On January 12th 1959, five local lads from the village of Maro made a discovery which was to have a dramatic effect on the municipality…..the caves.
The Nerja Caves (why weren’t called the Maro Caves?) are the third most visited site in Spain and next year, 2009, is the 50th anniversary of their discovery and the Nerja Caves Foundation are planning a number of special events to mark the occasion.
The Nerja Caves Foundation, headed by PSOE leader Ángel Ramírez, have just finished their budget for next year and have voted to increase it by around 14% to €5,826,000. Included in the new budget is an amount of €1.4 million to cover the anniversary celebrations.
A further €1,844,000 has been allocated for equipment to complete the new Historical Museum in Paseo Nuevo (Nerja) and it is hoped that the museum will open at the end of 2009.
In July, the 50th edition of the Nerja Caves Festival of Music and Dance will take place, presumably with something special being planned…..such as tickets being available for a change???
Visitor numbers to the caves are down 7% on last year at 430,000, a fall which is being attributed to the economic crisis and a general decline in visitors to national monuments.