September 26 to 28 Caravaca celebrates World Tourism Day
Astronomy events, open doors day at local museums, a cycling tour and the new VR-enhanced immersive visit to the Wine Horse Fiestas!
In Caravaca de la Cruz, as in many other important tourist destinations all over the Region of Murcia, special events are being held over the last weekend of September to celebrate World Tourism, and in Caravaca the program includes the following:
September 26 to 28
The first opportunity to experience the new immersive 360-degree visits to the famed Wine Horses, Moors and Christians fiestas which take place in Caravaca every year in the first few days of May. The new experience is available at the Museo de la Fiesta and uses VR goggles to really bring the fiestas to life, allowing you to experience the motion of the wine horses race and the processions all year round!
Timetable:
Friday September 26: 10.00 to 14.00 and 16.30 to 19.30
Saturday September 27: 10.30 to 14.00 and 16.30 to 19.30
Sunday September 28: 10.30 to 14.00.
Saturday October 27
10.30 to 14.00 and 16.30 to 19.30: Open doors day (free admission) at the network of museums in Caravaca, including the archaeological museum, the Wine Horses Museum and the Fiestas Museum.
10.00 to 14.00: Astronomy for all the family in the church of San Sebastián, where Astroversia are offering special sessions designed to appeal to younger audiences. Admission is 5 euros (3 euros for children aged 3 to 6) and registration is available online here.
20.30: Another astronomy event, this time for adults, at the church in the village of La Encarnación, where the Myths and Stars activity is being held. On this occasion registration costs 18 euros for adults and 12 euros for children, and registration is available online here.
Sunday September 28
9.30: A cycling route around the Holy City of Caravaca on the new “green ring” which has recently been created. The ride, which is for all the family, begins at the Pabellón Juan Antonio Corbalán and registration is required via www.sporttia.com although there is no charge.
12.30: The weekend’s activities end with a concert at the Museum of Ethnic Musical Instruments in the village of Barranda, featuring musicians Vanesa Muela and Rodrigo Jarabo. Admission is free of charge.
For more local events, news and visiting information contact the local tourist office (see below) or go to the home page of Caravaca Today.
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 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
