Paving works at Caravaca Castle to enhance accessibility and aesthetics
Works underway will not only improve the look of the monument but also solve longstanding drainage issues
Caravaca de la Cruz’s Town Council has launched a major paving project at the Castle esplanade, part of ongoing efforts to preserve and enhance the historic centre. The project, which began after the conclusion of the Jubilee Year in 2024, aims to address both aesthetic and practical issues. The paved area, which has suffered from cracked and uneven surfaces, will be improved to enhance mobility and tackle water leaks affecting the walls, battlements and cisterns of the castle.The project is overseen by the mayor of Caravaca, José Francisco García, alongside Mónica Sánchez, the Councillor for Urban Planning and Public Services. The two recently visited the works, accompanied by municipal technicians in charge of the project. The mayor explained that “natural materials from the area will be used to maintain harmony with the environment, and the design will be radial to highlight the façade of the Basilica of Vera Cruz, a symbol of the city’s architectural heritage.”
With a total budget of €658,000, the works are supported by the European Union’s “Next Generation” National Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, under the "Camino a Caravaca" Sustainable Tourism Destination Plan. More than €470,000 of the total budget will go towards the paving itself, while the remaining funds are allocated for the installation of a new stormwater drainage system.
The project covers nearly 3,000 square metres and will feature three types of materials: cobblestone, bush-hammered caramiel-type natural stone and Levante limestone with a scalloped finish. This combination will create a non-slip surface, ensuring that the area remains safe for visitors and compatible with the celebrations of the Caballos del Vino festival.
The works, which began in mid-February 2025, will be completed in two phases to avoid disrupting the patron saint festivities, which take place from May 1 to 5. In addition to the paving, a new stormwater drainage system is being installed as part of the project. This new system, with a budget of €187,000, includes a 650-metre-long collector that will run from the Castle esplanade, through various roads and discharge into the San Jerónimo Ravine.The project represents a significant investment in the preservation of Caravaca’s historical legacy while ensuring the comfort and safety of visitors.
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Image: Ayuntamiento de Caravaca de la Cruz
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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 shares 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
