Torremolinos
Encyclopedia
Torremolinos is a municipality
on the Costa del Sol
of the Mediterranean, immediately to the west of the city of Málaga
, in the province of Málaga
in the autonomous region of Andalusia
in southern Spain
. A poor fishing village before the growth in tourism beginning in the late 1950s, Torremolinos was the first of the Costa del Sol
resorts to develop.
It is very popular with British
tourists and has a large British
expatriate
population. In the past the influx of younger British tourists has caused controversy. Areas of the town are dominated by high-rise development.
In addition to its tourism sector, Torremolinos is known locally for its vibrant nightlife, particularly its numerous bars and clubs catering to the LGBT community.
According to the Egyptian Greek geographer Ptolemy
, the Phoenicians had founded here a colony named Saduce, but most likely were the Romans
to found the current town, as shown by findings of edifices and a necropolis (from whose size it has been deduced that the settlement had around 2,000 inhabitants). They also built the road joining Cadiz
with Málaga
, passing through Torremolinos.
With the Moorish conquest of Spain, were introduced the mills from which the town takes its name (meaning "Tower of the Mills"). However, at the time the population was reduced; the tower was built by the Nasrid
rulers of Granada starting from 1300. After the fall of Granada, the town remained subject to North African pirate attacks which lasted from the 18th century; during the War of Spanish Succession, the town was attacked by an Anglo-Dutch flotilla under the British admiral George Rooke
and almost entirely destroyed. A document of 1769 lists a population of 106 in the town.
The mills and the city were rebuilt from the early 20th century. The mill industry, however, started to decline in the 1920s. It was replaced by an increasing flourishing tourist interest starting from 1928, especially due to English visitors. Hotel Pez Espada
opened in 1960. The first gay bar in Spain, Toni's Bar, was founded in Torremolinos in 1962. The Spanish regime reacted to the free lifestyle of the city with arrests of homosexuals and other repressions during the 1970s.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
on the Costa del Sol
Costa del Sol
The Costa del Sol is a region in the south of Spain, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, comprising the coastal towns and communities along the Mediterranean coastline of the Málaga province. The Costa del Sol is situated between two lesser known costas: Costa de la Luz and Costa Tropical...
of the Mediterranean, immediately to the west of the city of Málaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
, in the province of Málaga
Málaga (province)
The Province of Málaga is located on the southern coast of Spain, in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the South, and by the provinces of Cádiz, Sevilla, Córdoba and Granada.Its area is 7,308 km²...
in the autonomous region of Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
in southern Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. A poor fishing village before the growth in tourism beginning in the late 1950s, Torremolinos was the first of the Costa del Sol
Costa del Sol
The Costa del Sol is a region in the south of Spain, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, comprising the coastal towns and communities along the Mediterranean coastline of the Málaga province. The Costa del Sol is situated between two lesser known costas: Costa de la Luz and Costa Tropical...
resorts to develop.
It is very popular with British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
tourists and has a large British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
expatriate
Expatriate
An expatriate is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing...
population. In the past the influx of younger British tourists has caused controversy. Areas of the town are dominated by high-rise development.
In addition to its tourism sector, Torremolinos is known locally for its vibrant nightlife, particularly its numerous bars and clubs catering to the LGBT community.
History
Archaeological finds including human bones, tools and pottery prove that Torremolinos area was settled as early as the Neolithic Age. Some remnants are neanderthalians and dated 150 000 years-old by radiocarbone.According to the Egyptian Greek geographer Ptolemy
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
, the Phoenicians had founded here a colony named Saduce, but most likely were the Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
to found the current town, as shown by findings of edifices and a necropolis (from whose size it has been deduced that the settlement had around 2,000 inhabitants). They also built the road joining Cadiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
with Málaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
, passing through Torremolinos.
With the Moorish conquest of Spain, were introduced the mills from which the town takes its name (meaning "Tower of the Mills"). However, at the time the population was reduced; the tower was built by the Nasrid
Nasrid dynasty
The Nasrid dynasty was the last Moorish and Muslim dynasty in Spain. The Nasrid dynasty rose to power after the defeat of the Almohad Caliphate in 1212 at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa...
rulers of Granada starting from 1300. After the fall of Granada, the town remained subject to North African pirate attacks which lasted from the 18th century; during the War of Spanish Succession, the town was attacked by an Anglo-Dutch flotilla under the British admiral George Rooke
George Rooke
Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Rooke was an English naval commander. He is known for his service in the wars against France and particularly remembered today for his victory at Vigo Bay and for capturing Gibraltar for the British in 1704.-Early life:Rooke was born at St Lawrence, near Canterbury...
and almost entirely destroyed. A document of 1769 lists a population of 106 in the town.
