A separate Málaga

Tuesday 2 July 2024

Eskişehir, Türkiye

Fair land! of chivalry, the old domain,
Land of the vine and olive, lovely Spain!
Though not for thee with classic shores to vie
In charms that fix th’ enthusiast’s pensive eye;
Yet hast thou scenes of beauty richly fraught
With all that wakes the glow of lofty thought.

Felicia Hemans (1793 – 1835), Abencerrage

Above: Flag of Spain

Monday 10 June 2024

Room 32, Málaga Premium Hotel, Calle San Juan 11, Málaga, España

The flight from the Istanbul International Airport to Málaga was satisfactory, but not overly stimulating.

Watched a couple of episodes from the sitcom Friends and another two episodes from the sitcom The Big Bang Theory before dozing off somewhere in the skies between Napoli and Menorca.

On board service of beef with rice and Pepsi Max.

Listened to One Republic‘s “Human” album.

Great tunes before starting a fortnight’s journey around Andalucia in southern Spain.

España is a country that fast becomes an addiction.

I have previously visited Barcelona and San Sebastian, Lanzarote and Tenerife.

You come to Spain with the idea that you intend to be there just for a beach holiday or for a tour of a major city, but before you know it you find yourself hooked by something quite different – the celebration of the local, for there is not just one España, but many.

Las Españas.

Regionalism is an obsession here as in any country.

Perhaps the most significant change to the country over recent decades has been the creation of 17 autonomias – autonomous regions – with their own governments, budgets and cultural ministries.

The old days, the old daze, of an unified nation, governed with a firm hand from Madrid, seem to have gone forever, as the separate kingdoms which made up the original Spanish state reassert themselves.

The differences are evident wherever you look: in language, culture and artistic traditions, in landscapes and city surfaces, attitudes and politics.

The cities are compellingly individual.

Above: Coat of arms of Spain

Spain’s land area is around half a million square kilometres – about twice the size of the United Kingdom or the American state of Oregon.

Above: Spain / España (dark green) and the European Union (EU) (light green)

Of its 40 million strong population some 99% declare themselves Catholic.

Above: Emblem of the Papacy

Politically, Spain is a parliamentary monarchy.

Above: Spanish King Felipe VI

Castilian Spanish is spoken as a first language by 74% of the population, while 17% speak variants of Catalan, 7% speak Galician and 2% Basque.

As regional languages were banned under General Francisco Franco (1892 – 1975), the dictator who seized power in the Spanish Civil War (1936 – 1939), the vast majority of Spainards are fluent in Castilian.

Above: Catalan language in Europe

The most important newspapers are El Pais (“the country“)(english.elpais.com) and El Mundo (“the world“), both of which are liberal in outlook, but Spainards read fewer newspapers than almost all other Europeans.

The bestseller is Marca, a daily devoted purely to football.

Monuments range widely from one region to another, dependent on their history of control and occupation by Romans and Moors, their role in the Golden Age of Imperial Renaissance Spain or their 20th century fortunes.

Above: Roman theatre, Mérida, España

Above: Mezquita (mosque) de Cordoba Mihrab (wall niche indicating the direction of Mecca), Cordoba, España

Above: Map of the Spanish Empire (1492 – 1976)

Andalucia has the great mosques and Moorish palaces of Granada, Sevilla and Cordoba.

Not that Spain is predominantly about buildings.

Above: Alhambra, Granada, España

Above: Patio de las Doncellas, Alcázar, España

The landscape holds just as much fascination and variety.

Above: Topographic map of España

One of Spain’s greatest draws is undeniably its beaches.

Here too there is a lot more variety than the holiday brochure image.

Long tracts of coastline – along the Costa del Sol, in particular – have been developed into concrete hotel and villa complexes, but delightful pockets remains even on the big tourist costas.

Above: Hotel Puente Romano, Marbella, Málaga Province, España

Nowhere in Europe keeps such late hours.

Spainards may not take a traditional midday siesta (nap) as much as they used to, but their life cycles remain committedly nocturnal.

Above: The hammock, Gustave Courbet (1844)

They will saunter out around 8 pm for a paseo (stroll), to greet friends and maybe have a drink and tapas.

If they are eating out, they will commonly start at 10 pm.

