Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Melilla is a semicircle of 12 sq km carved out of the Moroccan coastline. The old town,
Melilla la Vieja, is a highly complex, multi-level fortress that juts out into the sea. It con-
tains numerous museums, as well as some small residential areas. The port and major
beaches lie to the south, with the ferry terminal directly east.
The 'new town' is a broken grid of streets with an attractive commercial centre full of
Modernist buildings. The heart is the long triangular Parque Hernández, which ends at the
circular Plaza de España. Most of the hotels, banks and restaurants are located to the
north.
MODERNISME & MELILLA
Like many of the movements from which it drew its inspiration (eg the English Arts & Crafts Move-
ment), Modernisme was a broad reaction to the material values of an industrial age, which suffused
culture with a machinelike spirit. Centred in Barcelona, it was the Catalan version of art nouveau.
Modernist architecture is characterised by the use of curves over straight lines, the frequent use of nat-
ural motifs (especially plants), lively decoration and rich detail, asymmetrical forms, a refined aesthet-
ic and dynamism. Its chief proponent was Antoni Gaudí, the architect of Barcelona's famous Sagrada
Família cathedral. But in Melilla, Modernism is synonymous with Enrique Nieto.
A student of Gaudí, Nieto worked on his Casa Milà in Barcelona. Wanting to escape his master's
shadow, however, he left for booming Melilla in 1909 and stayed the rest of his life, becoming city ar-
chitect in 1931. His work included Melilla's main synagogue, the main mosque and several buildings
for the Catholic Church, representing the diversity of the city's culture. Perhaps due to the distant loc-
ation of his canvas, however, this great painter in concrete is not well-known outside of Melilla.
Sights & Activities
Melilla la Vieja
Melilla la Vieja
FORT
(Calle General Macías)
Perched over the Mediterranean, Melilla la Vieja is a prime example
of the fortress strongholds that the Portuguese and (in this case) the Spaniards built along
the Moroccan littoral during the 16th and 17th centuries. Much of it has been painstak-
