Alhama de Murcia, a thoroughly enjoyable morning out, visiting the historic spa town

Alhama de Murcia has enjoyed tremendous success with it's free guided tours of the town throughout the last year, as many local residents had never ventured past the shopping centres and really discovered the beauty of the towns' little back streets, and historical attractions.

Many attendees have been back with visitors, such has been the popularity of the tours, and so Alhama has produced a free audio guide, which visitors can use to follow the guided route around town on their own, at their convenience.

To use the audioguide it is necessary to leave personal ID with the tourist office and allow an hour and a half for the tour .

 

To book the audioguides call the tourist office on 968 633 512, the staff speak good English.

Click for map, Tourist Office Alhama de Murcia, Plaza Constitucion.

There is plenty of parking directly beneath the Plaza in the underground carpark.

 

 Many are surprised to find that for over two thousand years Alhama was a spa town of some note, right until the waters stopped flowing during the last century.

Although Alhama has been inhabited since prehistoric times, it's main population centre was constructed in the first century BC when the romans discovered its' healing warm spring waters, a fact which lead to its expansion when under arab rule.

The warm spa waters continued to play an important role in its' urban development and on the guided tour visitors will see important remains of the spa's history, as well as discovering a little about the other important activity within the area- agriculture.

 

First stop, Plaza de Abastos, Alhama

The visit starts at the Mercado de Abastos.

This is the old market place and was constructed in 1928 by the important modernist architect Pedro Cerdán, who was born in Torre Pacheco. He was responsible for several important buildings throughout the region, designing the Veronicas marketplace in Murcia ( click for details), completing the remodelling of the Casino in Murcia and the Casa del Piñón in La Unión.

Each week there is an enjoyable street market in and around the marketplace, selling a full range of local produce, as well as household items and clothing, a colourful and atmospheric introduction to daily Spanish life for anyone visiting the region.

 

En-route to the church you'll pass by the Jardin de los patos, the garden of the ducks, with an appropriate sculpture in situ, which was formerly the site of the weekly market, and held a water irrigation cistern fed from the waters above. Although it's not apparent today, much of what constitutes Alhama was orchards, and this tank fed water down to irrigate them.As you walk up to the top of the street you can see some glass blocks set into the pavement which show one of the original stone water channels which would have filled the tank below.

 

Second stop, Iglesia de San Lázaro Obispo, Alhama de Murcia

The church of San Lázaro Obispo is built on the site of an earlier church, dedicated to San Lazaro , the first of two patron saints of the town, and for centuries a site of pilgrimage for those seeking the blessing of the curative waters at the baths next door,  which were believed to heal skin disease and leprosy. The building was extended in the 18^th century under the patronage of the  Marqués de los Vélez, a name you'll find time and time again across the region, a powerful, wealthy family  who owned vast tracts of the region , including Alhama, with their influence spreading out into Mazarron and across to Mula where the castles still bear their name and in Murcia, where the cathedral houses a family chapel.

The church was rebuilt to its existing simple baroque design in the 18^th century, and houses the figure of the Virgen del Rosario, the second  patron of the town. It's simple, elegant design is divided into two distinct parts and the plaza to its' side is built over the original cemetery, early christians preferring to be interred as near to God as possible. Have a look at the imposing door - if you look carefully you can see the date punched into the metal.

 

The third stop.El Museo arqueológico Los Baños, Alhama de Murcia

El Museo arqueológico Los Baños, the archaeological museum of the spa baths.

The name of Alhama comes from the arab language, Al-hamma meaning thermal baths.

On this site is a combination of roman and Arabic remains, together with parts of the impressive luxury hotel which stood in this location during the 19^th century and was in full use until the early 1930's, when civil war changed the face of Spain.

The structure of the roman baths, built in the 1^st century can clearly be seen, with its'medicinal baths and recreational baths, separate areas existing for both sexes. The arabs re-used the roman baths and adapted them for their own purposes, cutting a hole in the roof of the domed chamber which can clearly be seen by visitors.

The baths were used intensively until the end of the Middle Ages when their usage declined until 1848 when the large spa and hotel complex was built, re-using the roman remains yet again, and the town enjoyed a period of prosperity as the warm waters drew the wealthy from Murcia for healthy spa breaks and the recreational pleasures spa towns invariably attracted. The hotel was finally demolished in 1972, and the existing museum inaugurated in 2005.

Many cultural activities take place in the museum and it is the site of regular exhibitions, conferences, workshops and concerts.

 

4th and 5^th stops, Plaza Vieja and Centro Cultural Plaza Vieja, Alhama de Murcia

Plaza Vieja was formerly the centre of Alhaman life, and houses several important noble houses, one of which is now the Centro Cultural Plaza Vieja which has temporary exhibition rooms and the library. This building was formerly the Ayuntamiento, Town hall, between 1923 and 1986, and has one of the best examples of the Escudo of Alhama, coat of arms,  on the front of the building.

