The Ministry of Culture and Sports has organized, on the occasion of the International Day for Monuments and Sites celebrated on April 18th, a wide range of informative activities to celebrate and showcase the heritage of Andalusia to its residents. The activities include guided tours, theatrical performances, workshops, and games for the whole family. The theme for the 2025 edition is ‘Resilient Heritage to Natural Disasters and Conflicts’.
This commemoration, organized by ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites, under UNESCO), has been held since 1982 with the aim of raising awareness about cultural heritage and the need to protect it. This is one of the key priorities of the management of the Minister of Culture and Sports, Patricia del Pozo, in a region that boasts seven cultural assets and one natural asset recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage.
«We continue to invest in Andalusian heritage assets and we must continue to do so, as there are always pending interventions and needs to address,» stated Del Pozo, who highlighted that, since 2019, the Government led by Juanma Moreno has invested 71.2 million euros in the restoration and conservation of Andalusian historical heritage.
The Ministry of Culture and Sports is also engaged with the theme of this edition, ‘Resilient Heritage to Natural Disasters and Conflicts’, as demonstrated by the first evacuation and safeguarding drill of cultural assets in Spain at a World Heritage site, the Archaeological Ensemble of the Dolmens of Antequera, which took place in March. «This will help us develop safeguard plans for all spaces in Andalusia,» said the minister.
The activities will take place at heritage sites in the eight Andalusian provinces, offering experiences such as a tour of the dungeons of the Alhambra, Roman painting workshops at the Archaeological Ensemble of Italica, a visit to the restoration of the North wall of the Alcazaba of Almeria, and a guided tour of the Phoenician tombs at Trayamar in the Museum of Malaga, among other proposals scheduled around April 18th.
In Granada, the Board of the Alhambra and Generalife has organized a guided tour by architect Santiago Pecete Serrano to some of the lesser-known areas of the monument: the dungeons and silos for food preservation. Additionally, the Casa de los Tiros Museum offers a family-oriented ‘geocaching’ game on April 12th in the Realejo neighborhood, where museum pieces will serve as clues to locate representative spaces in the city.
Alhambra de Granada. (Photo: Lucía Rivas)
Also in Granada, the Archaeological and Ethnological Museum has planned two activities: on April 16th, a family game to discover Andalusia’s monuments and sites through challenges, and on April 19th, guided tours by architect Rafael Pedregosa Mejías focusing on the monumental environment of the center and aimed at a general audience.
The Huelva Museum will commemorate the International Day for Monuments and Sites with a workshop on April 18th, focusing on the prehistoric steles found at the archaeological site of Cañaveral de León.
Up to five activities will take place in the province of Jaén for the occasion. Starting on April 16th at the capital’s Museum with a workshop on the Treasure of Charilla, one of the main sets of medieval Islamic goldsmithing. The next day, the Iberian Museum will host a themed visit to its various collections.
On April 19th, a theatrical visit will take place at the Archaeological Site of Puente Tablas, featuring three actors and a specialist. The following day, the site offers a guided tour of different excavations. Finally, the Archaeological Ensemble of Cástulo is organizing a virtual immersion on April 20th in three of the cisterns recovered at the site using 3D glasses, followed by a tour of these spaces.
In Malaga, the Archaeological Ensemble of the Dolmens of Antequera proposes a ‘prehistoric and family Saturday’ on April 12th at the Tholos del Romeral, where visitors can enjoy engaging stories about the monument and a range of activities. Additionally, the Museum of Malaga offers a thematic guided tour on April 15th, led by specialist Eduardo García Alonso, focusing on the Phoenician tombs of Tramayar.
In Seville, the Andalusian Institute of Historical Heritage (IAPH) is organizing a historical visit on April 18th to this reference restoration center, affiliated with the Ministry of Culture and Sports. The visit will showcase the interventions at the priory church of El Puerto de Santa María, along with various related content on social media regarding the monuments and sites in the Digital Cultural Heritage Guide.
The Archaeological Site of Carmona has also arranged a guided visit by a specialist to the amphitheater and necropolis on April 18th. Meanwhile, the Archaeological Site of Italica proposes two activities on April 19th: a theatrical tour led by an archaeologist for a family audience, exploring the main points of the site and delving into the celebrations dedicated to gods and emperors in this city, and a Roman painting workshop, also for a family audience.
The activities in Seville will conclude on April 24th with a guided tour of the Cultural Heritage Logistics Center of Andalusia in La Rinconada, providing insight into the industrial architecture and facilities of this major repository housing the collections of the Archaeological Museum of Seville, whose building is currently undergoing modernization.
During Holy Week, the opening hours for the museums and sites managed by the General Directorate of Museums and Cultural Sites will experience some modifications due to the festivities of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Thus, on Tuesday 15th, Wednesday 16th, and Saturday 19th of April, these sites will remain open during their regular hours, from 9 am to 9 pm; on the other hand, on Thursday 17th, Friday 18th, and Sunday 20th, they will operate on holiday hours, from 9 am to 3 pm. As usual, they will remain closed on Mondays.