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Among
the foothills of the Mijas mountain range, in an
area of gentle terrain that decreases in altitude as it approaches the seacoast,
lies the territory of Torremolinos, formerly a district of Malaga
and a separate municipality since 1988. The great green spaces at the foot
of the mountains join the complex and heterogeneous urban district on the
opposite side of the Mediterranean Expressway that bestows a distinctive profile
upon the locality. (There are four well-differentiated population centres:
El Calvario, El Bajondillo, La Carihuela and the network of streets that make
up the most traditional district of the city). For more information about
property for sale in Spain in or
near Torremolinos please contact us.
The first human settlements in this municipality date back no less than 150,000 years. That is the period from which date the nine human skulls found in the caves of El Tesoro, Los Tejones, El Encanto and Tapada. These caves no longer exist but used to be at Punta de Torremolinos, the present Castillo de Santa Clara, where clay vessels, axe heads, necklaces, bracelets and rings were also found. Neolithic remains (5,000 B. C.) have also been found of what according to the historian Juan Temboury was a Mesopotamian people who settled in this place, where they would have found an excellent climate, natural shelters and abundant water, game and fish. During the Roman domination, Torremolinos was perfectly linked with Malaga and Cadiz by the road that was built to connect those two cities. Due to these good communications, three dried fish trading posts were set up in the municipality, mainly to produce the famous garum sauce, a fish product that was indispensable to Roman cuisine. All that remains of them, however, is a few signs of one of them on the grounds of the old Campamento Benítez. A small necropolis that came to light during some work on the Plaza Cantabria is also from the Roman era.
The Arabs, with their undying reverence for water, did not hesitate to avail themselves of the stream that had its headwaters in the area of Los Manantiales and ran to the beach. They built numerous mills all along this stream. In about 1300, at the height of the Nazarite epoch, construction was begun on a defensive tower at the end of present-day Calle San Miguel to prevent, so far as was possible, invasions from the sea. The name of the city (“Tower-Mills”) alludes to the tower and the mills. Shortly after the fall of Malaga, the Catholic Monarchs granted that capital ownership of the springs in Torremolinos. This decision was reaffirmed years later, in 1511, by Juana la Loca. Thus, quite a few years later, the mills that had been built by the Arabs gradually became inoperative for lack of a water current.
It is an interesting footnote that the first resident of Torremolinos whose name appears in any official document was Alonso Martín, who was contracted as a tower guard with the mission of giving warning of invasions from the sea. One such invasion occurred in 1503, as is shown by a document in the Archives of the Malaga Cathedral. The resident in question was paid 25 maravedís per day, but since his job consisted of watching over the coast he was not permitted to have a fishing pole or play games. For failure to comply with that rule he could be punished by two months without pay or even expelled from the service. Pirate vessels did not relent in their harassment of the Malaga coastline, and in order to defend the Torremolinos coast Antonio Jiménez Mesa, the Royal Army engineer, proposed that a castle or artillery battery be built. This work began in 1770 on the site now occupied by the Hotel Santa Clara. The fortress housed infantry and cavalry garrisons, dwellings, a chapel and warehouses, and was equipped with a battery of six 24-pound cannon with a range of about six kilometres. The facility was a military base until 1830 when it was adapted as a constabulary barracks, and years later it passed into private hands. There are still some ruins of this fort in the area known as La Batería.
In 1923 two projects were begun to divert Torremolinos’ water to Malaga due to the capital’s growing population and its scant water resources during that era. This initiative ultimately caused the municipality of Torremolinos to become a neighbourhood of Malaga. Sir George Langworthy, an unusual British citizen who took up residence in Torremolinos in the late nineteenth century, bought the Santa Clara castle and in 1930 converted it into a residential hotel, thus founding the first tourist establishment not only in Torremolinos but practically on the entire Costa del Sol. Shortly afterwards, Carlota Alessandri converted her Cucazorra rural estate into the Parador de Montemar; in the next decade the Hotel La Roca opened its doors and in the late 1940’s the El Remo restaurant and cabaret in La Carihuela began operations. The rest is recent history. Beginning in the 1950’s with the opening of the Los Nidos and Pez Espada hotels (the latter being the first luxury establishment in the area), the name of Torremolinos became inescapably associated with tourism. 50 years later that tranquil village, which sprang up around a watchtower and some mills exploiting the abundant spring water is known throughout the world and finds itself at the forefront of the international tourism industry.
Fiestas
Torremolinos, being a first-class tourism municipality, has a schedule of
events that barely gives time for rest. The first event is the Campeonato
de Baile Retro (The Retro Dance Championship) that is held in the Príncipe
de Asturias Auditorium during the last week in February. Couples over 50 years
of age from all over Europe participate in this unusual competition that draws
a very large attendance to the auditorium each day. The tango, waltz, two-step,
salsa, rock and twist are some of the most common styles in this championship,
which carries the dance to other parts of the city with schedules that do
not conflict with the official tests. The championship begins with a parade
through the main streets of the locality that has broken two world records:
the largest gypsy costume and bridal gown in the world. The carnival during
the first fortnight of March has special significance in Torremolinos for
the high level of public participation in the fiesta and for the quality of
the groups that participate in the Certamen de Chirigotas, Murgas y Comparsas
(competition of various kinds of singing and performing groups) that is held
in the municipal auditorium. There is a masquerade ball and a colourful carnival
parade on the seafront promenade of La Carihuela, as well as contests to select
the Dios Momo (God Momo), the Ninfa del Carnaval (Carnival Nymph) and the
best disguises.
