle Salado de Añana as the cultural project of the year in recognition of its recovery and management system, which combines heritage, culture, environment and social, economical and tourist development.
The day of the opening, the 29th of may, the Valle Salado´s stand was visited by your majesty the Queen Sofía, who learnt about the works of recovery and enhancement that are taking place in these salt pans. She congratulated the authorities because of the results that are being achieved in different matters.
2016 (DFA – Diputación Foral de Álava)
Salinas de Añana Diapir protected biotope.
In 2016 the Diapir of Salinas de Añana reached the highest protection and recognition as been designated protected biotope, highlighting because of its singularity of having inside two wetlands: the salines and the lake Caicedo-Yuso-Arreo, designated as well as a Zone of Special Conservation, "Zona de Especial Conservación" (ZEC) in Spanish.
2016 (Spanish Government´s Secretary of Tourism)
“Commitment of Tourism Quality”
The Valle Salado Foundation got the distinctive granted by the Secretary of Tourism of the Spanish Government, which in the Basque Country is promoted by the Basque Government, Basquetour, Euskalit and Cuadrilla de Añana.
The programme is conducted to implement the Manual of Good Practice (Quality System) framed to manage tourism destinations.
2017 (ONCE – Organización Nacional de Ciegos Españoles- National Organization of Spanish Blinded)
Cascabel dorado-Golden Rattle of Vitoria-Gasteiz (ONCE)
The Valle Salado Foundation was compensated by its efforts to improve the accessibility to the salines with the acknowledgement of the Golden Rattle of Vitoria-Gasteiz 2017 granted by ONCE (National Organization of Spanish Blinded).
The entity was elected through online voting in the ONCE website "for being a cultural and natural landscape of the salt accessible to all publics".
2017 (FAO - Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations)
Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System
Valle Salado de Añana was acknowledge by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as the first Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) of Europe.
The ceremony was held in the FAO headquarters in Rome, where the last 14 agricultural heritage systems were acknowledge since 2016 which complete a list of 50 sites in 20 countries.
The salinas de Añana were selected along with the production of grape raisin as the first GIAHS in Europe, which proves the "great respect" that exists in Spain for the traditions, the biodiversity and the agricultural landscapes, said the spanish undersecretary of agriculture Jaime Haddad.
In his intervention, the undersecretary highlighted that the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems are a "tool to preserve and ensure the future of this systems which provides a combination of social, cultural, ecological and economical services for the humanity".
It promotes these sites as it is done with cultural heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
"The GIAHS fulfill the aim to identify and preserve landscapes with agricultural biodiversity and systems of related knowledge" which contributes to obtain benefits through its "dinamic conservation, its sustainability and the increasing of the viability", added Haddad.
The assistant director of the FAO, María Helena Semedo, highlighted that the systems of agricultural heritage reflects the "deep harmony between the humanity and nature", providing a legacy of traditions and cultural practices for generations.
Besides preserving the biodiversity and multiple goods and services, these sites provide food safety, means of subsistence for small producers and knowledge, according to Semedo, who has asked to preserve them in answer to global issues such as climate change and the burnout of natural resources.
2017 BIOSPHERE
The Valle Salado de Añana was certified in 2017 as a "Biosphere". This certification focuses on the present and future of sustainable tourism. Focusing its objectives towards a population that is increasingly concerned about its health and favoring those options that contribute most to the health of the planet, local development and the well-being of all the people involved.
2019 (ERIH - European Route of Industrial Heritage)
Anchor Point
The European Route of Industrial Heritage (ERIH) has granted the Anchor Point to Valle Salado de Añana. This award is the most relevant in terms of industrial heritage, as they consider the valley a site of "outstanding importance" because of its innovative experience and high quality to the visitor".
With this distinctive, the Valle Salado joins in with the acknowledge achieved by @laencartadafabrikamuseo the museum-factory of berets. This route, in which from now on is going to appear Añana, includes more than 1600 interesting sites in 47 european countries, but only 103 have the qualifier "Anchor Point".
More information: https://www.erih.net
2021 Euskal Gatza, la sal de alta calidad de Euskadi certificada con Eusko Label
Euskal Gatza es una sal de manantial producida en Salinas de Añana a través de un sistema de producción artesanal y sostenible con el entorno.
HAZI será el órgano de certificación que garantice que el producto identificado con el distintivo Eusko Label cumpla todos los requisitos de calidad.
2022 Ekolurra
La reconocida Sal de Añana ha obtenido recientemente el prestigioso sello Ekolurra, que certifica su producción ecológica. Este reconocimiento avala el compromiso con prácticas sostenibles y respetuosas con el medio ambiente en la elaboración de este producto único. La sal, extraída de manera tradicional en el Valle Salado se posiciona de esta manera en Europa como un referente de calidad y sostenibilidad en el mercado de productos ecológicos, destacando su valor patrimonial y natural.
