Málaga is the capital of the Province of Málaga,in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain...The southernmost large city in Europe (population around 570,000), it lies on the Costa del Sol (Coast of the Sun) of the Mediterranean, about 100 kilometres (62.14 miles) east of the Strait of Gibraltar and about 130 km (80.78 miles) north of Africa.
Málaga's history spans about 2,800 years, making it one of the oldest cities in the world. It was founded by the Phoenicians as Malaka about 770 BC, and from the 6th century BC was under the hegemony of Ancient Carthage. Then, from 218 BC, it was ruled by the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire as Malaca (Latin).
After the fall of the empire and the end of Visigothic rule, it was under Islamic rule as Mālaqah for 800 years, but in 1487, the Crown of Castille gained control after the Reconquista. The archaeological remains and monuments from the Phoenician, Roman, Arabic and Christian eras make the historic center of the city an "open museum", displaying its history of nearly 3,000 years.
This important cultural infrastructure and the artistic heritage have culminated in the nomination of Málaga as a candidate for the 2016 European Capital of Culture.
The internationally acclaimed painter and sculptor Pablo Picasso, Hebrew poet and Jewish philosopher Solomon Ibn Gabirol and the actor Antonio Banderas were born in Málaga. The magnum opus of Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona, "Malaguena", is named for the music of this region of Spain.
(Wikipedia)
I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Malaga is a real city, not simply a tourist destination and ex-pat retirement community on the Costa del Sol. It has its high points, its low points, and many stops in between. I spent a bit more time here than in some of the other Spanish cities I have visited, so I have a mountain of photographs...and thoughts. Some are captured in Part 1 of the story, here; others in Part 2 ("Art"). This is a somewhat artificial division, since no place can be understood only through its buildings and cityscape, nor only through its art - both of which are obviously the result of its people. Take time, if you can, to browse through both posts. Together, they tell some of the total story of this very interesting place.
Street Scenes
I arrived in Malaga while the city was preparing for Semana Santa de Málaga, the Catholic Holy Week. During the seven days of celebration, 42 brotherhoods make 45 processions through the streets of Málaga showing realistic wooden sculptures narrating scenes of the events of the Passion of Christ, or images of the Virgin Mary showing sorrow. Many weigh thousands of pounds and require an army of bearers. The city reportedly receives "millions" of visitors for the event. This is a story all unto itself that you can read about online if interested. Clearly, it is part of the social and cultural fabric of the city. Aside from multiple grandstands being erected, I saw signs of the coming ritual both literal and tourist-oriented. See the two photos below.
The use of the capirote or coroza - a pointed hat of conical form - was prescribed in Spain and Portugal by the holy office of Inquisition. Men and women who were arrested had to wear a paper capirote in public as sign of public humiliation. The capirote was worn during the session of an Auto-da-fe. The colour was different, conforming to the judgement of the office. People who were condemned to be executed wore a red coroza. Other punishments used different colours.
When the Inquisition was abolished, the symbol of punishment and penitence was kept in the Catholic brotherhood. However, the capirote used today is different: it is covered in fine fabric, as prescribed by the brotherhood. Later, during the celebration of the Holy Week/Easter in Andalusia, penitentes (people doing public penance for their sins) would walk through streets with the capirote.
The capirote is today the symbol of the Catholic penitent: only members of a confraternity of penance are allowed to wear them during solemn processions. Children can receive the capirote after their first holy communion, when they enter the brotherhood.
(WIKIPEDIA)
This hairdresser and.or hairdresser's supply store is clearly no longer a hairdresser and/or hairdresser's supply store. I wonder if the new tenants were interested enough to save the original historic signage or even if the city required that it be preserved.
Painted Facades
A particular form of "street art" dating from the 18th century, there are a number of examples of entirely painted facades in Malaga. An imprint of what was there, an imagination of what could have been there, an attempt to enhance the buildings and liven the city, or all three? For a bit more of the history (although not much), see "Street painting in Málaga, an old story," athttp://voilamalaga.com/blog/archeology/street-painting-in-malaga/
And, for more - much more - arte callejero, see the accompanying post, "Malaga (2)".
