City History and Modernity City History and Modernity
Modern-day Melilla is not only unique for the peaceful coexistence of people from four different cultures; the city's unique identity has been shaped by its strategic location which has made Melilla important throughout the centuries, leaving a rich legacy from Phoenicians, Romans, Vandals, Byzantines and Arabs. And if this were not enough, Melilla has more than 900 buildings built in the modernist and art deco styles. All this has made the entire city of Melilla itself a diverse and exotic architectural museum.
Old Melilla, or "El Pueblo" as local residents affectionately refer to it, also known as the Citadel, consists of a series of fortified areas built in the 14th century on top of the rocks that had served as the ancient centre of Rusadir, the town settled by Phoenicians and Romans which was destroyed and rebuilt several times over history as a consequence of invasions from Vandals and Arabs and as a consequence of the internal struggles among different Berber tribes. This set of monuments comprises four areas which separated by moats or walls. The first three jut out into the sea, while the fourth remains fully on land. The Fourth Fortified Area features the Fortresses of El Rosario and Las Victorias, where shots were fired from the cannon "El Caminante," thereby determining the current borders of Melilla.
Just opposite Las Culturas Square in the heart of the city, one can visit 19th century Melilla, which is made up of the charming small neighbourhoods of Fuerte de San Carlos, Fuerte de Miguel Fort, Alcazaba and Mantelete.
Starting in the square, go along the Alcazaba road to see a panoramic view of the "Frente de la Tierra" and part of the Galapagos cove. Going downhill back to the square you can look over the Carneros Moat to see the front of the Third Fortified Area, which includes the Alafia Tower, the Barracks and the San Fernando Bastion. These buildings can be reached by going through the San Fernando tunnel. This will take you to the Hornabeque Moat, which then leads to the Victoria Tunnel and the Bastions of San Pedro and San Jose, located in the Second Fortified Area, known as the Armas Square.
Continue walking down the streets past old buildings enclosed by Renaissance towers and the walls of the First Fortified Area, which includes the Santiago Gate and Chapel (the only Gothic religious construction in Africa), the Cisterns, the Conventico Caves, which served as a hiding place for the population during sieges, as well as the Warehouses, the Church of La Concepcion and the King's Hospital, which has been converted into an Exhibition Centre.
As an extra addition to this visit to Old Melilla, you could also visit the fortresses located outside the Square, whose construction began in the 19th century. Start at the Los Camellos Fortress, continue on to the Cabrerizas Fortress and finish the tour at the outer fortress of Rostrogordo.
Modern-day Melilla has a very special charm. Leaving the 19th century city behind, your walk can begin at the attractive Plaza de España, which is presided over by the looming Assembly Hall, an art deco construction built by the architect Nieto. The Plaza de España is the heart of the city and is always full of life and colour. Walking around the square you will find the Military Casino and the Bank of Spain, two of the cities most well-known buildings.
It is worth it to take the time to take a walk down the streets of the Reina Victoria neighbourhood (today called Heroes de España). This section is known as the "Triángulo de Oro," the Golden Triangle.
Declared to be a Historical and Artistic Monument, Old Melilla is an imposing fortification situated on top of a rocky outcropping that juts out into the Mediterranean, connected to the land by an isthmus. It is comprised of four walled areas separated by moats. Construction started in the 15th century on top of the ancient city of Rusadir and Old Melilla is the centre of the city's great cultural patrimony.
Visitors to Old Melilla will take a tour that goes backward in time, entering through the newest Fortified Area, the Fourth, and ending the visit at city's oldest part, the First Fortified Area.
Built in the 18th century, this section is home to the Rosario and Las Victorias Fortresses, where cannonballs were fired to determine the current borders of Melilla. In the 19th century, the neighbourhoods of Fuerte de San Carlos, Fuerte de San Miguel, Alcazaba and Mantelete were built around the Las Culturas Square.
Located on the old walls of the medina, this area is surrounded by the Los Carneros Moat and features the Alafia Tower, also known as the Tower of Five Words, which is the only medieval tower still standing in the city, as well as the Bastion and Barracks of San Fernando and the San Bernabe Battery. You can reach this area through the San Fernando tunnel, which goes through the outer wall (Falsa Braga), leading to the Hornabeque Moat, which was excavated in the 18th century.
Also known as the Armas Square, under which the old prison's dungeons were located, this area conserves the Bastions of San Jose and San Pedro, which are joined by a walkway with cannon racks and the remains of the La Victoria Hermitage, where the patron saint of Melilla used to be held.
In addition to defensive structures such as the wall fronts surrounding the area or the imposing Santiago Moat, visitors to this part of the Old City, which was built during the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, can see a fascinating series of civil and religious buildings, as well as interesting museums such as the Military History and Archaeology Museum, located in the Gunpowder Warehouse. Especially worthy of mention are the Gate and Chapel of Santiago, the Cisterns, Warehouses, the King's Hospital and the Church of La Concepcion, the city's oldest church.
To further strengthen the city's protective measures against possible attacks and specifically due to the so-called "War of Margallo" in 1893, a series of fortifications located outside the city were built which would come to be named "The Fifth Fortified Area."