Above: Tapas, Barcelona, España

Hedonism is pretty much unavoidable.

Wherever you are in Spain, you cannot help but notice the Spainards’ infectious enthusiasm for life.

In the cities there is always something happening.

Andalucia is the southernmost territory of the country and the most quintessentially Spanish part of the Iberian Peninsula.

Above: Flag of Andalucia

The popular image of Spain as a land of bullfights, flamenco, sherry and ruined castles derives from this beguiling region.

Above all, it is the great Moorish monuments that compete for your attention in this part of Spain.

Above: Great Mosque, Cordoba, España

The Moors, a mixed race of Berbers and Arabs who crossed into Spain from Morocco and North Africa, occupied al-Andulus for over seven centuries.

Their first forces landed at Tarifa in 710 and within four years they had conquered virtually the entire country.

Their last Kingdom, Granada, fell to the Christian Reconquest in 1492.

Between these dates they developed the most sophisticated civilization of the Middle Ages, centred in turn on the three major cities of Cordoba, Sevilla and Granada.

Above: Cordoba, España

Above: Sevilla, España

Above: Granada, España

Travelling for some time here, you get a feel for the landscape of Andalucia – occasionally spectacularly beautiful but more often impressive on a huge unyielding scale.

Above: Sierra de las Nieves, Andalucia, España

On the coast it is easy to despair.

Extending to either side of Malaga is the Costa del Sol, Europe’s most heavily developed resort area, with its poor beaches hidden behind a remorseless density of concrete hotels and apartment complexes.

The realities of life in contemporary Andalucia can be stark.

Unemployment in the region is the highest in Spain – over 20% in some areas.

A large proportion of the population still scrapes a living from seasonal agrıcultural work.

The Andaluz villages, bastions of anarchist and socialist groups before and during the Civil War, saw little economic aid or change during the Franco years (1939 – 1975).

Although much government spending – partıcularly by the autonomous regional government in Sevilla using substantial European Union (EU) funding – has been channelled into improving infrastructure, such as hospitals, road and rail links, the lack of employment opportunities away from the coastal tourist zones persists.

Above: Flag of the European Union

For all its poverty, however, Andalucia is also Spain at its most exuberant: the home of flamenco and the bullfight and those wild and extravagant clichés of the Spanish South.

They really do exist.

The outstanding feature of the Costa del Sol is its ease of access.

Hundreds of flights arrive here every week.

Malaga Airport is positioned midway between Malaga, the main city on the coast and Torremolinos, its most grotesque resort.

You can easily reach either town by taking the electric train which runs every half hour (0700 – 2345) along the coast between Malaga and Fuengirola, 20 km southwest.

Frequent bus connections also link all the major coastal resorts, while a new toll autopista (freeway) between Malaga and Estepona has taken the strain off the often overloaded coastal highways.

Economically, the coastal hinterland is undergoing a resurgence, far outstripping the more sluggish progress in the rest of Andalucia.

Over the last decades, cultivation of subtropical fruit, such as mangoes, papayas, guavas, lychees and avacados have replaced the traditional orange, lemon and almond trees, whilst in the province of Almeira a plastic greenhouse revolution has turned this zone into one of Northern Europe’s main fruit and vegetable suppliers.

Most farm labourers, however, cannot afford coastal land.

Those who buy are often former migrants to France and Germany who have been forced to return because of the unemployment situation there.

The city is served by Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport, one of the first in Spain and the oldest still in operation.

Above: Málaga Airport

It opened on 9 March 1919.

After test flights, the first scheduled air service from Malaga began on 1 September 1919 when fighter pilot Didier Daurat began regular flights between Toulouse, Barcelona, Alicante, Tangier, Casablanca and Málaga.

Above: Didier Daurat (1891 – 1969)

On 13 September 1982, Spantax Flight BX995, a charter flight from Madrid to New York via Málaga crashed.

When the aircraft was rolling for takeoff, the pilot felt a strong vibration and aborted the departure.

The flight crew lost control of the aircraft and were unable to stop in the runway length available.

The aircraft overran the runway, hit an airfield aerial installation and lost an engine.

It crossed the Málaga – Torremolinos highway, hitting three vehicles before crashing into a farming construction and bursting into flames.

An emergency evacuation of the aircraft was carried out but 50 people on board died.

