Dilip Kuner
A TOWN hall has been slapped with a €15,000 fine for staging concerts inside one of Spain’s most unique caves – without official permission.
The Junta sanctioned Rincon de la Victoria council after it hosted four live shows in La Cueva del Tesoro back in February. The underground venue, one of only 10 submarine-origin caves in the world and a protected heritage site, is classed as a Bien de Interes Cultural (BIC).
Officials had already warned the council last year that approval was needed, but the gigs went ahead regardless. As the town hall admitted the breach and paid quickly, the fine was reduced to €9,000.
The Cueva del Tesoro Festival featured opera star Mariola Cantarero, singer Erika Leiva and local acts, with just 80 people squeezed into the atmospheric chamber. Councillor Antonio Jose Martin hailed it as an ‘intimate and unmissable cultural event’.
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But heritage chiefs said the shows threatened the archaeological site, where in April scientists uncovered the oldest human handprints ever found in the Mediterranean. Future concerts must be held outside the caves, they warned.
The caves of El Cantal – which include Cueva del Tesoro and Cueva de la Victoria – are among the area’s top-rated tourist attractions on Tripadvisor.
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