PASEO DEL PARQUE IN MÁLAGA

Málaga Park (also called Alameda Park) was built in the 19th century on land reclaimed from the sea during the expansion of the Port of Málaga. That change created a flat strip between the city and the port, and that space was given over to public gardens, with the Paseo del Parque as the axis running through it.

The result is an urban park conceived as a Mediterranean-style botanical garden, with more than 240 tropical and subtropical species from different continents. That is why, when you look for tourist information about the Paseo del Parque in Málaga, it tends to come up as one of the city's main landmarks, both for its exotic flora and for its role as a direct connection between the centre and the port front.

Málaga Park is also known as Alameda Park and, in practice, the way to read it is through the Paseo del Parque: a long avenue that runs through the park and splits the gardens in two. That promenade works as the axis of the route and as a reference for finding your bearings inside the park without losing your relationship with the city and the Port of Málaga.

The route runs from Plaza de la Marina to Plaza del General Torrijos, already in La Malagueta, and is described as a promenade of Renaissance and Baroque character. On one side stand buildings and landmarks of the centre, and on the other the park opens up with its vegetation, benches, fountains and sculptures, all organised on either side of the same axis.

On the northern side of the Paseo del Parque there is a stretch used as a direct reference for getting your bearings, because it brings together three public buildings in a row. In Málaga it is known as the ABC after their initials: the Málaga City Hall (Ayuntamiento), the Bank of Spain (Banco de España) and the old Post Office (Correos) building, which today houses the University Rectorate.

On that same side of the promenade, very close to that line of buildings, there are other points that help place the route within the centre: the Customs House Museum, the Gardener's House and the Pedro Luis Alonso Gardens. And if you look up towards the high ground overlooking the park, you can pick out the Puerta Oscura Gardens and the Alcazaba, which sit above the promenade and complete the picture of the surroundings.

On the southern side of the Paseo del Parque the park itself opens up, in the strip of gardens created on land reclaimed from the sea, between the city of Málaga and the Port of Málaga. Along this stretch the route is recognisable by specific points with names of their own, above all monuments, busts and fountains that mark out the walk.

Throughout the gardens there are features in the regionalist taste, with benches and fountains clad in tiles, as well as sculptures known by name such as the Ninfa del Cántaro (Nymph with the Pitcher), the Ninfa de la Caracola (Nymph with the Conch), the statues of Summer and Winter and the Fountain of the Three Graces. Within the same park is the Eduardo Ocón Auditorium, used for open-air festivals and cultural events throughout the year.

Within the Paseo del Parque in Málaga, the Ninfa del Cántaro is recorded as a bronze sculpture made as a gift to the city between 1877 and 1878. It is one of the points usually used as a reference when walking through the park along the southern side, among gardens, fountains and monuments.

The Ninfa de la Caracola was made in the same years as the previous one, but it was not created for the park. It was made for the Plaza de la Victoria and, in 1922, it was moved to Málaga Park. In that move it took the place left by the statue of the Cenachero, which today stands in the Plaza de la Marina.

Also recorded along the promenade are the Statue of Summer and the Statue of Winter, two 19th-century pieces representing the seasons. They are to be understood as part of the group of sculptures and ornamental features that accompany the park route along this stretch.

The Fountain of the Three Graces is part of the list of recognisable fountains in the park. It is recorded as a fountain built in 1879, with a direct reference to ancient mythology in its inspiration, and it sits within the route of monuments and fountains along the Paseo del Parque.

The Paseo del Parque has the good fortune of sitting right in the heart of the city.

In its surroundings you find the Alameda Principal and the Plaza de la Marina, land reclaimed from the sea that has been put to use as a place for the people of Málaga to relax and meet. On either side of the promenade lie Málaga Park and emblematic buildings such as the City Hall, the Bank of Spain and the University Rectorate.

The promenade runs out into Plaza de Torrijos, with its monumental Fountain of the Three Graces. And a few steps away is the Paseo de Reding, where you find wonderful landmarks such as the Malagueta Bullring, the Noble Hospital and the English Cemetery.

Not forgetting Muelle Uno on one side, and the Alcazaba and the Roman Theatre on the other. The Paseo del Parque is without doubt one of the most complete walks you can do in the city. Do not miss it!