A further 110 people were hospitalized.

The cause of the accident was the detachment of fragments from a recapped tread on the right wheel of the nose gear, creating vibration.

On 13 October 2000, the hijacked Sabena Flight 689, operated by an Airbus A330-200, en route from Brussels to Abidjan (Ivory Coast), made an emergency landing at Málaga where the perpetrator, a Nigerian national, was overpowered by police.

On 29 August 2001, Binter Mediterranos Flight BIM 8261, a CASA CN-235, was on a flight from Melilla (Spanish Africa) to Málaga.

On final approach, the aircraft’s left engine failed.

The aircraft made an emergency landing.

The plane hit the first edge lights and stopped near Highway N340 (Chiciana de la Frontera – Cadiz).

Investigation into the accident revealed that shortly after the initial engine failure, the First Officer inadvertently shut down both of the aircraft’s engines, leading to a total loss of power.

Four of 44 were killed, including pilot Captain Ruono.

The aircraft was written off.

Neither my Turkish Airways flight from Istanbul nor my wife’s Swiss flight from Zürich were hijacked or crashed.

In 2008, Málaga Airport handled 12,813,472 passengers, making it the 4th-busiest in Spain.

It is the international airport of Andalusia, accounting for 85% of its international traffic.

The airport, connected to the Costa del Sol, has a daily link with 20 cities in Spain and over 100 cities in Europe (mainly in the United Kingdom, Central Europe and the Nordic countries but also the main cities of Eastern Europe: Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Budapest, Sofia, Warsaw or Bucharest), North Africa, Middle East (Riyadh, Jeddah and Kuwait) and North America (New York City, Toronto and Montréal).

The Airport is connected to the city centre and surrounding areas through a transport hub, which includes the bus system and suburban trains and car parks.

Above: Control tower at Málaga Airport

The car is a Volkwagen.

The rental company is Goldstar.

The car is found after much confusion on Level 1, Space 342 of the airport parking garage.

Some serious difficulties with the stick shift after too long a time driving automatic.

Arriving in Málaga by car, you will face the serious problem of parking.

Nevertheless, we arrive without incident at Parking Garage Camas.

We are advised by our travel guides (hers, Müller; mine, Rough Guide and Lonely Planet) that theft from cars is rampant in Málaga, so we ensure that all our valuables come with us.

We check into the Málaga Premium Hotel.

The plan is to visit Málaga, Granada, Baeza, Sevilla and Cadiz over the next two weeks.

Málaga is a municipality and the capital of the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia.

With a population of 578,460 in 2020, it is the 2nd-most populous city in Andalusia and the 6th most populous in the country.

It lies in Southern Iberia on the Costa del Sol (“Coast of the Sun“) of the Mediterranean, primarily in the left bank of the Guadalhorce.

The urban core originally developed in the space between the Gibralfaro Hill and the Guadalmedina.

Málaga is located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Costa del Sol (Coast of the Sun) on the northern side of the Alboran Sea (the westernmost portion of the Mediterranean Sea).

It lies about 100 kilometres (62 miles) east of the Strait of Gibraltar and about 130 kilometres (81 miles) east of Tarifa (the southernmost point of continental Europe) and about 130 km (81 miles) to the north of Africa.

The Montes de Málaga mountain range (part of the Penibaetic System) is located in the northeast of the municipality.

The highest point in the range (and in the municipality) is the Pico Reina, rising up to 1,031 m (3,383 ft) above sea level.

The city centre is located around the mouth of the Guadalmedina and close to the Guadalhorce’s mouth (where the airport is located).

Above: Course of the Guadalmedina

Above: The Guadalhorce near Málaga

The Totalán Creek constitutes the eastern boundary of Málaga with the municipality of Rincón de la Victoria.

Above: Rincón de la Victoria, Málaga Province, España

The Gibralfaro is a 130 m (427 ft) high foothill from which the Gibralfaro Castle and the Alcazaba fortress overlook the city.

Above: Mount Gibralfaro with the Castle on top, Málaga, España

Málaga seems at first an uninviting place.

It is the second city of the south (after Sevilla) with a population of half a million.

Above: Tourists near the Sagrario Church, Málaga

It is also one of the poorest:

Official unemployment figures for the area estimate the jobless at one on four of the workforce.

