Choosing the Right Stone to Restore a UNESCO World Heritage City: Salamanca (Spain)

Salamanca, Spain, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage City for its homogeneous historic architecture, faces challenges in preserving its stone structures due to deterioration caused by water absorption and urban contamination. A key finding is that the city's historic buildings were primarily constructed using locally quarried Villamayor sandstone, an opal-cemented conglomerate (misleadingly named Salamanca Sandstone), and local granite. Restoration efforts must carefully select replacement stones to maintain architectural integrity, considering the original stone's durability and current availability. This study focuses on characterizing the durability of the conglomerate as a potential restoration material, ensuring that any replacements align with UNESCO's preservation requirements to avoid delisting.

Pereira, D. (2026). Choosing the Right Stone to Restore a UNESCO World Heritage City: Salamanca (Spain). Geoheritage, 18(2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-026-01356-w