Regional Government creates Submarine Cable Museum Centre at Trinity House and Joint Cable Station - Communication

Secretaria Regional da Educação, Cultura e Desporto

The Government of the Azores, through the Regional Secretariat for Education, Culture and Sport and the Regional Secretariat for Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructures, will create the Submarine Cable Museum Centre at Trinity House and the Joint Cable Station on the island of Faial.

The preliminary study for this project was presented on Monday at the Manuel de Arriaga House in Horta. The project aims to revive the memory of two important buildings that are interconnected.

During the presentation of the preliminary study, the Regional Secretary for Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructures, Berta Cabral, stated that during this phase, "it is still possible to gather input from the population so that we can move on to the second phase of the architectural design and then to the specialised designs."

According to her, the aim is to ensure that "the Submarine Cable Museum Centre can revive the cosmopolitan atmosphere brought by the cables to the city of Horta and the Azores."

She continued: "Since 1998, the municipality of Horta has undergone a process of urban evolution and redevelopment of its buildings, not only due to the massive destruction it suffered at the time of the earthquake but also due to new projects such as the creation of the Submarine Cables Museum Centre. This is where tourism comes in, as it is not enough to show buildings to visitors; we must also offer experiences.”

"People need to come into this building and get a feel for what these buildings and this city were like at the turn of the 20th century," he said.

As the Regional Secretary for Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructures also stated, "there is specific tourism and specific itineraries that can bring visitors to Faial" due to its history linked to submarine cables, "just as there is tourism for heritage cities."

Berta Cabral also pointed out that "the history of submarine cables will continue to be written in the Azores today,"  highlighting the new submarine cables that Google will connect to the archipelago.

"History is made up of cycles, and we have returned to a cycle in which the Azores are very relevant in communications and global geostrategy," she concluded.

Meanwhile, the Regional Secretary for Education, Culture and Sport, Sofia Ribeiro, recalled the efforts undertaken by the Horta Museum board, "who were promptly tasked with developing a museum project for the creation of Submarine Cables Museum Centre."

"Culture, in this specific case, is not just heritage, a legacy or something we want to evoke. It continues to be experienced, it continues to demonstrate and create everyday experiences. For this reason, we have harnessed the knowledge about submarine cables from those who are still with us," stated the government official. 

For Sofia Ribeiro, "museums are not confined to their physical location; they must be open to the world, they must be transnational, especially in the case of the Horta Museum, considering its strategic position and history."

"We are an incredibly central region due to our history to date, but also due to the history we are currently building. Therefore, when we evoke the submarine cables and the history they bring to Horta, Faial, and the Azores, we are also evoking the history of the Azores’ connection to the world," she added.

The ceremony was attended by Professor Henrique Melo Barreiros, a member of the Association of Former Students of Horta Secondary School, who played a key role in securing the creation of the Submarine Cable Museum at Trinity House and the Joint Cable Station.

The preliminary study was presented by architect Pedro Garcia, who is responsible for the design of the Submarine Cable Museum Centre.

This new museum centre will revive the memory of two important interconnected buildings. It will be presented as the "Museum of Faial in the World," considering the importance of submarine cables in the city of Horta, Faial and the Azores.