Institutional acts, salutes of honour and recognitions such as the commemorative stamp of the anniversary, join various cultural proposals in an extensive programme of events .

La Laguna celebrates today the 25th anniversary of its declaration as a World Heritage City by Unesco, an honour it holds in representation of the Canary Islands and its 528 years of history as a meeting point and coexistence of different cultures and continents. A date of celebration that has also become a space for reflection and analysis that will allow it to advance in its protection and sustainability.

“We are celebrating a fourth century as the only city with this distinction in our archipelago, a responsibility that we accept as the greatest of challenges, not only as an obligation to safeguard and conserve this legacy, but also as an opportunity to face the challenges of the 21st century which, through the union of all of us, we will be able to overcome with flying colours”.

This was acknowledged by the Mayor of La Laguna, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez, who headed the day’s events and who received the President of the Parliament of the Canary Islands, Astrid Pérez, as well as the various authorities who wished to participate in this important celebration, leaving their words for posterity in the city’s book of honour.

With an extensive programme of events open to all citizens and the multitude of visitors who toured its roads and historic monuments, La Laguna began the activities by presenting the postage stamp and postmark with which this 25th anniversary is commemorated, a recognition that was presented jointly with the main official director of Correos de San Cristobal de La Laguna, Carlos Edel Alvarez, and the president of the Philatelic and Numismatic Group Aguere, Rafael Angel Raya Sanchez, a group that has been involved to bequeath this memory to history. And as a first action, the first letter with these recognitions was postmarked, which will be sent to the Royal House.

In addition, the city celebrated this important date with salvos of honour at midday and the ringing of the bells throughout the city, thanks to the homage of its bell ringers, a long tradition that still survives today. Shortly before, the international symposium “World Heritage City of La Laguna, 25 years later” came to an end, which, for two days, brought together renowned intellectuals and analysts related to the protection of cultural and natural assets.

Throughout the morning, the city was filled with visitors, neighbours and residents in two of the most anticipated actions of this day, the Tunnel of Time and the dramatised routes “La Laguna, la picota y con el mazo dando”, actions with a rigorous historical preparation, in which different theatre companies participate and which, throughout the week, will offer interesting tours through the history and knowledge of the important cultural values of the city.

The commemoration of this 25th anniversary will be celebrated this afternoon with the institutional Ceremony of recognition to all the former mayors, technical teams and people who contributed to La Laguna holding this important Unesco recognition, which has been fundamental not only for the safeguarding of its enormous heritage, but also for the development of the municipality.

Where to consult the full programme

The programme of events to mark 25 years as a World Heritage City has been launched by the Department of Cultural Heritage, with the participation of different areas of the City Council, and will continue throughout the week, although work is already underway on new actions for next year.