From the beginning of November 2017, Malaga adds a new heritage space that fully enters into the monumental route of the city, very close to unique buildings such as the Museum of Malaga, the Alcazaba or the Roman Theater. This way it has positioned itself directly as one of the most interesting things to see in Málaga.
The building was originally the Post and Telegraph Office, and its architect was Teodoro de Anasagasti y Algán, from the Basque country and professor of History of architecture in Madrid. His style is regionalist but a little away from the folklore of Malaga. It was built at the same time as fifty other post offices buildings throughout Spain during the first third of the 20th century. In that way, Spain took a giant leap in telecommunications. And it has been used like that until 1986, when they changed its location to the building of Avenida de Andalucía, today also closed.
It will be the Rector office of the University of Malaga that is interested in the building. For adapting it to its new use, they will completely remodel it and totally change its interior layout. In fact, only the original façade of the project will be preserved. The interior was completely emptied in the reform that was carried out in 1998.
It was during these works when the unexpected appeared: twenty-seven Roman pools for salting fish and garum. But not only that. On a lower level, a piece of the city wall that take us directly to its origins, the Phoenician Malaga. Indeed, these remains were studied and it turned out that we had part of the Phoenician wall of the city, which dates back more than 2,700 years.
All these remains were integrated into the new refurbished building, and were visible during the opening hours of the rector’s office. The wall was in the basement and was accessible through a temporary exhibition hall. But it is now in 2017 when the wall takes center stage and the exhibition of the room revolves around it and the history of Málaga. In addition, visiting hours have been extended, including Saturdays now.
The exhibition just opened is called “Málaga. One time, all times. A traveler, all travelers “,. It is focused on the power of attraction of the city, thanks to its kindness, its local products and its cosmopolitan idiosyncrasy to host so many different cultures throughout its history. Thus, it makes us travel through time thanks to some amphoras arranged around the room. We discover inside them products related to Malaga and the different cultures that have inhabited it.
There is also a set of different screens, in the shape of sailboats, where a very interesting audiovisual is projected, with relevant images in the history and culture of the city, as well as an enveloping soundtrack. If that were not enough, at the end of the room there is a small circular room where the most important buildings in Malaga appear projected on the wall, but taking as their epicenter the building of the Rector’s office itself. It is a way to place this precious building in its monumental surroundings.
The final result is more than satisfactory. We think this intervention is very successful and contributes to highlighting some archaeological findings of great importance. From here, we’d love to send our most sincere congratulations to the team conducting this cultural staging.
From Voilà Málaga we have always believed in this space, in its uniqueness as an important piece in a journey through the history of the city. Therefore, from our very beginning, we have introduced its visit in one of our most successful tours, Le Grand Tour. If you want to make a visit with us, please contact us.