The mills and the city were rebuilt from the early 20th century. The mill industry, however, started to decline in the 1920s. It was replaced by an increasing flourishing tourist interest starting from 1928, especially due to English visitors. Hotel Pez Espada
Hotel Pez Espada
Hotel Pez Espada is a hotel in Torremolinos, Spain. Built in 1959-1960, it became a Bien de Interés Cultural in 2006, as the hotel is considered one of the pioneering hotels of the Costa del Sol tourist industry today. It is located right on the beach, next to the 'La Carihuela' area noted for its...
opened in 1960. The first gay bar in Spain, Toni's Bar, was founded in Torremolinos in 1962. The Spanish regime reacted to the free lifestyle of the city with arrests of homosexuals and other repressions during the 1970s.
In popular culture
- Part of James A. MichenerJames A. MichenerJames Albert Michener was an American author of more than 40 titles, the majority of which were sweeping sagas, covering the lives of many generations in particular geographic locales and incorporating historical facts into the stories...
's 1971 novel The DriftersThe Drifters (novel)The Drifters is a novel by Pulitzer Prize-winning author James Michener, published in 1971 by Random House. The novel follows six young characters from diverse backgrounds and various countries as their paths meet and they travel together through parts of Spain, Portugal, Morocco and Mozambique...
takes place in Torremolinos. - Monty Python's Flying CircusMonty Python's Flying CircusMonty Python’s Flying Circus is a BBC TV sketch comedy series. The shows were composed of surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags and observational sketches without punchlines...
had a sketch called "Travel Agent", which aired November 16, 1972, that makes a reference to Torremolinos in the context of visiting British package tourists. - The BelgianBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
band SttelllaSttelllaSttellla is a Belgian band named after Stella Artois Beer. They formed in 1975 in Brussels. The lead singer is Jean-Luc Fonck.-Discography:Main releases, including live and compilation albums:* A.B...
wrote a song about Torremolinos (simply called "Torremolinos"), which is their biggest hit to date. - TerrormolinosTerrormolinosTerrormolinos is a text adventure released by Melbourne House in 1985 for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro and Acorn Electron, all retailing for £7.95.-Summary:...
(a play on Torremolinos) is a text adventure game for various 1980s computer platforms. - The end of the movie Torremolinos 73Torremolinos 73Torremolinos 73 is a 2003 Spanish/Danish comedy film directed by Pablo Berger.-Plot:The protagonist, Alfredo López, is an exasperated encyclopedia salesman for the Montoya Publishing House and lives with his faithful wife Carmen in 1973 Spain...
was filmed in Torremolinos. Torremolinos 73 in the movie means the name of an adult movie shot in Torremolinos in 1973. - The Soft CellSoft CellSoft Cell are an English synthpop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. They consist of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball. The duo is most widely known for their 1981 worldwide hit version of "Tainted Love" and platinum debut Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret...
song "Memorabilia" mentions Torremolinos.
Famous residents
- Alvin KarpisAlvin KarpisAlvin Francis Karpis , nicknamed "Creepy" for his sinister smile, was an American criminal known for his alliance with the Barker gang in the 1930s. He was the last "public enemy" to be taken.-Early life:Karpis was born to Lithuanian immigrants in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and was raised in Topeka,...
(1907-1979), Depression-era outlaw, lived his last years in Torremolinos after being released from jail by US authorities. - Nina ZhivanevskayaNina ZhivanevskayaNina Aleksandrovna Zhivanevskaya is a 5-time Olympic backstroke swimmer from Russia, who has swum for Spain since 1999, following her marriage to a Spaniard ....
, bronze medal winner for Spain in 100 metre backstrokeBackstrokeThe backstroke, also sometimes called the back crawl, is one of the four swimming styles regulated by FINA, and the only regulated style swum on the back. This has the advantage of easy breathing, but the disadvantage of swimmers not being able to see where they are going. It is also the only...
at the 2000 Summer Olympics2000 Summer OlympicsThe Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
. - Brendan SheerinBrendan SheerinBrendan Sheerin is a British international tour guide with thirty years' experience in the travel business, made famous by the reality TV show Coach Trip which is shown on Channel 4 in Britain and throughout Ireland. He acts as a conventional travel guide for the contestants, as commentator on...
, presenter (tour guide) on the British television reality show, Coach TripCoach TripCoach Trip is a reality show that was broadcast on Channel 4 with More4 and Pick TV showing repeats since 7 March 2005. The programme returned on 25 May 2009. The show's format consists of 4 to 7 teams of 2 undertaking a coach tour principally of continental Europe...
.