Municipality

Benalmádena is a city located twelve kilometers west of Málaga. It borders Torremolinos to the east and Fuengirola to the west and is easily accessible via the highway A-7. The municipality is divided into the parts Benalmádena Pueblo and Costa as well as Arroyo de la Miel. (Editor/Photos/Video: mit – Source: Provincial Administration of Málaga, Info-tables on the places, Wikipedia.es)

Already in the Eurasian Paleolithic 18.000 years ago, people lived in Benalmádena. At that time there was a veritable explosion of settlements in Benalmádena and throughout Andalusia. Scientists found the necessary evidence in the Cueva del Bajondillo (eng.: Cave of Bajondillo) in Torremolinos. In the Neolithic period there was a strong population increase. At that time people lived from fishing and hunting.

In the 8th century BC, the Phoenicians finally settled on the Costa del Sol and Benalmádena. They pushed the trade forward. In particular fishing and the sale of handmade products lead to a boom. For example, numerous picking factories were put into operation, which were still used after the conquest of the Costa del Sol by the Byzantines (Romans) in the third century AD.

Around 700 AD, the Romans were expelled by the Visigoths. For more than a couple of hundred years there is no information about new settlements in Benalmádena. Only when the Nasrids conquered the Costa del Sol in the 12th century, the settlements grew again. There are indications that Benalmádena was rich in iron. Because of that it is suspected that most of all the people were working in and around mines as well as in the agriculture. Under the Nasrids, Benalmádena's economy and agriculture were pushed. They started to cultivate almonds, olives, pomegranates, mulberries, cork, figs, basil, wine, bees and honey.

In the 15th century, Catholic kings conquered the Costa del Sol. During the reign of Carlos I they tried again to settle people in Benalmádena, which was not easy, since Benalmádena was under attack by the Berbers, which, however, was reduced from the year 1560. The economy started to grow properly again.

In the 17th century, the entire province was hit by epidemics, droughts, tsunamis and earthquakes. The economy, which was dominated by the agriculture, collapsed. But the citizens recovered from all these defeats and continued where they left off. Agricultural products were produced again and even new industries were created – there are records of paper mills. In addition, bridges, canals and roads were built.

Moreover, a lot of time and money was invested in winegrowing. This, however, got a natural enemy in the mid-20th century: phylloxera. It destroyed the vineyards and caused great chaos. Unemployment rose rapidly, with hunger and plague epidemics linked to malaria, typhoid and cholera. Many people fled, others died. The population dropped enormously until 1950.

From 1950, however, it was recognized that tourism on the coastal areas is a true windfall. They invested a lot of time and money to gain a foothold in the travel and vacation industry and to get a piece of the global tourism boom - with great success.

Benalmádena mainly lives from construction and tourism. With 13.000 beds in hotels of various categories, Benalmádena is one of the municipalities with the most accommodation on the Costa del Sol. In addition, Benalmádena focuses on the largest range of leisure activities in the entire province of Málaga. The space for agricultural activities is very manageable with only 16 hectares. Among other things, trade in avocados, ornamental plants and olives is practiced. Benalmádena is one of the strongest economic cities on the Costa del Sol.

The climate in Benalmádena is mild and constant. Within the summer, from May to October, the temperatures rise up to 30 degrees and more by day while they never drop below 20 degrees at night. During the winter from October to May, the temperatures reach a daily value of about 18 to 22 degrees, while at night it could be cold by only ten degrees. All the year you do have a constant humidity. The water temperature rises from 23 to 26 degrees in the summer. In winter it hardly drops below 14 degrees. On average, there are 3.000 hours of sunshine per year.