Málaga

Málaga is a port city in Andalusia, southern Spain, on the Costa del Sol coast of the Mediterranean. According the 2006 census the population is 558,287. ()

Overview

Population of the city of Málaga proper was 558,287 as of 2005 estimates. Population of the urban area was 814,000 as of 2005 estimates. Population of the metropolitan area (urban area plus satellite towns) was 1,074,074 as of 2005 estimates, ranking as the fifth largest metropolitan area in Spain. Málaga is surrounded by mountains, lying in the southern base of the Axarquía hills, and two rivers, the Guadalmedina (its on the left bank) and the Guadalhorce, flow near the city into the Mediterranean.

The climate is mild and equable, the mean annual temperature being about 66° Fahrenheit. For its broad sky and broad expanse of bay the city has been compared to Naples.

The inner city of Málaga is just behind the harbour. The quarters of El Perchel, La Trinidad and Lagunillas surround this centre. The city has much revenue from the agricultural sector and from tourism.

History

The Phoenicians founded the city Malaka here, in about 1000 BCE. The name Malaka is probably derived from the Phoenician word for salt because fish was salted near the harbour; in other Semitic languages the word for salt is still Hebrew מלח mélaḥ or Arabic ملح milḥ.

About seven centuries later, the Romans conquered the city along with the other Spanish areas of Carthago. From the 5th century CE it was under the rule of the Visigoths. In the 8th century, Spain was conquered by the Moors, and the city became an important centre of trade. Malaga was first a possession of the Caliphate of Cordova. After the fall of the Omayyad dynasty, it became the capital of a distinct kingdom, dependent on Granada. During this time, the city was called Mālaqah (Arabic مالقة). At a late stage of the reconquista, the reconquering of Spain, Málaga became Christian again, in 1487.

Málaga underwent fierce bombing by the Italian and Nationalist air forces during the Spanish Civil War in 1936. Tourism on the adjacent Costa del Sol boosted the city's economy in the 1960s.

The magnum opus of Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona, "Malagueña", is named for the music of the gypsies of this region of Spain.

Ecclesiastical history

Under the Visigoths Malaga was made an episcopal see. The earliest known bishop was Patricius, consecrated about 290, and present at the Council of Eliberis (in present Elvira). Hostegesis governed the see from 845 to 864. After the battle of Guadalete the city passed into the hands of the Arabs, and the bishopric was suppressed under both Moorish states. In 1487 Ferdinand and Isabella besieged the city, which after a desperate resistance was compelled to surrender; and with the Christian religion, the episcopal see was restored. The first bishop after the restoration was Pedro Diaz. The see was vacant from 1835 to 1848. The Catholic diocese was, by the Concordat of 1851, made a suffragan of the archbishopric of Granada, having previously been dependent on the archbishopric of Seville.

Since the concordat of 1851 the Cathedral Chapter has numbered 20 canons and 11 beneficed clerics. There were in the diocese (1910) 520,000 Catholics, a few Protestants: 123 parishes, 481 priests, and 200 churches and chapels; the Augustinian Fathers had a college at Ronda; the Piarists were teaching at Archidona and the Brothers of St. John of God had schools at Antequera, at which place there is also a Capuchin monastery. In the town of Malaga were convents for women, including Bernardines, Cisterians, Augustinians, Poor Clares, Carmelites and Dominicans. The Little Sisters of the Poor maintain homes for the aged and infirm at Malaga, Antequera and Ronda.

Nowadays in Malaga there is a big religious offer from Occident and Orient: Most of the citizens declare themselves to be catholics. One of his most beautiful churches is the "Santuario de la Virgen Victoria". Islam is also represented with the construction of a new mosque. It will be the greatest until the one in Seville is built and becomes the hugest of Europe. The Evangelic are also there making themselves known through a variety of different activities and social labor. The Jew Community in Malaga is represented by its synagogue near Malaga. It is also possible to visit the Hindi Temple and Budist Shrine en Benalmadena, only 12 Miles away from Malaga. This Buddist Shrine is the biggest of Europe

Tourism

The city is a popular tourist destination, due mainly to its proximity to the Costa del Sol. There are very cheap flights to Málaga from countries in Northern Europe, particularly the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Germany.

From Málaga, other cities of Andalucia, like Sevilla, Córdoba and Granada, can be reached by train, bus or car.

A popular walk leads up the hill to the Gibralfaro castle (a Parador), offering extensive views over the city. The castle is next to the Alcazaba, which in turn is next to the inner city of Málaga. By taking the Paseo del Parque, a promenade that runs alongside a park with many palm trees and statues, one can walk from the Alcazaba to the harbour.

Sights in Málaga

Alcazaba (Arabic for fortress)
Gibralfaro Castle
The cathedral, in the Græco-Roman style, on the site of an ancient Moorish mosque, was begun in 1528 and completed in 1719
Harbour, one of the most important in Spain.
The Picasso Foundation - Native Home Museum of Picasso
Museo Picasso Málaga
CAC Málaga (museum of modern art)
Museo Interactivo de la Música (MIMMA)
Museo Municipal (city museum).
Museo de Artes y Tradiciones Populares (Museum of Arts and Popular Traditions)
Cathedral of the Encarnation (neoclasical).
Palacio Episcopal (Bishop's Palace)
Iglesia del Sagrario (church)
Iglesia Parroquial de Santiago (St James's church)
Palacio de los Condes de Buenavista
Plaza de Toros (bullring)

Famous people

The painter Pablo Picasso, the 19th-century Spanish politician Antonio Canovas del Castillo and the actor Antonio Banderas were born in Málaga.

Sports

Transportation

The city is served by Malaga Airport. The main rail station is Málaga-Renfe which is connected with Madrid Atocha by Talgo 200. The city has two Cercanías (commuter train) lines and a metro system is under construction.

Buses are the main form of transport around the city. Malaga's bus station is connected with the city by the bus line number 4, although it is only 10 minutes walk to the Alameda from there.

External links

Sources and references

Guia Viva, Andalucia, Anaya Touring Club, April 2000.

Municipalities in Málaga | Phoenician colonies | Ports and harbours of Spain | Málaga province

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