Getting There Self-guided Audio Tours Getting There Self-guided Audio Tours
As part of a campaign to achieve excellence in touristrelated services, the City Melilla recently started up this program to provide tourists with a comfortable and enriching way to enjoy their visit to the city.
Many of the city's most interesting places have been assigned a code, which tourists can use to request information by phone, using their mobile phones to receive information on the city's rich history and patrimony.
Tourists need only dial the code corresponding to each point of interest to listen to the information on each given place.
This system is provided in four different languages, in accordance with the profiles of the most frequent tourist populations in Melilla.
To take advantage of this service go to:
Tourist Information Office in the Plaza de España.
A TOUR THROUGH MODERNIST MELILLA
Start at the kiosk in the Plaza de España, leaving the square and visiting the Casino and the Assembly Hall. Then go down Duque de Almodovar Street until it ends, which will bring you to the Mantelete neighbourhood, a charming residential area built next to the city walls in the 19th century.
Go by the old iron market, which dates back to 1896 and has been recently restored. When you are in Duque de Almodovar Street you will see the classical building which was home to the former City Council, which would later become the City Hall.
At the end of the street you will find the Castrense Church, a neo-gothic historicist construction by Francisco Carcaño built in 1920. From this point you can return to the Plaza de España.
The Plaza de España was designed in 1913 by Jose de la Gandara and is presided over by some of the city's most well-known buildings. To the left is the Autonomous City Palace (formerly the Municipal Palace), which was created by architect Enrique Nieto using an innovative art deco style. Its imposing exterior façade is the first thing to catch your eye, but it is also well worth it to also venture inside and have a look at the building's interior.
If you start walking out of the Square towards the kiosk, you will find the Military Casino. The building's sombre classical style features the symbols of the Spanish Republic, which are still conserved on its façade. Its entrance hall and interior stairways are some of the building's more striking features.
On the opposite side of the Square you will find Parque Hernández, and on its right side, in the area known as the Golden Triangle, you can see a modernist house by Enrique Nieto with an attractive curved flower motif. Two more modernist buildings then come into view: the old Post Office and the Bank of Spain, located on the same side of the street. Located just opposite the Bank of Spain is Calle Ejército Español, a street whose name gives testimony to the importance of the Spanish Army in the city's past and present. To the right you will see the old Cine Monumental building, one of Melilla's most representative art deco constructions, built in 1930 by Lorenzo Ros. Unfortunately, the building's magnificent interior was destroyed. Keep on going down Ejército Español Street until you reach the intersection with Cervantes Street.
Ejército Español Street and Surrounding Areas
At the intersection of Ejército Español and Cervantes you will find many buildings of interest: to the right is a modernist building by Emilio Alzugaray, which was recently renovated, and just past it on the right is a Neo- Baroque (Classical) building by Manuel Latorre. Opposite these two buildings is the modernist Chamber of Commerce building, another work by Enrique Nieto, which served as the headquarters for the influential organisation that served the interests of Melilla's powerful upper class.
Going uphill on Ejército Español again, you can find another two modernist buildings by Enrique Nieto with flower motifs: midway down the block on the left side is the Spanish Casino, and further down on the right hand corner is the former headquarters of the daily newspaper "El Telegrama del Rif."
The old headquarters of El Telegrama del Rif feature a daring bevelled edge with an oval placed on top of columns. Just past this building on the right hand side, in Candido Lobera Street, is the National Theatre and Cinema building. Also designed by the architect Enrique Nieto, this building was erected in the 1920's and features a more geometrical style within the modernist current.
Opposite these buildings on Ejercito Español Street, visitors can find a curious regionalist building by Mauricio Jalvo, where the use of bricks and eaves make it stand out notably from the other buildings on the block. This series of streets reveal several other buildings from Nieto's early modernist phase, as well as some notable examples of art deco. Such is the case of the large building built in the 1930's located at the corner of Ejercito Español and the Avenida Juan Carlos I.
Coming back to Ejercito Español Street and continuing a bit further, you will find the Plaza Menendez Pelayo on the left, with an impressive bell tower of the Church of the Sacred Heart, a Neo-Romanic construction designed by Fernando Guerrero Stracham. To its left you can appreciate one of Enrique Nieto's greatest modernist works, the socalled "House of the Reconquest," built in 1915, which is covered in floral and feminine details, with attractive balconies and domed towers at its corners. We will continue our tour on Lopez Moreno Street.
