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Caravaca de la Cruz ranks among Spain's top 20 town halls for transparency
The Ayuntamiento shares first place in Murcia with Cehegín, ranking 18th nationally for making public information accessible to residents
Caravaca de la Cruz has been recognised as one of Spain’s leading municipalities for transparency, sharing the top spot in the Region of Murcia and coming 18th in a national ranking of almost 800 town halls.
The latest figures from Dyntra, which assesses how openly public administrations share information and involve residents in decision-making, give Caravaca a score of 78.26%. That means it met 144 of the 184 indicators used in the assessment.
The Ayuntamiento has introduced several changes in recent years to make information easier to find and understand. These include a municipal transparency ordinance approved in July 2024, the launch of the Caravaca Participa website, where residents can put forward proposals and follow local initiatives, and a recent overhaul of its online transparency portal.
The updated website gives residents easier access to municipal budgets, council meeting minutes, public contracts and agreements, as well as information about how the Ayuntamiento is organised. It also includes improvements to open data, allowing members of the public to access and reuse information.
Councillor for Transparency and Citizen Participation Salvador López said the results encouraged the Ayuntamiento to keep improving the information available to residents.
“Transparency isn't just about publishing information, but also making it understandable, accessible and easy to find,” he said.
Caravaca has also received the Infoparticipa Seal for the sixth time in 2026. Awarded by the Faculty of Communication at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, the distinction recognises the quality of public information provided by local authorities.
The Ayuntamiento met 49 of the 54 indicators in that assessment, scoring 90.74%. That's an improvement of 8.05 percentage points on the previous year, with six more indicators met.
Although the two rankings use different assessment methods, both recognise the work being done to improve access to municipal information.
Image: CC/Concepcion AMAT ORTA
Address
Calle De Las Monjas, 19, 30400 CARAVACA DE LA CRUZTel: 968 702424 / 968 701003
Caravaca de la Cruz tourist office
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.
Tourist office 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
