Alameda Principal – An iconic street – 18th century – 📷 Malaga – Spain

There are certain places and streets in the city that often become not only a must-see, as they are located in important areas, but also important and attractive places for locals and, even more so, for tourists.

Alameda Principal is one such iconic street, decorated especially for all of Malaga's important events, particularly Christmas and Epiphany. It is the street where I have seen the most changes in the seven years I have been living here, the street that changes and is modified the most, from its decorations to the spaces for buses, places to sit, pleasant views, such as flower beds with plants, and even its buildings.

It is one of the largest and most important avenues in the city, running from the historic centre or Plaza Marina to the Tetuán bridge, to the west of the city. It is a very busy avenue throughout the day, but also busy in terms of people walking on the pavements.

This street dates back to the 18th century and was the most important street until the famous Marqués de Larios was opened, with its monument and the bourgeoisie, who until then had used Alameda Street as their main promenade, began to walk along the new Larios Street, making it the most valued.

The state of preservation of both the street itself and the buildings surrounding it is remarkable. If you would like more information, here is a link.

It is interesting to note that palaces were built on this street during that period and that, although the name refers to the white poplars that originally stood there, during the great renovation of the 19th century, hundreds of ficus trees were planted, brought from India and decorated with beautiful lights during the holidays. These ficus trees create a leafy area with their large canopies and provide shade, so much shade that in many places it seems like night-time.

The Alameda Principal, which everyone simply calls Alameda, has many historic buildings, such as the municipal archive, which I visit on many occasions when there are art exhibitions for important events in the city. There is also a church, the Stella Maris Church, and the headquarters of the Andalusian Regional Government, which you can see in the photographs with the flags on the exterior façade.

This street has had many names before arriving at its current one, but it is interesting to note that the great medieval walls of the city ran along it and that it was next to the beach. Everything that exists today from the avenue to the beach was land reclaimed from the sea that did not exist before. But you can read more about the history in the aforementioned article.

The truth is that today it is a great area for walking, with many old and government buildings on one side and, across the avenue towards the sea, you can see the florists' stalls, many of them along the entire length of the street, which bring joy and colour to the whole street. One of the things that has surprised me most about the city is that they sell many flowers of all kinds.

Today, the Alameda shares its importance as a promenade with Marqués de Larios Street and Paseo del Parque, which I will discuss later.

I was able to witness one of the latest renovations, as it was carried out a few years ago, and I can assure you that the change is dramatic. Before, the street where traffic circulated was narrower, and now the layout is completely different. In addition, when I arrived in the city, the major construction of the metro was underway in this area, and today that section is already finished.

The route I took to show you this street with its exquisite architectural style and great history was from Marqués de Larios Street to the Tetuán Bridge. then I crossed the avenue and walked towards Plaza Marina, ending at a very luxurious hotel that was also completed in recent years and adds even more value to the entire area. It is located right in front of Marqués de Larios Street with its large tower.

It is a spectacular walk, especially for tourists who want to learn about the history of the city centre, but at the same time enjoy spectacular design, shade, especially in summer, and beautiful flowers and decorations along the entire route.

Thank you very much for joining me today. Best regards. See you soon.
Amonet.