Yet though many people get no further than the train or bus station or airport and though the clusters of highrises look pretty grim as you approach, the city does have its attractions.

Málaga’s climate is a hot-summer Mediterranean climate with mild winters, during which most of the year’s rainfall occurs, and hot summers with very little rainfall.

Summer to mid-autumn tends to be fairly humid, due to the evaporation of warm water off the adjacent Mediterranean Sea being blown on shore by a sea breeze.

This humidity is most pronounced at this time of year as the sea water is at its warmest in relation to the rest of the year and during this summer, to mid-autumn period, the apparent temperature often feels higher than the actual temperature would suggest, especially when the wind is light.

When the wind is stronger, this effect is lessened somewhat, and the heat feels more manageable.

Málaga enjoys plenty of sunshine throughout the year, with an average of about 300 days of sunshine and only about 40–45 with precipitation annually.

Málaga has very long mild winters, very short warm springs, long hot summers and very short warm falls.

Málaga experiences the warmest winters of any European city with a population over 500,000.

The average maximum temperature during the day in the period from December to February is 17–18 °C (63–64 °F).

During the winter, the Málaga Mountains (Montes de Málaga) block the passage of cold winds from the north.

Its average annual temperature is 23.3 °C (73.9 °F) during the day and 13.7 °C (56.7 °F) at night.

In the coldest month, January, the temperature ranges from 14 to 20 °C (57 to 68 °F) during the day, 5 to 10 °C (41 to 50 °F) at night and the average sea temperature is 16 °C (61 °F).

In the warmest month, August, the temperature ranges from 26 to 34 °C (79 to 93 °F) during the day, above 20 °C (68 °F) at night and the average sea temperature is 23 °C (73 °F).

Large fluctuations in temperature are rare.

The highest temperature ever recorded at the airport was 44.2 °C (111.6 °F) on 18 July 1978, equalled on 19 July 2023.

In August 1881, the average reported daytime maximum temperature was a record 34.8 °C (94.6 °F).

The lowest temperature ever recorded was −3.8 °C (25.2 °F) on 4 February 1954.

The highest wind speed ever recorded was on 16 July 1980, measuring 119 km/h (73.94 mph).

Snowfall is virtually unknown.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, Málaga city has only recorded snow on one day, on 2 February 1954.

Above: Málaga, 2 February 1954

Annual average relative humidity is 65%, ranging from 58% in June to 72% in December.

Yearly sunshine hours average between 2,800 and 3,000 per year, from 5–6 hours of sunshine per day in December to average 11 hours of sunshine per day in July.

At Málaga Airport weather station, annual wind speeds average from 14 km/h (8.70 mph) in December, January and February, to 10 km/h (6.21 mph) in September and October.

Atmospheric pressure averages from 1,015 mbar in July and August to 1,023 mbar in January.

Visibility averages either 11 or 12 km in all months.

The strongest gust of wind recorded at this station was 130 km/h (80.78 mph) on 27 January 1948 at 02:30.

On 12 December 2023, Málaga broke Spain’s and Europe’s all-time December temperature record, settling a new record of 29.9 °C (85.8 °F) at the AEMET station of Málaga and 29.6 °C (85.3 °F) at the airport of Málaga.

Above: Málaga Airport

The most important business sectors in Málaga are tourism, construction and technology services, but other sectors such as transportation and logistics are beginning to expand.

Above: Trade Fair and Congress Centre (Palacio de Ferias y Congresos de Málaga)

Málaga has consolidated as a tech hub, with companies mainly concentrated in the Málaga TechPark (Technology Park of Andalusia).

Above: Aerial view of the Andalusia Technology Park

It hosts the headquarters of the region’s largest bank, Unicaja.

It is the 4th-ranking city in Spain in terms of economic activity behind Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia.

Above: Cuatro Torres Business Area (CTBA), Madrid, España

Regarding transportation, Málaga is served by the Málaga – Costa del Sol Airport and the Port of Málaga, whereas the city is connected to the high-speed railway network since 2007.

Above: Port of Málaga

Málaga is the 4th-ranking city in economic activity in Spain behind Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia.

The most important business sectors in Málaga are tourism, construction and technology services, but other sectors such as transportation and logistics are beginning to expand.

