Heritage

Parkour practitioner damages historic Alhambra pillar causing €12,000 in repairs

Police review security footage after group of youths knock over protected architectural remains at Granada's UNESCO World Heritage Site

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Laura Velasco

Granada

02/09/2026 a las 12:24h.

At a glance

Incident: A parkour athlete allegedly destroyed a protected historic pillar near the Palacio de Carlos V within the Alhambra complex.
Financial damage: Architects from the Patronato de la Alhambra estimate repair and restoration costs at approximately €12,000.
Location: Casa de Mufti (opposite Puerta de la Emperatriz), a restricted archaeological zone within the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Police investigation: National Police are reviewing CCTV footage identifying a group of five youths who entered and exited the grounds in a 15-minute window; no arrests made yet.

A young man allegedly broke a pillar near the Alhambra last Friday, causing damage that could cost around 12,000 euros.

It appears he knocked ... it down while practicing parkour with other young people: an outdoor sport that involves navigating obstacles in the path using jumps, somersaults and other movements.

Patronato de la Alhambra y el Generalife has filed a complaint with the National Police. The police are investigating the incident, with no arrests made so far.

The incident took place at around 4.20pm, when a group of young people began practicing parkour near the historic complex. They gathered next to Palacio de Carlos V, opposite Puerta de la Emperatriz, in an area known as Casa de Mufti.

This area is not open to the public, as it contains archaeological remains under special protection. It is part of the monumental complex designated as a World Heritage Site.

The young people started jumping around and ended up knocking over a pillar. Visitors saw this and alerted the staff. The monument's security staff confirmed that some remains had been damaged.

Upon reviewing the CCTV footage, they identified five young people, although it was one of them in particular who knocked over the pillar.

Patronato has provided videos that show the group of young people intentionally practicing the sport and filming themselves. CCTV footage from the rest of the monument shows how the group entered via Puerta de la Justicia at 4.09pm and left via Puerta de Carros and Torre de las Cabezas at around 4.26pm, barely 15 minutes later.

Patronato architects have carried out an on-site assessment. They estimate the cost of the damage to the pillar at around 12,000 euros.

Vandalism

Although security at the Alhambra is tight, the historic site has occasionally been the target of vandalism.

One of the most high-profile incidents occurred last year, when the Alhambra became the target of graffiti vandalism. The scourge that had been plaguing the centre of Granada and the Albaicín historic district for many years made its first significant appearance at the Nasrid monument.

Monuments
- Spain's famous Alhambra palace targeted by vandals
Javier F. Barrera

There had been several previous incidents, albeit of smaller scale. In December 2011, SUR reported graffiti on the walls of the Nasrid fortress overlooking the then newly restored Cuesta de los Chinos.

In 2014, Patronato issued a statement on the scourge of graffiti, which was having a significant impact on Granada's monuments, such as the Cathedral, Puerta Elvira and the Albaicín district.

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