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The Bizkaia Bridge was until now the only Basque monument inscribed on the UNESCO's Heritage List.
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| Image from one of the cave paintings in Santimamiñe |
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), which celebrates these days a meeting in Quebec, inscribed last Monday the Basque caves of Santimamiñe (Kortezubi), Ekain (Deba-Zestoa) and Altxerri (Aia) on the World Heritage List. Other twelve caves along the Bay of Biscay have been awarded with this distinction.
Autonomous governments from Cantabria, Asturias and the Basque Country joined efforts two years ago to inscribe some of the most representatives sites for Palaeolithic cave art in the Bay of Biscay on the World Heritage List, extending by this the declaration of Altamira's cave of 1985.
Although the three caves are currently closed to the public and included in a program for the protection and preservation of cave paintings, the Regional Council of Bizkaia set in motion last spring a program of virtual visits throughout the interior of the Santimamiñe cave.
On the other hand, after the summer it is scheduled the opening of a replica of the Ekain cave, the so-called Ekain Berri, which is located a few metres away from the original cave. The project is budgeted by both the Regional Council of Gipuzkoa and the Basque Government.
The inscription of these caves on the World Heritage List means the recognition of the importance and richness of the three caves and launches Altxerri, Ekain and Santimamiñe to international acknowledgement, since from now on they will be included in cultural and tourist tours around the world, just like the Bizkaia Bridge that connects Portugalete and Getxo. This was the first Basque monument honoured by the UNESCO.
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