Property for sale Torre del Mar, Vinuela, Alcaucin

Nerja

AREA	84.4 Km²
ALTITUDE ABOVE SEA LEVEL	30 m
AVERAGE ANNUAL RAINFALL	464 l/m²
WHAT THE NATIVES ARE CALLED	Nerjeños. Nickname: Morralleros
MONUMENTS	The historic district of Nerja and Maro, Balcón de Europa, the El Salvador church, Las Angustias hermitage, Nuestra Señora de las Maravillas church (Maro), El Águila aqueduct, Cueva de Nerja (Nerja Cave), Chanquete’s boat, Paraje Natural de los Acantilados de Maro-Cerro Gordo (Cliffs of Maro-Cerro Gordo Natural Area
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION	In the most easterly part of the region of La Axarquía, and by extension of the province of Málaga, in the foothills of the Sierra de Almijara.
POPULATION CENSUS IN 1994	14,816
AVERAGE ANNUAL TEMP.	19.5 ºC
TOURIST INFORMATION	Tourism Office, 2 Puerta del Mar Street. Telephone: 952 521 531

	The eastern edge of the province of Málaga is connected to the province of Granada by the municipality of Nerja, which is not only the most important tourist centre of the Eastern Costa del Sol, but also the one that boasts the most attractive coastal landscape of the entire Málaga seashore, since here the slopes of the Sierra de Almijara jut boldly into the sea, something unusual in this area of the Mediterranean, and form a very rugged coastline. This coastal setting has been designated as the Paraje Natural de los Acantilados de Maro-Cerro Gordo (Cliffs of Maro-Cerro Gordo Nature Area), which protects a series of small, untouched coves that are of difficult access but worth the visit. Inland, the territory of Nerja ascends the Sierra de Almijara mountain range –which forms a geographic unit with the Sierra de Tejeda-through a country of deep ravines, sheer cliffs and peaks that is furrowed by numerous watercourses, forming an extraordinarily diverse mountain landscape. In the areas closest to town, there are a large number of housing developments that coexist - probably not for very long - with terraced plots where all kinds of subtropical fruits and vegetables are raised.
Nerja is a located on the eastern stretch of the Costa del Sol known as La Axarquia. Although the town is the most important tourist resort in the area, it has escaped the kind of high rise development so typical of the likes of Torremolinos and Fuengirola. The town has experienced a lot of growth over the last decade and new ‘villages’ such as San Juan de Capistrano stretch up into the surrounding hillsides. But the construction has in general been kept low rise and tasteful. This is in keeping with regulations that demand new developments should be built in the traditional Andalus style which ensures Nerja remains attractive and appealing. There is now a new motorway from Málaga making it just a quick drive from Nerja to the provincial capital and the airport. Nerja’s main charm lies is its series of small coves, its mountain backdrop and its old town, which still retains much of the character of its Moorish past. There are narrow streets of white-washed houses with balconies overflowing with geraniums. The centrepiece of the old town is the Balcón de Europa. Originally the site of a ninth century castle, the Balcón was constructed in the late 15th century and is now a pedestrian area with a viewing point over the sea, with vistas of cliffs, bays and mountains. The Balcón and adjacent plaza have a lively atmosphere throughout the year, thanks to the bars, cafés, restaurants and street entertainers, and it is from here that visitors can hire a horse-drawn carriage for tours of the old town. There are nine kilometres of sandy beaches in Nerja, several of which are charming coves accessible only by steep steps. Nerja is also a working town, offering a full range of services and facilities for its residents of all nationalities. Nerja is a great base for those who enjoy sports of all kinds. All the main water sports are available, including fishing, diving, water skiing, canoeing, scuba diving and sailing. There are opportunities too for hiking, mountain biking, horse riding, paragliding and jeep safaris.
Signs of the first human settlement in this municipality were discovered in the famous Cueva de Nerja (Nerja Cave) and belong to the Auriñaciense stage of the Upper Paleolithic period. Nothing is known of other civilisations that may have existed here until the period of Roman rule, when apparently a small settlement (Detunda) was established at present-day Maro. It should be noted that Maro is another population centre of Nerja, where the cliffs and the Nerja Cave itself are located.
The first documented fact about the history of Nerja, however, appears in the writings of the poet Said Al-Mugrabi, in the age of Abderramán III (tenth century), in which he refers to this place as a city-sized farming community where fine silk products were produced. Ancient Narixa stood next to a fortress, whose ruins can still be seen in a place called Castillo Alto, next to the old Frigiliana turnoff.
After the surrender of Vélez (1487), Nerja sent its envoys to that place to render allegiance to the Spanish king and queen and thus prevent bloodshed. A few days after that visit, Pedro de Córdoba took possession of the town in the name of the Catholic Monarchs. Under Christian rule, the town began to lose population, and in order to prevent greater abandonment Juana la Loca ordered Nerja to be repopulated with long-time Christians from the Basque Country, Valencia, Galicia and Málaga itself.
	In the late sixteenth century the first sugar mill was set up in Nerja and in the late eighteenth century a paper mill was in operation here, supplied with water from the River La Miel. This factory remained in operation until the early twentieth century. During the War of Independence, the English levelled the fortress that used to stand where the Balcón de Europa is today, and also destroyed the port that had been adapted to handle coastal shipping.
The name of the town comes from the Arabic Narixa, Naricha or Narija, which apparently derived from a pre-Roman name, and the translation “abundant spring” that some give for this word is still not very certain, although there are plenty of reasons to speak of an abundance of water in this municipality. Here, the mountain and the sea meet and form a coastal landscape which is unique in the province of Malaga: the Acantilados de Maro. Their singularity has earned the declaration of a natural space protected as a Natural Park. There is a scenic quality which is emphasized in a special way with the Cerero de la Caleta and the Loma de la Torre de Maro, as with the numerous creeks, often watched by lookout towers which add a singular touch of history. Among the obligatory visits in Nerja to the famous caves which have been baptized as a Prehistoric Cathedral, and the no less known Balcón de Europa, which is a splendid lookout situated in the centre of the town.
How to Get There Since it is located on the Costa del Sol, you need only take the Mediterranean Expressway (A-7; N-340) from any point on the Málaga coast, remembering to go towards Motril and Almería.