The surroundings of the San Miguel hermitage, in the Los Manantiales pine grove, are the site of the Día de los Verdiales (Day of Verdiales, a traditional style of music in Malaga) on a date between early March and early April. This day is devoted to native Malaga folklore featuring three interpretive styles: Comares, Almogia and Montes. Along with the singing and dancing there is also a gastronomic show. Associations, booster clubs, brotherhoods and other kinds of groups take a very active part in the Cruces de Mayo (May Crosses) fiesta. Traditional ceramic and brass vessels, colourful Manila shawls, flowers-lots of flowers-and ornamental plants are used in assembling the altars, which always win praise from the viewing public.
The Noche de San Juan (Night of San Juan, 23 June) is a deeply-rooted tradition throughout the municipality, but the festivities organised by the Hermandad de Marineros de la Virgen del Carmen (Virgin of Mount Carmel Sailors’ Brotherhood) and those that take place in the neighbourhoods of San Juan and Cantarranas enjoy the greatest popularity. In keeping with tradition, bonfires are lit in various places and the younger people compete in the riskiest leaps. The saint’s procession is on 24 June, after a mass in which the Rocío Choir of San Juan participates. The Feria del Carmen (Virgin of Mount Carmel fair) in mid-July attracts thousands of people to La Carihuela, especially on the day that the image of the Virgin is placed on a boat for a trip along the municipal waterfront. The fiesta centres on the El Remo plaza, where there are musical performances and an extremely wide variety of dances.In late September Torremolinos seems to be one big pilgrimage, that of San Miguel, which is held in the nearby pine groves of Los Manantiales. It is considered the second largest in terms of participants (more than 200,000) in all of Andalusia, after that of El Rocío. The entourage, with numerous carts that have been profusely decorated for the occasion and an even larger number of people on horseback, leaves the city centre en route to Los Manantiales amid the exclamations of tourists, who do not hesitate to inquire about what they are seeing.
The pilgrims camp next to the San Miguel hermitage, which can’t come close to holding all the people who want to hear the mass inside the church, and once religious ceremony concludes the party begins and lasts until dark. Singing, dancing and good food are at the heart of this massively attended pilgrimage. The Feria de San Miguel (Fair of San Miguel, patron saint of Torremolinos) begins a few days later. As in a number of other localities in Málaga it is held in the centre of the city during daylight hours and at night at the fairgrounds, where practically all the collectives in Torremolinos and many private individuals set up booths. In spite of the thousands of tourists that come to it, the Feria de San Miguel has preserved an unmistakable Andalusian character, which has been even more pronounced in recent times because there is an earnest effort to keep the old traditions from being lost.
The locality also is a beehive of activity on the Día del Turista (Tourist’s Day), which was initiated some years ago to show gratitude to the visitors who have chosen to spend their vacations in Torremolinos. The most outstanding events on that day are the folklore performances, gastronomy samplings and the selection of the Tourist of Honour. It does not unnoticed in Torremolinos when it comes to mounting tourist promotional campaigns that “pescaíto” is one of the locality’s greatest attractions. Therefore on the first Thursday in October it celebrates the “Día del Pescaíto” (Pescaíto day), in which the local restaurants hand out servings of pescaíto to both tourists and residents of Torremolinos.
The Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Torremolinos
got off to a late start (1924) in comparison to other localities in Málaga.
It began with the foundation of the cofradía (brotherhood) of Nuestro
Padre Jesús y María Santísima de los Dolores (Our Father
Jesus and Holy Mary of the Sorrows), whose headquarters is in the Madre del
Buen Consejo parish church. The brotherhood performs its processional march
on Good Friday.
Food
The pescaíto (small fried fish) of La Carihuela El Bajondillo-Playamar
is this municipality’ supreme dish. It is a culinary specialty whose
secret lies almost entirely in the manner of frying the fish, but it has transcended
borders and become the most esteemed and famous item of Torremolinos cuisine.
Aside from this specialty, the city offers in its 250 restaurants a tremendous
variety of foods of every type and at prices in keeping with the class of
the restaurant.
How to get there:
Whether you are coming direct from the airport or from any other
point on the Costa del Sol, the signs for Torremolinos will not let you go
wrong. The Mediterranean Expressway and the old N-340, which has now become
a boulevard passing through the middle of the city, are this tourist centre’s
access routes.
Tourist information:
City Hall, Tourism Delegation, Plaza Blas Infante, 1 (29620). Telephone:
952 379 511; Fax: 952 379 551. Tourism Office, Plaza de la Independencia.
Telephone: 952 374 231.
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