Costa del Sol Towns

Twentieth century

Other interesting buildings are the Casa de los Navajas, neo-Mudejar style, and theChurch ofSt. Michael the Archangel, the Palacio de Congresos y Exposiciones de la Costa del Sol and the Municipal Auditorium Prince ofAsturias, where the major events are held in the city.

Although the urban development of Torremolinos is a clear example of the disorderly growth of the Spanish coast in the second half of the twentieth century, some of its buildings are excellent examples of the architecture of the Modern Movement, such as the Aladdin Bazaar.

Around 1923 the decline of the milling industry began. Torremolinos then joined the capital in 1924 because of economic problems until September 27, 1988, which was kept secret from the municipality of Malaga in a process that lasted nearly twelve years. With the disappearance of the milling industry Torremolinos was a small fishing village until the end of the 1950s, when it then became one of the first resorts on the Costa del Sol

The first tourist establishments were Torremolinos golf course opened in 1928, the Castillo del Ingles, opened in 1930, the Parador de Montemar (1933) and The Rock Hotel, which opened in 1942, but due to the Spanish Civil War and World War II.

But it was not until the 50’s when Torremolinos began to attract ‘A’ list celebrities like Grace Kelly, Ava Gardner, Marlon Brando, Orson Welles and Frank Sinatra and the Costa del Sol began to acquire international fame.

In 1959 the Hotel Pez Espada opened, the first luxury hotel on the coast. During the following years the opening of hotels, halls and other tourist establishments continued so that it radically changed the physiognomy of the town and its beaches.

The 80s saw the town decline as tourists moved on to other spots but then the town cleaned up its decaying act and the tourists began to come back in the late 90s to again make it a thriving destination.

 

During the first half of the nineteenth century everything was rebuilt again, as witnessed by the Statistician-Diccionario Geografico-Historico de Espana and its overseas possessions in the year 1849, were stated as being 14 flour mills, a paper estraza Batan and 785 inhabitants.