Noise source analyses in the acoustical environment of the medieval centre of Cáceres (Spain)

A study of the sound and noise sources was realised in the medieval historic centre of the city of Cáceres (Spain), which is a major site for tourism and has important restrictions on the use of vehicles. It was declared as World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986 and it is the third best-preserved monument in Europe. A large number and a variety of noise sources were identified during fieldwork. Different source groups were defined based on the types and origins of the sources; noise sources with appearance frequencies lower than 10% were put in a unique group. Descriptive and interferential analyses of the groups were performed to study the relative importance of the various sources. The analyses revealed that vehicles, passers-by, and people made a major contribution to the sound energy of the area. In addition, a masking effect by vehicles on other sound sources was detected.