Although Torremolinos is the newest municipality in the recent history of Malaga, its origins can actually be traced back to at least 1489 when the name Molinos de la Torre was first recorded. Later, in 1502, with the name Torres de Pimentel it appeared as an area of the city of Malaga. In 1745 a village appeared for the first time on a map with the name Torre de los Molinos, from which the present day name is derived. On 27th September 1988, Torremolinos became a Municipality, independent from Malaga.
At
the end of the 1950's, Torremolinos consisted of
a few small communities of fishermen around the areas of La Carihuela,
Bajondillo and El Calvario. During the following decades, Torremolinos
quickly established itself as one of the first and best known tourist
destinations in Europe. As the town grew and developed with its focus
on the new economy, Torremolinos became famous the world over as a
major
holiday destination. Although Torremolinos enjoyed its heyday in the 60's and 70's, it has continued to attract crowds from all over Spain as well as the rest of the world, thanks to its miles of sandy beaches, convenient location close to Malaga airport, and of course the wonderful climate of the Costa del Sol.
Whilst still entertaining many package holiday makers, mainly from other parts of Europe, Toremolinos also now has a large ex-pat population, both full-time residents and holiday home owners. There is also a thriving gay scene in Torremolinos.
Too see more scenes of Torremolinos, have a look at the Torremolinos Photo Gallery
Torremolinos in popular culture
* The Belgian band Sttellla wrote a song about Torremolinos (simply called "Torremolinos"), which is their biggest hit to date.
* The synthesizer duo Soft Cell mentioned Torremolinos in their first, relatively minor club hit, "Memorabilia".
* Torremolinos is one of the settings in the novel The Drifters by James A. Michener.
* Torremolinos received a brief mention in the Monty Python sketch "Travel Agent / Watney's Red Barrell" as featured in episode 31 of the Flying Circus TV show.
* Isabel Pantoja sang the popular song "Ay Torre, Torremolinos", which was written by Juan Solano, after whom a road is named in the town centre (C/Maestro Solano)
