Malaga

This is a guest post by Vera Petryk, an author for spain.net

A small picturesque town Malaga in the sunny southern Spain is one of the most visited cities in the country, attracting tourists with its extraordinary scenery, warm climate, beautiful beaches and rich history.

History

Malaga was founded by the Phoenicians around 1100 BC. Since then, the infrastructure of the city is constantly evolving. During the Roman Empire reign in the III BC, Malaga became one of the most important ports in Europe and when nit was conquered by Arabs in the VIII century, the city has developed the production of silk fabrics hence became one of the fashion cities. Malaga has become a significant economic center of the Emirates. It was only in the XV century when Castilian troops retook Malaga and annexed it to Castile. During the World War II Malaga was an important strategic naval base in Spain and despite Franco régime it fought against Nazi.

Today Malaga is a thriving resort town with beautiful natural landscapes, convenient and attractive beaches and a lot of Malaga hotels that are said to be the best on the Mediterranean coast. Moreover, Malaga is famous for its wines and olive oil. It is the capital of the province of Malaga, and is considered to be one of the largest towns on the Costa del Sol; recently its population exceeded to half a million of inhabitants.

Attractions

The history of Malaga reflected its architectural appearance. Despite the age of the city, which has experienced different periods of art in Europe, you will not find Baroque palaces and Gothic churches and all the things that attract us to other cultural centers in Europe. Unlikely, malaga’s historical buildings didn’t stay in the city for long, almost all o9f them were turned down and their place was taken by new, modern constructions. Still, some of the historical monuments have survived to the present day and are ready to tell hundreds of stories they have seen during the different periods.

One of the most visited tourist attractions of Malaga is the ruins of the theater (Teatro Romano) dating back to I – II century BC when Roman Empire was in charge. The theatre is located near the ruins of the Alcazaba, which is another great place to go.

The most unusual architectural structure in Europe is truly a cathedral in Malaga (La Catedral de la Encarnación). The singularity of this structure is defined by a mixture of styles that existed in Europe at different times. Its construction began in the beginning of the XVI century and was finished when Malaga was released from Arabs.

The last place on the least of must visited places is a Botanical Garden in Malaga that hosts a great variety of plants from all over the world. Here you can wander through the quiet flowery alleys while enjoying the fantastic beauty of nature, watch the ducks swimming in the reservoirs, and throw a coin into the pond with goldfish when making fondest wish.