A stroll down Lopez Moreno Street will take you past a series of magnificent modernist buildings lined up in a row which are the creations of several different architects including Enrique Nieto, Emilio Alzugaray, Enrique Alvarez and Luis Garcia Alix. All these buildings are situated on your right hand side as you walk down the street.
Midway down Lopez Moreno Street, also on the right side, you can visit Melilla's main synagogue (by Enrique Nieto), known as Or Zoruah or Yamin Benarroch, a building with both a striking exterior façade as well as a well-preserved interior.
At the intersection of Lopez Moreno, Cautelar and Avenida Juan Carlos I, you can find more interesting buildings by the architects Enrique Nieto and Manuel Latorre.
If you stand at the corner of the Avenida de Juan Carlos I, you will find yourself under a magnificent modernist building from the 1920's featuring a bevelled balcony full of floral elements. From this point you can also see many other notable buildings, all of which were designed by the prolific architect Enrique Nieto: at the corner of the Avenida and Sidi Abdelkader Street there is a fine example of modernism and art deco from the 1930's; at the corner of Reyes Catolicos Street the building called "La Pilarica" rises up with great elegance and a cosmopolitan air; opposite La Pilarica there is an imposing structure known as The Aqueduct; to its right you will find the golden triangle of modernism in Melilla, between Garcia Cabrelles, Cardenal Cisneros, Lope de Vega and Reyes Catolicos; then you can see the Casa Vicente Martinez, by Nieto, with its floral modernist structure and curved balconies; as well as a modernist building by Mauricio Jalvo at Lope de Vega 4. The combined quality and innovations of these architectural creations made Melilla a cosmopolitan capital in its time.
The Heart of Modernist Melilla
Opposite the Casa Vicente Martinez you can observe the contrast of styles in an art deco building on Cardenal Cisneros Street, full of multi-coloured geometric details.
Walking along the street for the next two blocks you can see magnificent modernist buildings on the right side, flanking Cardenal Cisneros and Sor Alegria Streets, all of which were built between 1915 and 1917, either by the engineer Emilio Alzugaray or Enrique Nieto. You are now in the heart of modernist Melilla: wavy exterior lines, balconies, floral motifs, garlands, a widespread use of bright colours, all of which takes us back to the cosmopolitan Melilla of the early 20th century.
Turn left off Cardenal Cisneros Street, onto Gabriel de Morales Street, until you get to the Avenida de los Reyes Catolicos.
Once you are back on the Avenue, one of the more eyecatching buildings includes the Neo-Gothic Colegio del Buen Consejo on your left, which is now home to the University of Distance Education, whose old chapel now serves as a theatre and whose lower floor now serves as an exhibit hall. This location will also give you new perspectives on other buildings in the next block, such as the enormous art deco building built by Nieto in 1930, which is covered by geometrical designs.
We will now go down the streets created in 1906 when the engineer Eusebio Redondo reorganised the layout of the area's streets. He included a wide open central space in the city, which would later become the Reina Victoria neighbourhood and which is currently known as the Golden Triangle. Turn right off the Avenida de los Reyes Catolicos onto Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera Street.
At the intersection between Primo de Rivera and Sidi Abdelkaber on the right hand corner, you will find an example of Sgraffito Architecture from the 1940's by Enrique Nieto.
Keep on going down Primo de Rivera to find more modernist buildings on both the left and right side of the street, such as the Bank of Bilbao building. If you turn right here you can see other interesting works on General Pareja Street. Go down this street until you get to the intersection with General Prim, where you will see other modernist buildings, which together give the city centre the collective image that characterises modern-day Melilla.
Go back towards the Avenida de los Reyes Catolicos, taking General Prim Street to get there. At the intersection with Sidi Abdelkader Street you will find the "Casa de los Cristales," an admirable building originally conceived as a grand hotel, whose glass façade is combined with Nasrid columns and several other Arabesque details, giving it a touch of great luxury.
If you follow the road until it ends, you will find an eclectic block on the left hand side with military homes built by Jose de la Gandara.
Before turning onto Castillejos Street, if you look to the right you will see a block full of eclectic military buildings on your right.
Turn left onto Castillejos Street until you get to the Engineers' Command, an institution of utmost importance in the planning and construction of modern-day Melilla.
Turn onto O'Donnell Street and you will find a building with aerodynamic lines by Francisco Herranz, known as the Casa Parres. At the intersection between O'Donnell and Sidi Abdelkader, there is another building by the same architect, built in 1936, which is the city's most elegant and aerodynamic art deco construction.
If you turn right onto General Pareja Street, this will eventually lead you to General Marina Street, where you can see another series of beautiful modernist buildings on your left. When you reach the next corner, turn right again onto General Chacel, which will take you back to the Avenida de Juan Carlos I.