Built in the medieval style with circular and pentagonal floor plans, eight of the outer fortresses have been preserved and include the following structures: the Camellos Fortress, with its circular shape and moat, located in the Virgen de la Victoria neighbourhood; the Cabrerizas Fortress, a diamond-shaped structure flanked by two hexagonal towers with arched overhangings, located in the Spanish Legion's Barracks; the Rostrogordo Fortress, an irregular pentagon with two hexagonal towers on each flank, a sentry post in the centre, a bastion with a sentry post in the back and a gate at the side entrance, surrounded by a moat and which currently houses a tourist and leisure resort.
In 1881, to defend the city limits, the construction of a series of outer fortresses began. In its time, this initiative, which would eventually become the Fifth Fortified Area of Melilla, constituted an innovative defence system, similar to the old exterior fortifications which had been lost during the 17th Century.
The outer fortresses in Melilla are a complex defence system comprising 16 fortified elements of great diversity. Circular forts, octagonal forts, pentagonal forts, as well as small forts and batteries surrounded the city walls at strategic points, defending the city until many of them were destroyed, as was the case with those of San Lorenzo (1881- 1883), Cabrerizas Bajas (1884-1886), Horcas Coloradas (1893-1894) Sidi Guariach Bajo (1893), Batería Jota (1893), Santiago (1893), Hipódromo (1906) and Triana (1901-1903).
Nowadays, only the these fortresses remain: Camellos (1883-1885), Rostrogordo (1888-1890), Cabrerizas Altas (1890-1893), Purísima Concepción (1893-1894), María Cristina (1893-1895), Alfonso XIII (1893-1894), Reina Regente (1893-1894), and the last vestiges of San Francisco (1890).
Fuerte de los Camellos, Cabrerizas Altas and Rostrogordo are the most important remaining fortresses. They all have a typical medieval style which makes them distinctive for the Spanish architectural panorama of the epoch. Their semiparabolic arches have even led certain researchers to think that Antoni Gaudí might have been inspired by them in constructing some of his most representative buildings.
Camellos Fortress. Located in the present-day neighbourhood of Virgen de la Victoria, Camellos is a fortress with a conical shape and a circular floor, with three levels with arrow slits (long, narrow wall-openings in the walls for shooting from). It is the oldest surviving fortress and the only one which serves as an example of the first model for fortresses as produced by Francisco Roldán.
Cabrerizas Altas Fortress. This fortress, located in the east wing of the Millán Astray barracks, property of First Gran Capitán Squadron of the Legion, has an uneven surface (a rhomboid quadrilateral), with two hexagonal towers at its vertices, and medieval overhangings on parabolic arches on the outside.
Rostrogordo Fortress. Situated on the Rostrogordo esplanade, this fortress was built between 1888 and 1890, and displays the same neo-medieval features as the aforementioned ones: a high floor in the shape of an irregular pentagon and two hexagonal towers, one in front, and one defending the entry.
The Conventico Caves are located in the Muralla de la Cruz, inside the First Fortified Area of Old Melilla. The caves were formed naturally and they are believed to have been used by the Phoenicians when they founded the town of Rusadir, and were subsequently by Romans, Arabs and Spaniards alike.
In the 18th century the city suffered numerous attacks, the worst of which was probably the Siege of Melilla ordered by the Sultan Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdalah from December 1774 to March 1775. At this time the caves gained great importance as a hiding place for religious images taken from the nearby church of the Purisima Concepcion, as well as for military and religious authorities and other families of Melilla.
Many rehabilitation projects have been carried out in the Caves to preserve them from the ravages of time. Two main problems threaten the caves' existence: the first is the precarious condition of the cliff that the Muralla de la Cruz is located on, and the second is the vault of the second level, which is less than 30 cm from the pavement of the road lying directly above it. Additionally, a large cavity located at sea level, with a diameter of 20m and height of 25m could pose another threat to the caves. These problems led the city to carry out a series of works to preserve the caves, the first of which were carried out from 1993-1995, resulting in the impressive Parabolic Arch that stretches down to the sea. Persisting problems led to a second series of works from 1998 to 2000, including the total renovation of the Second Level, the largest and littlest known of the three, and its connection to the Third Level, which was historically separated from the other two.
Another important project involved the construction of a large stone stairway to the cliff, which served the dual purpose of facilitating entrance to the Trapana Cove, which had previously been inaccessible by land, while at the same time serving as a support to the wall itself, protecting its weather-worn rocky outer perimeter.
Church of the Military Hospital
The Christ the King Chapel at the Pagés Military Hospital was declared a Monument of Cultural Interest in January 2004. Designed by the military engineer Luis Sicre between 1939 and 1941, it's basilical Latin style covers 480 m², creating an interior atmosphere that is reminiscent of Christian basilicas in Rome, something very rarely seen in this part of the Mediterranean.
The church consists of three naves separated by stone columns covered in brightly coloured plasterwork, giving the building, which has been preserved in perfect condition, a special charm.
As with many churches from the time period, the Chapel of Christ the King was built with private donations and possesses an undeniable value which has been recognized by the National Centre for Fine Arts, which named it a Monument of Cultural Interest, based on the report of the National Commission on Patrimony.
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