Tourist defaces 16th-century building with pink graffiti in Granada
The word ‘Paula’ was sprayed in bright colours on a building in Albaicín
Tekef
A tourist has been charged with a crime against “cultural heritage” after allegedly spray-painting a historic building in Granada.
The visitor from the Basque Country has been accused of graffitiing the word “Paula” in pink and blue on a building in Albaicín.
Granada’s local police force confirmed that a tourist had vandalised the Aljibe del Zenete with graffiti on Friday.
The Aljibe del Zenete is a 16th-century Mudéjar-style water cistern in the historic Albaicín neighbourhood of Granada – a Unesco World Heritage Site since 1994.
According to the force, the perpetrator was reported to the court for a crime against cultural heritage.
“Our Investigation Unit (SETI) identified the perpetrator in collaboration with the Vitoria-Gasteiz local police,” said the Policia Local.
The arrested tourist could face a fine from €3,000 to up to €30,050, reported The Olive Press.
In 2024, a 37-year-old British tourist faced a hefty fine from the Italian authorities after carving his family's initials onto a wall in Pompeii.
The unnamed man was caught by staff leaving his mark on the House of the Vestals – a Unesco World Heritage Site – and reported to the public prosecutor’s office in Torre Annunziata.
Photographs showed the initials JW, LMW and MW, believed to correspond with the man’s daughters’ names, scratched next to the date (7 August 2024) and the word “Mylaw”.
Buildings in Pompeii, south of Naples, were preserved in volcanic ash after the eruption of Vesuvius in 79AD, and the site attracts millions of tourists visiting Italy each year. The defaced House of the Vestals was once used as a residence for officials of the imperial court.
The Italian culture ministry approved tougher fines for offenders caught damaging sites of historical and cultural significance in January 2024.
Penalties now range from €15,000 to €60,000 (£13,000 to £51,000) for any defaced monuments to be cleaned and repaired.
Read more: Tourist who dived into Trevi Fountain while on run from police fined