Juan Carlos I Avenue and Surroundig Areas
At the intersection of the Avenida and O'Donnell, there is a building by Emilio Alzugaray on the left. Continue your walking tour down Chacel Street, where you can find one of Enrique Nieto's best art deco constructions at Number 8 Chacel Street, a building which elegantly balances geometrical designs with large surfaces. Just opposite this building at the corner of General Prim Street, you can find a classicist building by Alejandro Rodriguez Borlado, which was built in 1907 and which provides an excellent synthesis of classicism, the city's dominant architectural style before the arrival of modernism. The building still conserves some of the original painted decorations in some of its rooms.
Go back on the Avenida de Juan Carlos I and walk towards the Plaza de España, which is on your right. At Number 18 and 20 you can see another imposing classicist building by Eusebio Redondo. At Numbers 11 and 9 Enrique Nieto provides another visual delight with two very different buildings: the first was built in 1936 and features art deco lines, while the second was built in 1914 and was the old Military Store. This is one of his best modernist works, full of wavy balconies, busy floral decorations and elegant lookouts that give the building strong vertical features.
Towards the end of the Avenue at the intersection with Cervantes Street, you can find two more buildings by Eusebio Redondo on the left. Located on both sides of Cervantes Street, they act as a frame for a nice picture featuring the old city walls in the background. Back on the Avenue, continue walking down the block and taking in more classical and eclectic buildings by Eusebio Redondo and Droctoveo Castañon. When you reach the little square called Plaza Heroes de España, you will see a monument with art deco lines that was made by Vicente Maeso in 1940.
The Avenue ends with three very distinct modernist buildings. Next to the Baroque elegance of the building by Guerrero Stracham, one can see Nieto's most imposing modernist work, the building at Avenida 1. Built according to the Catalonian models of art nouveau, the building's lines follow the examples set by Nieto's greatest influence, Domenech y Montaner. Lastly, you can see a geometrical modernist building at Avenida 2 by the Malaga-born architect Manuel Rivera Vera, featuring a domed tower. Walk back to the centre of the Plaza de España, where you will find the monument to the Heroes of the Military Campaigns in Morocco, an art deco structure built by Juan Lopez in the 1930's. In the 1970's, Buhigas built the luminous fountain that you can see at your feet. The Plaza de España is a place of heavy traffic but also one of rest, as the gardens surrounding the monument allow visitors to sit back and enjoy the views of this charming section of Melilla.
From the Plaza de España you can also see the gate to Parque Hernandez, built by La Gandara in 1913, which invites pedestrians to take a pleasant stroll down this quiet space that was built in the early 20th century and which serves as a welcome respite from the hubbub of the nearby commercial shopping areas.
A walking Tour Trough Old Melilla
To get a taste of this living history written in stone, start at the Plaza de España and walk towards the Plaza de las Culturas, where the old gate to the pasturelands, or Puerta del Campo, used to be located. This spot offers an unbeatable view of the Old City and all of its individual fortified areas.
From the Plaza de las Culturas you can clearly see the shape of the Third Fortified Area, built in the early 18th century. It is surrounded by the Los Carneros Moat and three bastions named Cinco Palabras, San Fernando and San Jose Bajo. You can also see the locations of the batteries of San Fernando, San Bernabe, as well as the outer wall, known as the Falsabraga.
Enter the Second Fortified Area through the San Fernando tunnel, located just below the Falsabraga wall, and walk towards the Hornabeque Moat. Here you can see two watchtowers or bastions and a walkway that were built in the Dutch style.
In 1690 the Old Village was divided into two different areas (now the Second and Third Fortified Areas), with a moat being built between them, which could only be crossed by a drawbridge. Walk up the ramp and stand on the stone bridge. Leaving the Third Fortified Area behind you, turn left into the domed tunnel, which will take you to the fortress known as the Alcazaba, after passing through the gate to the Cinco Palabras Watchtower.
From the bridge you can see the Bastion of San Pedro on your left, the Bastion of San Jose Alto on the right, and the Victoria Gate in the centre. This will lead to the Plaza de las Armas, where you can enjoy a magnificent view of the First Fortified Area, a section which shows the city's transition from medieval times to the Renaissance. This section is a walled area whose shape changes to fit the shape of the rocky outcropping it was built upon, with four sides named the Frente de Tierra, Frente de Trapana, Frente de Levante and Frente de la Marina.