Above: Málaga

The Andalusia Technology Park (PTA) (“Parque Tecnológico de Andalucía“), located in Málaga, has enjoyed significant growth since its inauguration in 1992 by the King of Spain.

In 2018, this high-tech, science and industrial park employs over 16,774 workers, according to its own numbers.

The Parque Tecnológico de Andalucía was conceived as a technological nucleus to stimulate industry in Andalusia.

This complex is one of the most important economic centres in the south of Spain, with over 600 companies and 16,774 employees in 2015.

The sectors with the greatest presence at the PTA are: Information Technology (Electronics, Information, Computing and Telecommunications) together with Engineering, Consultancy and Advisory services.

Above: PTA Premier Building

Most of the companies are focused on information technology, telecommunications, and research and development.

They include some multinationals such as:

Oracle (IT)

Ericsson (telecommunications)

IBM (computers)

TDK (electronics)

Ciklum (software)

CGI (software)

Accenture (IT)

Huawei (IT)

PTA is one of the most important technological parks in southern Europe and since 1995, the world headquarters of the International Association of Science Parks (IASP).

In line with the city’s strategic plan, the campaign “Málaga: Open for Business” is directed towards the international promotion of the city on all levels but fundamentally on a business level.

The campaign places a special emphasis on new technologies as well as innovation and research in order to promote the city as a reference and focal point for many global business initiatives and projects.

Málaga is a city of commerce and tourism has been a growing source of revenue, driven by the presence of a major airport, the improvement of communications, and new infrastructure such as the AVE (train network) and the maritime station, and new cultural facilities such as the Picasso Museum, the Contemporary Art Centre and Trade Fair and Congress, which have drawn more tourists.

Above: Málaga

A group of IT company executives and business leaders has launched an information sector initiative, Málaga Valley e-27, which seeks to make Málaga the Silicon Valley of Europe.

Málaga has had strong growth in new technology industries, mainly located in the Technological Park of Andalusia, and in the construction sector.

The city is home to the largest bank in Andalusia, Unicaja, and such local companies as:

Mayoral (children’s clothing)

Charanga (music education)

Sando (sandwiches)

Vera (beverages)

Ubago (fish)

Isofoton (electronics)

Tedial (multimedia)

Novasoft (software)

Grupo Vértice (e-learning)

Almeida Viajes (travel)

…and multinationals such as:

Fujitsu Spain (IT)

Pernod Ricard Spain (spirits)

Accenture
Epcos (acquired by TDK)
Oracle Corporation
Huawei
San Miguel (beverages)

In February 2021, Google decided to install a centre of excellence in cybersecurity in the city.

Also in 2021, Vodafone chose Málaga for the installment of a research, development and innovation centre.

The city’s position, well inside the ring road and east of the Airport, means that most visitors to the Costa del Sol rarely visit the heart of Málaga itself.

However, a costly facelift centred on an elegant marble-paved and pedestrianized Calle Marqués de Larios leading into a revamped Plaza de la Constitucion, and the newly created Museo Picasso, is aimed at boosting the city’s image.

Above: Calle Marqués de Lario, Málaga

Along the coast, plans to create hotel-lined promenades along the beaches to the east and west of the centre are well advanced.

Away from the seafront glitz, I wonder will the city’s unıque and vibrant character survive development unscathed.

The city is an important tourist destination, known as “the capital of the Costa del Sol“.

An estimated 6 million tourists visit the city each year.

Above: Málaga

Tourists usually visit the birthplace of Pablo Picasso and the Museo Picasso Málaga, the Carmen Thyssen Museum, the old town or the beaches.

Above: Spanish artist Pablo Picasso (1881 – 1973)

Above: Picasso’s birthplace

Above: Old Town, Málaga

The Málaga harbour is also the 2nd busiest cruise port of the Iberian Peninsula.

Above: Málaga Harbour

A popular walk leads up the hill to the Gibralfaro Castle (Parador), offering panoramic views over the city.

Above: Gibralfaro Castle, Málaga

Mamahuevo Castle is next to the Alcazaba, the old Muslim palace, which in turn is next to the inner city of Málaga.

Above: Alcazaba, Málaga

Other nearby attractions are the Roman Theatre (Teatro Romano), the old Jewish quarter (Judería), the Cathedral, and the Church of Santiago in mudéjar style.

