Visiting the streets of the historic center of Cáceres is a kind of time travel: from the moment you cross the so-called Arco de la Estrella, in the Plaza Mayor, you will travel to medieval and renaissance times. This monumental city was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986 for a reason.
If you have been lucky enough to visit Cáceres, it will surely have been on a day trip, or at most one night. If you don’t know her, or if you plan to go again, soon you’ll need to stay another day. What’s more, you’ll be able to make a double journey through time, and jump from the Renaissance to the Paleolithic. And all in the same weekend.
A double project financed with European funds wants to diversify tourism in the city of Extremadura and expand a tourist offer, which will also be greener. This is the ‘Cáceres 2025 – Capital of Cultures and Urban Green Tourism’ programme, a investment of 4.8 million from European funds Next Generation to reconvert tourism and that we detail in the video above.
The prehistoric cave of Maltravieso
This double project wants to create a green corridor that will connect the historic part of Cáceres with the prehistoric cave of Maltraviesowhich will also be replicated in real size.
The most important part of the project is the creation of a neocave, the recreation of Maltravieso in real size, as Jorge Villar, the city councilor for Tourism, tells the Sixth.
This replica, which will cost 3,065,000 euros, will be located on the esplanade in front of the current one: “It will be reproduced exactly and on a real scale: the surfaces, textures and colors of the original paintings and engravings will be reproduced, and the same conditions of temperature, humidity, ventilation and darkness existing in the current cave”, point out from the City Council.
With this replica, the aim is to prevent the original cave from suffering the impact of mass tourism.
Interestingly, the prehistoric cave of Maltravieso, discovered in 1951, is located in the heart of the city. At 100 meters long, this deposit represents a important sample of paleolithic art from Extremadura.
were also found remains of human occupation in the cave, such as ceramics, tools, bones of people or animals attributed to later times such as the Neolithic and the Copper Age. Another jump in time that visitors to the city will enjoy.
The project also plans to create a museum “to explain the paintings and engravings and research spaces so that the best scientific solutions can continue to be found” that contribute to preserving the site.
But also, and as a green corridor, they want to recover the banks of the Marco, the tributary that gave rise to the settlement of the city, to connect the cave with the monumental city. “That along the way other resources can be found, not only heritage, but natural,” explains Rocío Clemente, director of urban and historical development of Cáceres.
Let the tourist stay one more night
At this time, tourism in Cáceres is usually day or night. “With these projects we extend to two nights”, the mayor of Cáceres, Luis Salaya, explains to laSexta, what “shoots the profitability of tourism”.
‘Cáceres 2025 – Capital of Cultures and Urban Green Tourism’ is part of the so-called Tourism Sustainability Plans in Destinations, fully funded with the Next Generation EU recovery funds.
The Next Generation funds are the financing package promoted by the European Union designed to promote economic recovery after the crisis caused by the pandemic. An aid plan, the largest in the history of the EU, to rebuild the economy, and from which Spain will be the biggest beneficiary.
Spain will receive up to 140,000 million euros in direct transfers and credits for the period 2021-2026. These will be used to promote the ecological transition, digital transformation, social and territorial cohesion and gender equality. you can follow here at laSexta.com what many of these programs translate into: blue economy, sustainable agriculture, rural development… Projects that, like the Cáceres plan, follow the path set by Europe for a greener economy.
Source: Lasexta
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