The Frente de Tierra defends the Santiago gate. It is one of the fortress' most important sides, as it curves around the shape of the cliff it was built on and it includes several watchtowers and bastions, including (starting from its lower edge and moving upwards) the Santiago Gate, the Royal Battery, the Concepcion Baja Battery and the Concepcion Alta Battery.
To get to the First Fortified Area from the Plaza de Armas you must cross the drawbridge that spans the Santiago Moat. The Santiago Gate is surrounded by a moat. The gate is placed at a bend, with a defensive structure on the right and a guard station on the inside left to control people's entrance to the city. The gate includes the coat of arms of Carlos V and is flanked by two watchtowers. It is undoubtedly the most representative monument of Old Melilla.
After passing through the gate's vaults you enter the socalled Plaza de la Avanzadilla, which had previously been a moat with another drawbridge leading to the Santa Ana gate. On your right is the Avanzadilla Watchtower. This square contains a modern coloured reinterpretation of the coat of arms of Carlos V. Next to the coat of arms the Santa Ana Gate opens to the Santiago Chapel, which is the only example of Gothic religious architecture in all of Africa. After visiting the chapel, keep on walking straight until you get to the Santa Ana Tunnel, which goes through the wall and takes you to the Plaza de la Maestranza.
When you get to the Plaza de la Maestranza, stop and take a good look around. The cisterns located on the left are one of the area's most spectacular monuments and are even more impressive if you visit their inside. The Aljibe de las Peñuelas is one such cistern. Its main façade can be seen from the square and it contains the engraved marks of workers who left testimony to the people who had built it and to the amount of work put into its construction. The cistern has four doors: the two central doors lead to the water deposits, which have a capacity of more than 500 cubic metres of water each. The two lateral doors lead to the decanting areas, which collected rainwater and purified it by filtering it through the sand..
Opposite the cisterns you can see some other important works from the 18th century: first, the Las Peñuelas Warehouses, which have been designated as the site for a future city museum, and next, on the right hand side, the Maestranza Tunnel which leads to the Marina Gate. The Las Peñuelas Warehouses had traditionally served as the old city's most important space for storing essential supplies. The current warehouses date from the late 18th century and are made up of seven spacious vaulted halls. Continuing toward the left of the square, you will exit the warehouse area and come to the back part of the upper square.
This open space is used to celebrate the city's main festivals and celebrations. First you can see the old Governor's House and the nearby La Vela Watchtower, where a bell was placed to alert the population of imposing danger. The tower leads to the Royal Battery Walkway, a predominant point on the "Frente de la Tierra" side of the area, where you can enjoy a magnificent view of the entire city.
If you go back to the square you can enter the village area of Old Melilla through San Miguel Street, located opposite the stairway leading up the Plaza de la Maestranza. The street is on a slight incline and leads to the arch of the Hospital of San Francisco, which is opposite the Church of the Purisima Concepcion. This hospital included different wards to attend to its patients, but when the new King's Hospital was built it was changed into the city's pharmacy and supply store. Turn left and walk towards the arch that can be seen at the end of the street.
If you pass through the arch you will arrive at the Church of the Purisima Concepcion, the city's oldest church and one of its "must see" monuments. It has three naves with chapels, Baroque altarpieces and an interesting mix of religious imagery which was created between the late 15th and 19th centuries. The church's façade is simple, with a classical stone front crowned by a triangular pediment. It presents a niche with a stone sculpture of the Purísima Concepción, while the rest is covered in whitewash. On the right hand side there is a tower with a belfry for two bells. To the left of the church you will find the gate to the Conventico and its caves.
The Conventico Caves were built in two levels in the 18th century. The upper level is laid out in an irregular gallery with windows facing the Trapana cliff. A stairway leads down to the lower level. The lower level is laid out in the shape of a papal cross, with a spacious central nave that is crossed longitudinally by another three naves, which also have windows facing the Trapana Cliffside. At times when the city was in danger, the caves served as a refuge to protect the city's religious images and to hold mass.
Go down Church Street away from the Conventico and towards the gate of La Concepcion, leaving behind you the Casa Lafont, a building with an impressing stone façade and an interior featuring a dome with a motif on the four seasons.
Turn right and go up the ramps to the old Lower Batteries of La Concepcion. Its current form dates to the late 18th century, though it was originally built in the early 16th century. At the uppermost part of this area you will find La Concepcion.
La Concepción includes elements from both the 16th century (such as the San Sebastian Watchtower), the 17th century (such as the Caballero Watchtower), and the 18th century, such as the Gunpowder Warehouse, the Bastion and the Batteries.
