Malaga - General Information

The City

Most holidaymakers who arrive at Málaga airport tend to bypass the city itself in their eagerness to hit the beaches at Torremolinos and Fuengirola. The sprawling, anonymous suburbs they see from bus leaving the airport probably make them feel that there would be little to detain them here anyway. But Málaga, with its compact, unspoilt old town, is one of the few places along the Costa del Sol where you can still find a genuine Andalucian atmosphere.

Malaga Panorama

History

The city was founded by the Phoenicians in the 8th century BC. The Romans conquered it about seven centuries later and it became a prosperous Roman port, exporting iron, copper and lead from mines in the hills near Ronda. From the 5th century it was under the rule of the Visigoths. In the 8th century it was taken by the Moors and prospered under their rule until 1487, when it became Christian again at a late stage of the reconquista: the reconquering of Spain. In spite of various setbacks over the following centuries, Málaga slowly became the second most important industrial centre in the country after Barcelona, due to its iron and steel works and textile factories. The city faltered during the Spanish Civil War, when it underwent fierce bombing by the Italian and Nationalist air forces, but recovered once again thanks to the tourist explosion that began in the 1950s.

Malaga Today

Today Málaga has much to offer the visitor on a city break. There’s a vibrant old town (casco antiguo), with cobbled streets, sun-baked ochre-coloured buildings, authentically dusty tapas bars, compact plazas and a labyrinthine Jewish quarter, not to mention some excellent boutique shopping. There are also some wonderful old-fashioned shops here; their dusty, dark interiors revealing such treasures as beautiful hand-made fans, intricately embroidered shawls or counters piled high with local hams and great wheels of local Manchego cheese. The sunny, beachside promenades at El Pedregalejo are perfect for long, lazy lunches, while the leafy Paseo del Parque is the place to head for a stroll in the evening with the locals. Like Bilbao, Málaga has used an eye-catching new art venue – in this case the Picasso Museum, celebrating the work of the coty’s most famous son – as the focus for considerable regeneration. It has also been the beneficiary of enormous investment in the form of pedestrianisation and beautification schemes and classy new hotels. Add all this together and you can see why Málaga may not remain an undiscovered gem for much longer, so the time to visit it is now.

Things to do:

1. Catedral

Malaga Catedral Like many of Andalucia’s cathedrals, this one stands on the sight of a mosque, which was destroyed and built over after the reconquista to erase the region’s Moorish legacy. It took a long time build and therefore displays a mixture of architectural styles, from Renaissance to Baroque and neo-classical. The façade, for instance, was started in 1528, but not finished until the end of the 18th century. The second bell tower was never built, earning the cathedral the nickname ‘La Manquita’ (‘the one armed lady’). In spite of being bombed during the Spanish Civil War, the cathedral remains vast and impressive. Its most notable attributes are the intricately carved 17th century choir stalls and the fine Gothic portal.

2. Picasso Museum

Picasso Museum Opened in 2003, the Museo Picasso Málaga has done much to re-energise the city. It is housed in a sumptuous early-16th century palace – the Palacio de los Condes de Buenavista – which has been sensitively renovated and expanded by the New York architect Richard Gluckman. It boasts ornate carved wood ceilings and traditional Renaissance features sensitively blended with straight-lined, creamy-white architectural space. Even older features, dating from the Phoenecian, Roman and Moorish eras, were uncovered during the renovation work and have been incorporated into the overall design. The galleries, laid out in chronological order, are punctuated by tranquil patios and gardens. The collection traces the artist’s development from his teenage years under the guidance of his father in A Coruña to his final piece Man, Woman & Child, which he painted seven months before his death. It consists of 204 original works, including oil paintings, sculptures, drawings, sketchpads and ceramics, a large number of which are outright donations. The collection is estimated to be worth around €176 million. Many of the works have not been widely exhibited and some have never before been seen in public.

3. Centro de Arte Contemporaneo (CAC)

Opened a few months earlier in 2003, the CAC Málaga vies with the Picasso Museum as a destination for art lovers. Housed in a long, narrow renovated wholesalers’ market on left bank of the River Guadalmedina, it is entirely funded by the equivalent of the German Kunsthaus and is characterised by its dynamic nature and its emphasis on the dissemination of 20th and 21st century visual art. It showcases an extraordinary collection of 100 works from the 16th century to the present day, including pieces by Picasso, Joan Miró and Salvador Dalí. Important exhibitions of international artists like Louise Bourgeois and Alex Katz hgave put it firmly on the cultural map.

4. Alcazaba

The most impressive of Málaga’s sights, the Alcazaba is an ancient Moorish palace, recently renovated, which sits on a hilltop above the city’s Paseo del Parque. It was begun in the 8th century, but much of it dates from the second half of the 11th century and there have been later additions to the structure. Ferdinand and Isabella stayed here after driving the Moors out during the reconquista of the late-15th century. The entrance is through a gateway known as the Puerta del Cristo (Christ's Door), where the first mass was celebrated following the Christian victory over the town. The beautiful grounds feature orange trees, purple bougainvillea and rose gardens interlaced with Moorish irrigation channels, stone foundations and brick archways. Overlooking the city and the bay, the commands one of the most panoramic views on the Costa del Sol. There is also a fascinating archaeological museum within the palace buildings.
Just below the entrance to the Alcazaba are the ruins of a Roman amphitheatre – the Teatro Romano – dating back to the second century AD. Currently in the final stages of restoration, it will soon be open to the public.

5. Malaga Park

Malaga Park The botanical gardens of the Paseo del Parque run along the port area on land reclaimed from the sea in 1897. They feature species of plants and trees brought in from all over the world, which have been able to flourish in Malaga’s benign microclimate. The exotic vegetation includes hibiscus, strelitzia nicolai, jacaranda and dragon trees, interspersed with benches, miniature lawns, ponds and fountains. You'll also come across squares and monuments dedicated to important figures from Malaga's history including the statue and theatre in honour of Eduardo Ocón. Live performances are put on for free during spring and in summer.

Text written by David Cunningham, author of CloudWorld and CloudWorld At War