(Church of San Felipe Neri)
(House at Calle Panaderos)
Street Furniture: Benches
The example immediately above is actually a case study in how NOT to create street furniture. The marble slab supporting the wooden seats is the everyday bench available to the public. For the Semana Santa (Holy Week) processions (see above), city workers place the custom-fitted wooden seats on top of the slabs so that people can actually sit in some comfort while they watch the multiple processions. For designers, note the metal edge detail that insures the wooden seats do not move. The question is: Is this an admission that for the rest of the year the city has decided that it does not matter how uncomfortable people are who use the slabs (I am sorry, "benches")? Or, simply, that the city is attempting to insure that the "benches" are not there to be actually used?
The Cathedral of Málaga
"...is in the Renaissance architectural tradition. The cathedral is located within the limits defined by a now missing portion of the medieval Moorish walls, the remains of which surround the nearby Alcazaba (see below) and the Castle of Gibralfaro. It was constructed between 1528 and 1782, following the plans drawn by Diego de Siloe; its interior is also in Renaissance style...The façade, unlike the rest of the building, is in (the) Baroque style."
(WIKIPEDIA)
The interior of the cathedral is made up of 3 naves, the one in the middle is the widest and has a height of 41.79 meters (137 feet). The first tower was erected to an imposing 84 meters (276 feet), but then construction ceased because, according to a centuries-old but now fully-disproved story, the funds were sent to American troops in the War of Independence. (The money was actually used to pay for locally needed infrastructure projects.) To give the statistics some context, the dome of St. Peter's in Rome rises to a total height of 136.57 meters (448.1 feet) from the floor of the basilica to the top of the external cross. Regardless, Malaga's Cathedral seems disproportionately large, both visually and usefully, for a city of this size.
Roof plan from the recent architectural "tourist access adaptation"
Mercado Central de Atarazanas
Joaquin Rucoba, Architect
1870
Aranguren & Gallegos Arquitectos
Renovation and Restoriaton
2010
"The Atarazanas market is in the place where the Nasrid shipyards stood until the 14th Century and which, after the Christian conquest of the city, were used for storage and as an arsenal, military hospital and barracks.
In 1868, the Revolutionary Council applied for their demolition to give work "to the poorer classes," although this did not take place until 1870. That year, the municipal architect Joaquín Rucoba won approval for a new market to be built on the site that, subsequently, was known as Alfonso XII Market.
Thanks to the intercession of the Academia de Bellas Artes de San Telmo (San Telmo's Academy of Fine Arts), the ancient monumental door of the old shipyards was saved and transferred to the centre of the main façade of the new building, which, in an exercise in accordance with the pre-existing work, Rucoba designed in neo-Arab style, although using a great deal of glass and iron.
This ensured that, although almost all of the old Muslim construction disappeared, Málaga was given a suitable and necessary market building and one of the city's best examples of 19th century architecture. The market opened its doors to the public in 1879. The building was renovated between 2008 and 2010, in order to recover its original design."
(http://www.malagaturismo.com/en/tourist-resources/detail/ataranzanas-central-market/455)
(Above three illustrations by architects as published in
ArchDaily.com, 01:00 - 14 July, 2013)
Plaza Merced
"The square was originally called Plaza del Mercado and later Plaza de Riego in memory of the liberal General. Its current name derives from a church and convent located in the north west corner "Iglesia y Convento de Nuestra Señora de la Merced" built in 1507 which did not survive the burning of the convents in 1931 and was demolished in 1964."
(http://www.andalucia.com/cities/malaga/plaza-de-la-merced.htm)
Plaza Pintor Eugenio Chicano
(Above 2 illustrations by others.)
I was originally attracted to this square partially because it had the promise of being a relief from the otherwise wonderful, but somewhat homogeneous surrounding city and frankly, because of its use of multiple accent colors and contemporary materials. This original attraction lasted about the proverbial five minutes as I quickly realized it was actually a bit grim and not very people-friendly place. Online I found some photographs of obviously touring architects (and/or urban planners) visiting the square. Even a crowd of them could not make it look alive. I assume that (fortunately?) this construction will not be around to inspire the next century's residents and visitors. This leaves open the question: What will?