The Military Museum of Melilla is located in the warehouse and contains a wide range of interesting exhibits. This building's terraces offer excellent views of the coastline and the city.
Starting from La Concepcion we will make a stop at the three sides of the fortress that face the sea: the Muralla de Trapana (also known as the Muralla de la Cruz), the Muralla de Levante (also known as the Muralla del Socorro) and the Frente de la Marina.
The Muralla de Trapana spans from La Concepcion until the Bonete Watchtower, also known as the Lighthouse. Several caves were dug into the rocky subsoil underneath this wall, which would come to be known as the Iglesia Caves, the Conventico Caves and the Santa Barbara Caves, most of which can still be visited and which allow you to walk all the way down to the Trapana beach.
The next side, called the Muralla de Levante or Muralla del Socorro, consists of a nearly straight wall that stretches from the Bonete Watchtower or Lighthouse to the Cabras Watchtower. It also includes a series of watchtowers, known as the Bonete Chico, the Bernal Frances and the Las Pelotas towers, all of which provide good views of the city's port. The lines of these walls give testimony to the city's transition from a medieval fortress to a Renaissance dwelling, and were built in the early 16th century.
Opposite the lighthouse you will find the King's Hospital or Hospital del Rey, a spacious and imposing structure built in the mid 18th century, which currently houses the City Archives. Keep on walking along this wall until you reach the Plaza de la Parada, which is next to the Las Pelotas Watchtower.
Behind the Las Pelotas Watchtower you can find the entrance to the General's Caves, which are currently home to the Melilla Flamenco Society. Keep on going past this square towards the end of the walkway, where you will find the reconstructed Las Cabras Watchtower. Under its curtain, formed by straight walls and watchtowers, the Florencia Gate and Florentina Tunnel open their doors. Go through the Plaza de la Parada and down the Florentina slope until you reach the end, where you will see a series of warehouses and enter the Frente de la Marina. This wall contains three watchtowers, with Florentina on the left, San Juan in the centre and the Avanzadilla Watchtower, located at the end after a ramp. This tower contains a monument to Pedro de Estopiñan and closes the fortress's sea-facing walls.
A magnificent group of warehouses is located in this area, most of which were built during the reign of Carlos III and Carlos IV, including the Florentina warehouse, San Juan Viejo, Sala de Armas de San Juan and Las Peñuelas, which currently serve varying purposes.
The Sala de Armas (and Warehouse) de San Juan contains four vaults which are spread out symmetrically over two floors. At the entrance to the lower level you can see a stonemason's coat of arms. This building is currently home to the Asociación de Estudios Melillenses, an organisation which was created to research and preserve the city's rich history and which contains an interesting library and archives, as well as a small exhibit of pieces from Melilla's past.
Opposite the San Juan watchtower, walk down the Callejon del Moro to go back to the Plaza de la Maestranza. The prestigious Melilla-born actor Jose Tallavi was born in this small alleyway, and the playwright Fernando Arrabal was born in the nearby Ledesma Street.
Once you are back in the Plaza de la Maestranza, go down the Marina Tunnel on the left hand side to get to the La Cal Watchtower, which is the old ravelin built in the early 16th century. Its original architecture has been preserved to the present day, despite the renovations carried out in the 18th century.
The down ramp leads to the entrance to the Santa Ana Barracks, where the domed interior allows you to have a view of the Aljibe Viejo or Old Cistern, which dates from the 16th century.
The Santa Ana Barracks were built at the end of the 18th century when this part of the fortress was entirely rebuilt from its foundations. In the new construction, the wall was rebuilt to include a spacious vault with transverse arches parallel to the wall. The interior of the Santa Ana Barracks lead to the Old Cistern, which was finished in the 16th century, although it soon proved to be insufficient to meet the city's water needs. It is laid out in a quadrangular shape and its roofing, which features an attractive barrel vault on top of top of arches, is from the 18th century.
The nearby staircase leads to the Puerta de la Marina, which obtained its current appearance in the 18th century when the wall was rebuilt and a new gate was added. It is made up of the following elements: first, there is a rectangular guardhouse located on the upper level (referred to as Santa Ana), which protects the entrance; then the stonework gate, located under an arch, featuring the coat of arms of Carlos IV on its exterior side. At one time this gate included a drawbridge system that used chains to lower and raise the bridge over a moat which no longer exists.
As you leave this gate, you are at the entrance to the old port of Melilla. This marks the last spot on your walking tour, before you return to modern-day Melilla and leave the Old Town and its fascinating history behind.
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