Marbella

Location

Costa del Sol

What to See in Marbella

A poorly informed visitor would probably be surprised to find that this city, aside from having the largest concentration of golf courses in Spain and a large part of Europe, luxury hotels, leisure ports, unusually sophisticated restaurants and other establishments, a casino and excellent beaches all along its more than 20 kilometres of coast, has an extraordinarily interesting artistic and historical heritage and an old quarter that has so admirably withstood the invasion of the "latest fad" that has worn down so many wills.

The Roman villa of Río Verde, discovered in 1961, lies about 5 kilometres from the urban district. It was erected between the first and second centuries AD. There are clues that it belonged to a six-hectare urban nucleus that might coincide to ancient Cilniana. Judging from the remains that have been found (fishhooks, needles for making nets) it is a reasonable supposition that this aristocratic villa housed a salt fish (garum) industry. The most remarkable thing about this archaeological site is the mosaics, which are of wonderful artistic quality. There are representations on them of culinary motifs whose schematics some experts consider to be very close to twentieth century art. Birds, ducks, wine vases and a number of stylised plants surround the head of Medusa, the central figure that is done in bright polychrome.

The Paleo-Christian basilica of Vega del Mar is in the Linda Vista residential development adjoining San Pedro Alcántara. This archaeological site was discovered in 1915, and during its excavation a necropolis with more than 180 graves was also uncovered. The basilica is dated to between the fourth and sixth centuries, opinions differ as to just which. It has a rectangular floor plan consisting of three naves and it is known that one of its two sacristies was converted into a baptismal chamber in the sixth century (during Byzantine rule), for which purpose a baptismal trough 1.10 metres deep was installed. Jewels, ceramics, coins and epigraphic plaques belonging to different tomb furnishings have been found at this site. The most unusual thing about this enclave is its double apse. Most of the relics that have been found here are distributed among museums throughout Spain, most notably the National Archaeological Museum.

Next to the entrance arch of San Pedro Alcántara, in the Guadalmina residential development, are the Roman hot springs or bathhouses of Guadalmina, which date from the second and third centuries AD. This complex was built around an octagonal courtyard in the centre of which is a pool encircled by seven inter-connected rooms, also octagonal. The upper area is almost five metres high, and its central part is crowned by a dome through which natural light entered to illuminate the premises. Remnants of clay pipes found at this place indicate that this system was used to bring hot water or air into the interior of the bathhouses.

La Encarnación Church

The Arabic fortress is mixed in among houses. A tower and part of its walls have been preserved in very good condition. For its construction in the ninth and tenth centuries Roman materials were utilised, such as the shaped stones in the lower part of the walls and three Ionic column capitals that were used without any thought of decoration, simply as building stone.

Renaissance, Gothic and Mudéjar styles form a well balanced combination in the San Juan de Dios Hospital (founded by the Catholic Monarchs under the name Hospital Real de la Misericordia), which was built in the sixteenth century. La Misericordia Chapel remains of the building today. The lower part of its façade, of stone, contrasts with that of the bell tower, which due to the popular custom of applying lime to everything looks whitewashed. It has a stone portal, and on its wooden door are carved the royal coat of arms and that of the Order of San Juan de Dios. It preserves its Mudéjar roof.

The Museum of Engraving (formerly the Bazán Hospital) also dates from the sixteenth century. An unusual feature is that it was built over three Arabic houses, causing its interior to be asymmetrical. As in the previous example, the masonry structure of this building shows Renaissance, Gothic and Mudéjar features. In years past it was the residence of Alonso de Bazán, regent of the city.

The Casa del Corregidor (House of the Magistrate) dates from 1552. Its stately façade has a prominent balcony with three arches in which, once again, the most favoured styles of the time mingle: Renaissance, Gothic and Mudéjar, along with several coats of arms. This construction is part of the remarkable Los Naranjos Plaza architectural complex in the heart of the city’s historical district.