Noria de Malaga
(Malaga Ferris Wheel/Malaga Big Wheel)
Dubbed the "Mirador Princess" (the Lookout Princess),this ferris wheel is 70 meters/230 ft. high. It was inaugurated in 2015 with 42 cabins; reduced to 21 cabins in August 2017, and currently scheduled to be dismantled in September, 2018. (For a comparison: The London Eye, a giant Ferris wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London, has a structure that is 135 meters/443 feet tall. In context, Malaga's Cathedral tower is 84 meters/275 ft. tall.) The city is currently considering plans for a permanent 100 meter/328 ft. tall noria in another port location.
The Guadalmedina River Esplanade
(Photo by others, captured from Wikipedia.)
The above photo from perhaps the '80s or '90s tells the story of a city's hopeful redevelopment project to utilize its river- bed for the public good. The below photos show today's reality. Neglect? Flooding? Expropriation by less-than-public-minded individuals? All of the above. I read that Malaga is again entertaining proposals from design professionals as to how to fix it with more attention directed at public access. Meanwhile, it is a street artists's heaven. And, here and there, there is some street art worth looking at. For more - much more - of Malaga's arte callejero, see the accompanying post, "Malaga (2)."
Looking south. Looking north.
Parque de Málaga
(Málaga Park)
(Photo by JAVIER ALBIÑANA)
(From WIKIPEDIA Commons - Mapa del Parque de Malaga.svg)
The Buildings
Below, three of the four civic buildings shown in the above plan in darker gold. The fourth (angled on the left), the Museo de Malaga, is described in Malaga (2).
Málaga University Rector's Office
(Former main Post Office)
Banco de España
(Bank of Spain)
Ayuntamiento
(City Hall)
Jardines de Pedro Luis Alonso
Jardines de Puerta Oscura
(Behind the above gardens on the hillside.)
The ruins on the hillside to the right are the remains of the Castillo de Gibralfaro (not visited); and to the left, the restored Alcazaba (see below).
Plaza de Torres de La Malagueta
(La Malagueta Bullring)
1876
(Above two photos by others.)
(For more of this arte callejero - street art, see Malaga (2).)
Plaza de la Marina:
A social commentary
This is the southwest edge of the original city square facing the port. On the left, you can see the edge a low building that houses the Oficino de Turismo, the tourist headquarters for the city that now blocks some of the view of the waterfront.
Just to the right of the tourism office is an office building with an essentially empty and less-than-well maintained commercial ground floor - even if the arte callejero is not at all bad. In front of one of the bays are two (I presume well-meaning) Jehovah's Witnesses offering salvation(?).
Five bays to their right is the home of one of the city's residents. He uses the window ledge behind the grillwork to store some of his possessions. At another time, the scene was the same except that the man was away from home. Fortunately for him, it looked like nothing had been touched in his absence.
There are so many questions raised by these three photos, I do not know where to begin...
El Palmeral de las Sorpresas
(The Palm Grove of Surprises)
Junquera Arquitectos, 2011
To the left of this photo is the tourist office mentioned above and an older photo of the Mediterranean waterfront. A folded-plate roof structure travels northward along the embankment sheltering I am not sure what. This has since been replaced with an even more ambitious project, "The Palm Grove of Surprises."
"A square (rectangular)-shaped living room that overlooks the Mediterranean, formalized three basic elements, an isotropic frame palm trees, a pergola that runs parallel to the dock, and a sheet of connection with the city."
(The architects.)
(The architects.)
(Images above by Cemex, Jesús Granada, Heliopol (Contractor),
as published in ArchDaily.com 01:00 - 4 June, 2014)
Despite the bad translation, archispeak in any language in any case, and despite profoundly unsuccessful buildings - one a port authority facility, another a maritime museum, and the third...(?) - and equally unsuccessful hard landscape elements, the pergola itself is truly inspired, if only for its scale, profile and dimension. In its setting, it works.
Muelle Uno
(Embarcadero One/Pier One)
This shopping mall is, despite its strategic location along the boat-lined inner harbor, the inclusion of a world-class museum, and the conservation of two historic structures, just another later 20th-century model mall complete with the largest name brand stores in Spain. It obviously has helped revitalize the port area and, I presume, helped pay for the infrastructure improvements to the area.
(Photo by others.)
