Click
here to request info about property for sale in Benalmadena Spain.
The
most striking peculiarity about this municipality, which stretches from the
southern foothills of the Sierra de Mijas range to
the sea’s edge, is that it consists of three population centres, which
are now practically joined together, but which nevertheless are still well
differentiated: Benalmadena Pueblo, Benalmadena Costa and Arroyo de la Miel.
For more information about property
for sale in Spain in or near Benalmadena please contact us.
The first of these is the oldest and is a typical whitewashed Andalucian village
-whitewashed with exceptional care, in fact-with narrow streets and relaxing
squares. Due to the elevation (almost 300 metres) of the village centre, and
its proximity to the sea, it has a number of exceptional vantage points for
viewing the Costa del Sol.
A large part of the population and municipal
services are concentrated in Arroyo de la Miel, a subsidiary administrative
district that owes its growth to the commuter railway station, and is the
economic centre of the municipality. Benalmadena Costa is the most cosmopolitan
section and it is here that the tourist offer of sun and beach is found: large
hotels, a casino, leisure port and businesses of all kinds.
Benalmadena is one of the leading municipalities in the province of Malaga
in the tourism field, due to its location, its solid hotel industry base and
its extremely broad leisure offer (beaches, a leisure port, hiking and trail
walking, a cable car, golf, amusement parks such as Tivoli, Selwo Marina,
and Sea Life, etc.) as well as intensive cultural activities connected to
plastic and scenic arts and music.
The first human settlement in this municipality
occurred in the Upper Palaeolithic period, as proven by remains discovered
in the El Toro, Los Botijos and Las Zorreras caves. The Phoenicians established
themselves in this region between the eighth and sixth centuries B. C., and
there are also remains proving this in the coastal area. The Romans came later
(a salted fish trading post at Benal-Roma and ruins of villas in Torremuelle
and Capellanía), but it was the Arabs who provided the origin of the
municipality’s name.
In fact, the present name seems to derive from the Arabic Ibn al-Madin, meaning
“children of the mines” in reference to the ancient iron mines
in this region. This is not the only hypothesis as to the origin of the name
of the municipality, but it is the one that is most accepted by students and
historians.
The Christian troops not only conquered but also destroyed the village, and with it, its castle, which offered a stubborn resistance to the Catholic Monarchs’ army. In the late sixteenth century, it was repopulated by long-time Christians, who were not able to establish themselves in the region owing, mainly, to the dangers they faced from the continuous attacks from the sea. The watchtowers that still stand close to the sea date from that era.
When several paper factories began operations
in the eighteenth century the region began to recover a stable population.
It was to increase years later with grape cultivation, which disappeared in
the early twentieth century as a result of the phylloxera (leaf louse) pest.
The phenomenon of tourism, which began in Benalmadena in the 1960’s,
was to drive the economy forward at an unstoppable rate.
Fiestas
Benalmadena’s festive calendar is ample enough to satisfy all tastes
and interests, and includes every sort of event ranging from what might be
called highly cultured to the most participatory and popular, from sports
to verbenas (traditional street parties), and from religious to the purely
entertaining.
The Corpus Christi celebration is especially important. On this date the village
streets, through which the procession passes, become flowered carpets that
compete in colourfulness with the decorated balconies. The Semana Santa (Holy
Week) is another of the most noteworthy celebrations of a religious nature.
During those days, in addition to the processions in both Benalmadena Pueblo
and Arroyo de la Miel, the El Paso enactment is presented, in which nearly
200 persons participate. They will become actors on Holy Thursday and Good
Friday for the two hours duration of the presentation, which is produced on
a natural stage near the village.
The San Juan festivities in June are celebrated in Arroyo de la Miel with
numerous activities of all types, as is the Veladilla del Carmen (Del Carmen
evening musical programme) in mid-June in tribute to the region’s seafaring
tradition.
The Virgen de la Cruz patron saint fiestas in mid-August also have very strong
traditional roots.
Food
As far as gastronomy is concerned, it is rather daring to single
out a typical local dish given the internationalisation that has occurred
in the municipality over the last several decades with the resultant, enormously
varied, cuisine. Nevertheless, being the coastal region that this is, the
famous “pescaíto” (small fried fish), which can be enjoyed
in any beach bar and in many restaurants, along with the traditional gazpacho
(a chilled soup), constitutes one of the identifying features of this municipality’s
cuisine.
How to get there:
The locality is perfectly linked to the Costa del Sol by the Mediterráneo
Expressway (AP-7; N-340), and by commuter rail also to
Fuengirola, Torremolinos and the provincial
capital.
Tourist information:
Tourist Office, Calle Antonio Machado, 10 (29630, Benalmádena - Costa).
Telephone: 952 442 494/952 441 295; Fax: 952 440 678, turismo@benalmadena.com.
www.benalmadena.com
Property for sale Benalmadena
Property Benalmadena
Error! The codelock file is missing...