Above: Teatro Romano, Málaga

Above: Alley, Judería, Málaga

Above: Málaga Cathedral

A popular walk follows the Paseo del Parque (a promenade that runs alongside a grand park with many palm trees and statues) to the harbour, ending in Calle Larios, the main commercial street of the city.

Above: Paseo del Parque, Málaga

Above: Calle Marqués de Larios, Málaga

The old historic centre of Málaga reaches the harbour to the south.

The oldest architectural remains in the city are the walls of the Phoenician city, Malaka, which are visible in the cellar of the Museo Picasso Málaga.

Above: Malaka

The Roman theatre of Málaga, which dates from the 1st century BC, was rediscovered in 1951.

Above: Teatro Romano, Málaga

The Moors left posterity the dominating presence of the Castle of Gibralfaro, which is connected to the Alcazaba, the lower fortress and royal residence.

Both were built during the Taifa period (11th century) and extended during the Nasrid period (13th and 14th centuries).

Above: Gibralfaro Castle, Málaga

The Alcazaba stands on a hill within the city.

Originally, it defended the city from the incursions of pirates.

Later, in the 11th century, it was completely rebuilt by the Hammudid dynasty.

Above: Model of the Alcazaba, Málaga

Occupying the eastern hillside that rises from the sea and overlooks the city, the Alcazaba was surrounded by palms and pine trees.

Like many of the military fortifications that were constructed in Islamic Spain, the Alcazaba of Málaga featured a quadrangular plan.

It was protected by an outer and inner wall, both supported by rectangular towers, between which a covered walkway led up the slope to the Gibralfaro (this was the only exchange between the two sites).

Due to its rough and awkward hillside topography, corridors throughout the site provided a means of communications for administrative and defensive operations, also affording privacy to the palatial residential quarters.

The entrance of the complex featured a grand tower that led into a sophisticated double bent entrance.

Above: Alcazaba de Málaga

After passing through several gates, open yards with gardens of pine and eucalyptus trees, and the inner wall through the Puerta de Granada, one finds the 11th- and 14th-century Governor’s Palace.

Above: Puerta de Granada, Alcazaba, Málaga

It was organised around a central rectangular courtyard with a triple-arched gateway and some of the rooms have been preserved to this day.

Above: The southern pavilion of the Taifa Palace, Alcazaba, Málaga

An open 11th-century mirador (belvedere) to the south of this area affords views of the gardens and sea below.

Measuring 2.5 square metres (27 square feet), this small structure highlighted scalloped, five-lobed arches.

Above: The mirador view from the Alcazaba, Málaga

To the north of this area were a waterwheel and a Cyclopean well (penetrating 40 metres or 130 feet below ground), a hammam, workshops and the monumental Puerta de la Torre del Homenaje, the northernmost point of the inner walls.

Directly beyond was the passage to the Gibralfaro above.

Above: Puerta de la Torre del Homenaje, Alcazaba, Málaga

Other sights include:

Walls: Phoenician, Roman, Byzantine, Arab and Spanish remains of the defensive compounds of the city

Church of the Sacred Heart (Iglesia de Sagrado Corazon)

San Felipe Neri Church

Church of the Holy Martyrs

La Concepción Botanical and Historical Garden

Atarazanas Market

Anglican Cemetery of St. George

Quay 1 (Muelle Uno) and the Palm Grove of Surprises), Port of Málaga

San Miguel Cemetery

La Malagueta bullring

Pedregalejo, the old fishing district

Calle Marques de Larios, the main shopping street of the city

The cuisine of Málaga and the wider Costa del Sol is known for its espetos, fish (most often sardines) grilled over open fires in the chiringuitos located near the beaches.

Above: Espetos de sardinas

The espeto has been proposed as a candidate for designation by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage.

Above: Logo of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

The city’s economy profited from an early industrialisation in the first third of the 19th century and the population steadily increased until the last years of the century, when the population decreased between 1887 and 1897 due to the economic crisis induced by the Phylloxera grapevine pest.

Above: A sketch of phylloxera – almost microscopic, pale yellow sap-sucking insects, related to aphids, which feed on the roots and leaves of grapevines

The 19th century saw the accumulation of capital in an enriched bourgeoisie class, that invested in the incipient industrial development.

