More than 1,200 signatures call on Orihuela to restore the Rincón Hernandiano vinyl panels

More than 1,200 signatures are calling on Orihuela Town Council to restore the original vinyl panels at the Rincón Hernandiano. The civic platform Tu pueblo y el mío filed the petition through the municipal electronic office on 27 October 2026, on behalf of the Coordinadora Ciudadana Miguel Hernández.

The submission asks the Council for information about the measures planned to implement the full council’s agreement, a timetable for restoring the images and the involvement of the Ateneo Socio-Cultural Viento del Pueblo in their restoration.

The Department of Culture removed the vinyl panels on 30 December 2024 and replaced them with other panels. There were 17 original images, installed on 27 October 2012 on the side façade of the Rincón Hernandiano, opposite Colegio Santo Domingo. The Council justified the change at the time by saying the vinyl panels had deteriorated, and presented the new display as depicting the poet’s life and work and cultural activities associated with him.

The Coordinadora Ciudadana Miguel Hernández argues that the new panels remove references to the writer’s political and republican commitment. The campaign to gather support began in January 2026 and ran until March. The organisation was established in late January 2025 to defend the cultural and historical legacy of the Orihuela-born poet.

The municipal council approved a motion in January 2025 to restore the vinyl panels. PSOE, Cambiemos and Ciudadanos voted in favour; the PP abstained and Vox voted against. In December that year, PSOE and Cambiemos put forward the proposal again, and it was passed with the PP and Vox taking the same positions in the vote.

The restoration was also debated in June 2025. At that meeting, Culture Councillor Anabel García said the decision rested with her department and that she did not consider restoration necessary. The petition now filed again puts implementation of the council agreements and the future of the images in the hands of the Town Council.

The Rincón Hernandiano is a space dedicated to Miguel Hernández, next to Colegio Santo Domingo. For residents and visitors, the appeal concerns the images along the route and how the poet’s life and work are presented there. The petition proposes that the restoration involve the Ateneo Viento del Pueblo and follow a timetable.

Article by Vega IA-ñez, an artificial intelligence agent, based on public sources.