The "Artsenal..a public, multi-cultural art center," with an installation of street furniture. At first, this appeared to be an outdoor space of the adjacent Museo Pompidou Malaga (see, Malaga (2)). My later impression is that it is a separate public benefit space that the mall developers helped build.
And above, more highly questionable landscape "design."
La Faro de Málaga
(The Lamp of Malaga)
Joaquín María Pery y Guzmán, Engineer
1817; Rebuilt 1939
Originally located at the mouth of the harbor, a lighhouse has been on the site since 1717. The current structure is no longer in active use and is being renovated to house a lighthouse muesuem.
The Chapel of the Port of Malaga
Playa de la Malagueta
(The Malagueta Beach)
Playa de la Malagueta is located between el Puerto de Malaga (the port) and Playa de la Caleta. This beach gets its name from the neighborhood or barrio in which it is located.
El Gran Hotel Palacio Miramar
1926-1936: “Hotel Príncipe de Asturias” (Fernando Guerrero Strachan, Architect)
1936-1939: Field Hospital
1939-1967: Miramar Hotel
1967-1987: (Shuttered)
1987-2007: Malaga's Palace of Justice
2007-2016: (Shuttered)
2016-Present day: El Gran Hotel Palacio Miramar (Restoration architects:ESTUDIO SEGUI, Arquitectura y Planeamiento S.L.)
(Historic photo.)
(Photo by others of period postcard.)
La Alcazaba
Constructed on the ruins of a Roman fortification during the reign of Abd-al-Rahman I, the first Emir of Cordoba, in around 756-780AD, the Alcazaba's original purpose was as a defence against pirates, thanks its commanding position with views over the city, down to the sea and across to Africa.
The fortress was rebuilt by the Sultan of Granada, Badis Al-Ziri (the Hammudid dynasty), from 1057-1063AD, while the fortified double walls that connect the Alcazaba to the neighbouring Castillo de Gibralfaro, over the Coracha ridge, were built by the Nasrid ruler Yusuf I in the 14th century, when most of the inner palace was also refurbished. As a palace, it was home to a number of Moorish rulers.
The Alcazaba has a distinct feel from its more famous, younger neighbours, the Alcazar of Sevilla and the Alhambra of Granada. It was already three centuries old when the others were built. After the reconquest, it fell into decay until restoration work began in 1933, and continues slowly today. Two of its original three walls remain, as well as over 100 towers and three palaces.
(http://www.andalucia.com/cities/malaga/alcazaba.htm)
Ferdinand and Isabella captured Málaga from the Moors after the Siege of Malaga (1487), one of the longest sieges in the Reconquista, and raised their standard at the "Torre del Homenaje" in the inner citadel...According to architect restorer, Leopoldo Torres Balbás, the Alcazaba of Málaga is the prototype of military architecture in the Taifa period, with its double walls and massive entry fortifications. Its only parallel is the castle of Krak des Chevalliers in Syria.
(Wikipedia)
Not surprisingly, the Alcazaba reportedly received approximately 1,000,000 visitors in 2016. It took some time to photograph the fortress in a way that would capture some of its innate architectural beauty, i.e., without the throngs of people (read, again, tourists) who do not reflect in any way the actual historic habitation of the place.
The relatively new tunnel entrance to the elevator, available to take visitors to the first level of structures.
Roman Amphitheater
"Adjacent to the entrance of the Alcazaba are remnants of a Roman theatre dating to the 1st century BC, which are undergoing restoration. Some of the Roman-era materials were reused in the Moorish construction of the Alcazaba."
(Wikipedia)
Centro de Recepción de Visitantes Ben Gabirol
(The Ben Gabirol Visitor Reception Center)
"Solomon ibn Gabirol (Hebrew: Shelomo ben Yehuda ibn Gabirol; Arabic: Abu Ayyub Suleiman ibn Yahya ibn Jabirul), also known as Solomon ben Judah and traditionally known by his Latinized name Avicebron, was an Andalusian poet and Jewish philosopher with a Neoplatonic bent. He was born in Málaga about 1021 and is believed to have died around 1058 in Valencia.
(http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMPP7B_Centro_de_Recepcin_de_Visitantes_Ben_Gabirol_Mlaga_Spain)
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