The municipality of Málaga annexed the coastal town of Torremolinos in 1924.

Torremolinos — originally a small coastal town — greatly developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s, becoming an international tourist centre.

The first gay bar in Spain was opened in Torremolinos in 1962 (and the first lesbian club in 1968), and the place acquired a lively LGBT life, to the point of being described as “the most ‘cosmopolitan’ and gay-friendly place in all of Spain“.

Nearly a decade after, in 1971, a policial crackdown seeking to curb “offences against public morality and decency” largely put an end to the appeal of the place, only regaining its status as hub of LGBT leisure and tourism after the death of the dictator.

Torremolinos became independent from the municipality of Málaga in September 1988.

Above: Torremolinos

In the early part of the 21st century, the city of Málaga invested heavily (more than €100 million in ten years) in the arts to draw tourists and establish itself as a cultural Andalucia destination with 28 museums.

Some notable and recently opened museums include:

the Museo Municipal de Málaga (Municipal Heritage Museum)

the Museo de Málaga (Fine Arts and Archeology museum) at the Palacio de la Aduana

the Carmen Thyssen Museum, opened in 2011, located at the Palacio de Villalón

the Museo Picasso Málaga (opened in 2003, at the Palacio de los Condes de Buenavista) near the Cathedral (From 2015 to 2017 it was the most visited museum in all Málaga.)

the Centre Pompidou Málaga (opened in 2015, located in El Cubo)

the Fundación Picasso and the Picasso Birthplace Museum

the Colección del Museo Ruso (Collection of the Russian Museum) Saint Petersburg / Málaga, (opened in 2015, located in the Tabacalera building)

the Museum Jorge Rando (opened in 2015)

the Museo de Artes y Costumbres Populares (Museum of Arts and Popular Traditions)

the Centro de Arte Contemporáneo de Málaga (CAC Málaga; opened 2003, near the Alameda train station).

For a long time, Andalusia’s largest coastal city served primarily as a distribution point for the holiday resorts on the Costa del Sol.

But this has changed:

Málaga has spruced itself up as much as it can and now attracts art lovers as well as beach fans.

Cities such as Barcelona and Bilbao, which have increased their tourist appeal enormously with new museums and large-scale urban redevelopment, can be seen as possible role models for the complete renovation.

Málaga’s steps in this direction are naturally a little shorter in the poor south of Spain, but they are certainly confident.

An important milestone was certainly the opening of the Picasso Museum, which finally makes it possible to experience the master’s works in his birthplace.

The port city has also become more attractive thanks to the almost complete reduction in traffic in the inner city, the construction of new hotels, mainly of a high standard, and the establishment of an exhibition center.

The most important project, however, was the expansion of the long-neglected port area, including a new cruise terminal at Muelle Dos and a nightlife center at Muelle Uno.

In 2015, a branch of the Pompidou Center was opened here under a glass cube, hosting permanent and changing exhibitions.

Above: Málaga

The Port of Málaga is the city’s seaport, operating continuously at least since 600 BC.

The port is one of the busiest ports on the Mediterranean Sea, with a trade volume of over 428,623 TEU and 642,529 passengers in 2008.

Above: Port of Málaga

The port has a ferry connection to the Port of Melilla, playing a role in the so-called Operación paso del estrecho (“Operation Pass of the Strait“), the planned seasonal transit of passengers during the summer months from Europe to North-Africa (and back to Europe).

A visit is definitely worthwhile.

The name of the city alone conjures up sunny images of oranges and sweet wine, and at least the centre, which has already been largely restored, does indeed have a good portion of southern Spanish flair.

With more than half a million inhabitants, known as Malgueños, the city is now the 2nd largest in Andalusia, surpassed only by Sevilla.

It is also the 6th largest city in all of Spain.

Málaga can boast the vitality, dynamism and lively everyday life of a major port city in which tourists, no matter how large their number (there are over 4 million in good years), will never play the main role.

Pablo Picasso’s birthplace is therefore a good place for a one-day or even a multi-day trip.

We have dinner at the Andino Restaurant and then wander through the streets of Málaga taking photos of murals, a café called Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the impressive Alcazaba citadel, the Teatro Romano (Roman theatre) and Gibralfaro Castle.