Benalmadena

History

Benalmadena is a town and municipality situated in southern Spain. It is a part of the autonomous community of Andalusia with a long history. This town was settled even before the Phoenicians arrived from Africa in the 7th century BC. In the beginning of the 8th century, the Romans came.

Till the end of the century, the Moors came and gave it the name Ben-Al-Madina (“children of the mines”) – this was a place with many iron ore mines. The history of the 14th century in Benalmadena was marked with many attacks by the Barbary pirates.

This is when the Moorish castle in Benalmadena was destroyed and the population was diminished. In the 15th century the town changed its name to Vigia de la Costa (“lookout for the coast”).

The biggest disaster that occurred in Benalmadena was at the end of the 17th century. A tremendous earthquake hit the town, followed by tsunami from the open sea. No houses were left in one piece and all the boats in the marina were destroyed.

When an Italian, Felix Solesio opened paper mills in the town in the 18th century, the population started growing again. The development of the town started again with cultivation of Muscatel grapes.

Benalmadena Costa

The municipality of Benalmadena has three urban areas: Pueblo, Costa and Miel. Costa is a famous tourist area. It has a nine kilometers long sandy beach. By the votes of readers of International Property Magazine, its marina was the best in the world in 1995. This magnificent beach provides visitors with all sorts of water sports and leisure activities.

Visitors often visit the Sea Life Center. This complex has many swimming pools and underwater tunnels. For those who had no chance to be born BC and visit the Lost City of Atlantis, this is a great opportunity to visit it now in this center. The best place for children is the Tivoli amusement park. The park offers lots of entertainment with famous people.

If you climb up Monte Calamorro, a nearby mountain, you can enjoy a beautiful view of the coast. Sometimes it is even possible to see the mountains in Morocco!

Benalmadena Pueblo

Pueblo is an ideal place for visitors who apart from beaches, like to enjoy historical sites. Pueblo is well known for its narrow streets and whitewashed houses – the typical marks of Andalucian villages.

The remains of the ancient civilizations such as Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans and Moors are still visible near these picturesque houses. Local museums display a part of the rich town history.

Benalmadena de la Miel

Benalmadena de la Miel is a village situated between these two areas. Today, Miel is a residential area with apartment blocks. People visiting Miel can enjoy both ice-skating and swimming indoors.