Caravaca breathes new life with lush town centre gardens
The 3,500 m2 park is planned for the old 'Europán' area of Caravaca de la Cruz
Caravaca de la Cruz is set to unveil a stunning green oasis that will transform the historic old town. The new park is planned in the heart of the town and will bring a welcome touch of nature for locals and visitors to enjoy.
Scheduled to be completed in just a few months, the garden project will see the creation of a lush, 3,500-square-metre “pulmon verde” or “green lung” in the midst of the historic centre.
According to the Caravaca Town Council, the initiative seeks to not only beautify the area but also improve air quality, mitigate the urban heat island effect during the summer and provide a peaceful retreat for residents and tourists.
The park's design will feature a diverse array of plants and trees, carefully selected to thrive in the region's Mediterranean climate. A network of walking paths, benches and scenic viewpoints will invite visitors to linger and enjoy the surroundings, while a state-of-the-art irrigation system will ensure the park's sustainability.
The works will also be aimed at creating a large green pedestrian area, with parking spaces at both ends.
"The site will have access via Nueva, Atienza and Alfonso Zamora streets and Callejón de Frías. The main areas will be combined with ornamental trees, shrub species and orchards with fruit trees of different species. In addition, the main access via Calle Nueva will be in the form of a step for public activities and, in the central area, there will be a viewing point with views of the Basilica of the Vera Cruz," a council spokesperson elaborated.
The area earmarked for the work, known as 'Europán', was ceded to the Caravaca de la Cruz Town Council last year by the regional government. In its previous incarnation it was actually an urban garden, but it’s sat abandoned for decades.
The project is part of a broader effort to revitalise Caravaca's historic town centre, which has been undergoing significant renovations in recent years.
For more local information, including the Holy Jubilee Year as well as local news and what’s on, go to the home page of Caravaca Today
Image: Ayuntamiento de Caravaca de la Cruz
Address
Calle De Las Monjas, 19, 30400 CARAVACA DE LA CRUZTel: 968 702424 / 968 701003
Oficina de Turismo de Caravaca de la Cruz
More information about the places of interest which can be visited in the municipality of Caravaca de la Cruz, along with what's on and local news can be found in the Caravaca Today.
Caravaca de la Cruz, in the north-west of the Region of Murcia, is one of only 5 Holy Cities in the Roman Catholic world, a centre of pilgrimage, along with Rome, Jerusalem, Santiago de Compostela and Santo Toribio de Liebana, and is home to the Cross of Caravaca, the Vera Cruz.
The status of Holy City was bestowed by Pope John Paul II in 1998, granting the City a Permanent Jubilee year every 7 years for perpetuity, the first one held in 2003 and the next in 2024.
The strategic and natural advantages of Caravaca de la Cruz have attracted the attention of settlers for more than 800,000 years, the Cueva Negra yielding remains of Homo Heidelbergensis, forbears of the Neanderthals and the municipality also houses important archaeological remains from the Argaric, Iberian and Roman cultures. many of these can be seen in the Municipal Archaeological Museum.
As a border town caught between the Catholic forces of Castille and the last remaining Moorish stronghold in Spain, Granada, Caravaca had a turbulent medieval history, but it was during this period that the legend of the Cross of Caravaca was born, bringing the religious orders which shaped the structure of Caravaca today, with its impressive hilltop castle and eclectic collection of churches and monasteries, religious tourism today being a backbone of the town´s economy.
Caravaca de la Cruz is a municipality with important natural resources, including extensive forests, part of which have protected status due to their wealth of flora and fauna, and due to the abundant water supplies is also a major area for canned fruit production, apricots in particular being an important crop.
Caravaca is renown for its important May Fiestas, held in honour of the Vera Cruz, which also incorporate the Moors and Christians celebrations and the Running of the Wine Horses.
Caravaca de la Cruz is also the home of Europe´s largest collection of ethnic instruments at Barranda, the Museo de Música Étnica Barranda and is the location of the Barranda festival de Cuadrillas, which celebrates the Region's ethnic music traditions.
The municipality is home to around 26,000 inhabitants and sahres boundaries with Moratalla, Cehegín, Lorca, Puebla de Don Fadrique in the province of Granada and Vélez-Blanco in the province of Almería.
Opening times:
Weekdays: 10.00 to 14.00 and 16.30 to 19.30
Saturdays: 10.30 to 14.00 and 16.30 to 19.30
Sundays and public holidays: 10.30 to 14.00
Click for map, Caravaca de la Cruz Tourist Office
