Rafelbunyol Rescues Its History with Over 2,000 Old Photos for a Municipal Archive

The 'L'Àlbum del Poble' project has collected 2,031 images from 50 families, creating a valuable local photographic archive.

Generic image of a library or reading room with wooden bookshelves and a cozy atmosphere.
IA

Generic image of a library or reading room with wooden bookshelves and a cozy atmosphere.

The Rafelbunyol City Council has successfully collected 2,031 historical images in the first phase of the 'L'Àlbum del Poble' project, an initiative aimed at preserving the visual and emotional memory of the municipality.

This initiative, driven by the Rafelbunyol City Council, seeks to rescue, preserve, and highlight the visual heritage of the municipality through family photographs. Community participation has been crucial, with nearly 50 families contributing their images, solidifying the project as an essential tool for protecting local graphic heritage.
The project, technically coordinated by Pedro Vicente-Mullor, a professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the Universitat Politècnica de València and a member of the University Institute of Heritage Restoration, aims not only to recover old photographs but also the personal and collective stories that help explain the evolution of Rafelbunyol. Through everyday scenes, family portraits, celebrations, and snapshots from another era, the municipality reconstructs part of its identity and shared memory.

"The community's response has been extraordinary, and the project allows us to rescue not only images but also stories, traditions, and experiences that are part of our local heritage."

Fran López · Mayor of Rafelbunyol
Following this initial collection phase, the project now enters a second stage focused on creating a database to organize, preserve, and study all the compiled material, as well as analyze its future public accessibility. The ultimate goal is to hold an exhibition open to the public with a selection of photographs and their associated stories, honoring the families and daily life of Rafelbunyol throughout the 20th century.

"This initiative confirms the need to create a local photographic archive that prevents the loss of the municipality's graphic memory in a context marked by digitalization and the dispersion of family archives."

Alicia Piquer · Councillor for Culture
The participation process remains open. Interested individuals can continue to bring their photographs to the Municipal Library, where the Universitat Politècnica team digitizes them and arranges an appointment with their owners to document the memories and stories depicted in the images. The original photographs are returned to their owners, while the digital copies are integrated into a collective visual archive, conceived as shared heritage for the entire town.