The Santo Cristo de la Vera Cruz hermitage in Barrio Alto is from the sixteenth century and was modified in the eighteenth. This is one of the most interesting examples of religious architecture in the city. The Ayuntamiento (City Hall) on Los Naranjos Plaza is a stately sixteenth-century building that over time has undergone several modifications, but it still preserves a large part of the basic structure from that age. Its interior is notable for the Mudéjar roof frame over the hall known as the Salón de Comisiones (formerly Sala Capitular) and for the paintings in tempera in the Sala de Justicia (Hall of Justice), where the coats of arms of Phillip II and of Marbella as well as other symbols alluding to justice and religion are to be seen. The Santiago Hermitage, the city’s oldest religious building as its construction dates back to the fifteenth century and is thus contemporaneous with the conquest of Marbella, also stands on Los Naranjos Plaza. Its structure is quite simple, consisting of a single nave and no crossing

Marbella’s museum offer is distributed among three centres with very diverse content. The Cortijo de Miraflores Museum (Calle Luis Morales y Marín, s/n. Tel.: 952 902 714), in an early eighteenth century building that has been extensively remodelled, houses several galleries for temporary exhibitions but its permanent and defining collection is of an old olive oil mill with all the accessories involved in extracting this product.

The Bonsai Museum (Avenida Dr. Maíz, s/n. Tel.: (+34) 952 862 926) is considered one of the most complete of its type in all of Europe. Its collection of wild olive trees is fascinating, as are the dwarf Spanish firs, an endangered native species.

The Museo del Grabado Español Contemporáneo (Museum of Contemporary Spanish Engraving, Calle Hospital Bazán, s/n. Tel.: 952 765 741) was opened in 1992 and today occupies a distinguished position in the ranks of Spanish museums. The most representative Spanish engravers, almost without exception, have one or more works in these galleries: Antonio López, Picasso, Dalí, Tàpies, Clavé, Equipo Crónica, Genovés, Sempere, Palazuelo, Chillida, Barceló, Sicilia, etc. It holds temporary exhibitions and hosts series of conferences.

Del Mar Avenue

The Arroyo de la Represa Park has become one of the most popular meeting points in town. It is halfway from the historic centre and Santa Marta over the channelled Arroyo de la Represa. The park features two man-made ponds, sports courts, high performance rhythmic gymnastics and aerobics centre, a children’s playground, a restaurant and bar, and the Bonsai Museum. All these facilities are flanked by two stone walls that resemble the walls of the local castle.

Visitors who are seeking for peace and quiet should go to Parque de la Constitución, a park with trees and other flora that make it cool and beautiful. They will find a playground and a little astronomical observatory. Inside the park there is the Municipal Auditorium, an icon of Marbella’s culture that stages top music events.

With its 26-kilometre coastline, Marbella offers 27 stretches of beach. Central Marbella has as many as nine beaches, East Marbella has ten, San Pedro Alcántara five and Puerto Banús three. All these diverse beaches attract different kinds of visitors. Las Dunas de Artola or Cabopino are protected spaces in special natural settings; El Cable, El Faro or La Fontanilla are more popular and feature all kinds of services; San Pedro Alcántara is remarkably long; Puerto Banús are the most famous of all; Las Chapas, in East Marbella, is the beach of choice for Marbellíes. The beaches in Marbella are the main attraction, as the town’s annual average temperature is 18.7º C.
is one of the main thoroughfares of Marbella. Visitors and locals like walking down from La Alameda Park to the seaside promenade, passing through fountains, pergolas, flowerbeds, and a series of sculptures by Salvador Dalí. Specifically, there are ten sculptures designed by the Catalan artist and cast by Verona-based Bonvicini Foundry. At the end of the avenue is a monument dedicated to freedom of speech. was erected in 1618. Its exterior is noteworthy for the magnificent Baroque façade of red stone. At one end of the centremost of its three naves is a semicircular presbytery with a dome rising over it. An image of San Bernabé (Saint Barnabas, patron saint of the city) is venerated at the main altarpiece, which is also Baroque.