Until the 1950's there was no running water in private homes, so the townspeople would come to this square to collect water from the Fuente del Cano and watersellers would also draw water to deliver to homes further away.

 

A curious legend exists that early in the 19^th century a coffin arrived in Cartagena from an unknown destination, crossing Spain to  La Coruña, stopping off in this very location. As it travelled it left a trail of bloody murders, bloodlettings and incidences of vampirism which formed what became known as the route of horror, and who knows what legacy may have been given to the places where it stopped.....

 

6^th stop, El Pósito Municipal, Alhama de Murcia

El Pósito Municipal, the municipal grain store. This is an 18^th century building which was restored in 2006 and was used to house cereal crops, regulating the trading of grain, a vital commodity in an agricultural region. In times of scarcity it was a source of food, but also a source of loans, as taxes paid to the council were paid in kind. The storing of grain was vital to the economy of an agricultural town such as Alhama as grain could be distributed should adverse weather conditions destroy the new crop, and discontect caused by hunger could be quelled , should sufficient reserves exist to ride out natural disaster.

 

7^th stop, Casa de la Tercia, Alhama de Murcia

A little further along is the Casa de la Tercia, which is the grain store built by the Marqués de los Vélez. It is called the house of one third, because this is the quantity taken by the landlord of the total harvest collected by the townspeople. They also had to pay one third to the church, so were left with very little for themselves after the heavy taxes imposed on them by the rich and powerful.

In the 19^th century it was remodelled to serve as a place of celebrations and social activity, then served as a school during the 20^th century for dramatical representations until becoming a prison during the Civil War.

Today the coat of arms of the family can still be seen on the outside.

 

Stop 8, El Jardín de los Mártires , Alhama de Murcia

El Jardín de los Mártires was formerly the original watercourse, la rambla de la Cruz and was built in its present form during the 1950's.

The columns give it a classical appearance and it is a popular site for locals to relax and take shade in the heat of the summer. The figure on the fountain is a reproduction of the original which disappeared mysteriously in the 1970's and was made from old photos found in the municipal archive, and was inaugurated in 2009, restoring the gardens completely to their former splendour. There is an excellent view of the old castle from these gardens.

 

 Stop 9. La Iglesia de la Concepción, Alhama de Murcia

The Iglesia de la Concepción was built in honour of the Virgen Inmaculada, destined to help with the needs of the population by attending to the needs of the poor and the sick. A little later a hospice was built alongside the church.

There are references to a convent on this site dating back to the 17^th century, although the current building is in typical murcian baroque style, and was fully restored in 2009.

 

Stop 10, Centro Cultural V Centenario, Alhama de Murcia.

Opposite the Iglesia de la Concepción is the  Centro Cultural V Centenario.

At the beginning of the 20^th century Alhama was undergoing a period of economic boom, due to the presence of the spas and hotel. Wealthy families built country homes in what is now the main urban area of Alhama, this house belonging to the Saavedra family, another extremely powerful and influential murcian family, who enjoyed the warm springs of the spas and the idyllic existence of their " country home" in amongst the orchards of the area. The area surrounding the house would have formed part of the original formal garden construction which surrounded this residence.

The house is popularly known as the Casa Amarilla, the yellow house, by local residents and is used for cultural events.

 

Stop 11, Castillo de Alhama de Murcia

From these gardens there is a fine view of the Castillo de Alhama, located on what's known as El Cerro del Castillo de Alhama.

The fortress was built in the 11^th and 12^th centuries by the arabs, and was part of the  fortifications controlling the  Valle del Guadalentín and the important trading routes which unfurled inland. This whole area formed part of an important series of border fortifications of the kingdom of Granada which lay to the south and the kingdom of  Aragón, to the north and was protected by castles stretching across the centre of what is now the region of Murcia.

Following the reconquist, the castle and Alhama itself were given to the powerful  Fajardo family at the end of the 14^th century, together with other towns and lands, and the castle started to fall into disuse as the borders changed, the kingdom was remoulded and the threat of arab invasion ceased.

Gradually it declined, but is today undergoing a process of restoration so that features such as the painted walls inside the Torre de Homenaje can be visited and enjoyed by the public

Stop 12, Ayuntamiento de Alhama de Murcia 

The modern day Ayuntamiento, or Town Hall, was built at the same time as the Casa Amarilla, the beginning of the 20^th century and belonged to the Artero family. It would originally have been surrounded by trees in very much the same fashion as the Casa Amarilla and faces what is now the Parque Municipal La Cubana, which surrounded the property of another wealthy local figure, Don Lorenzo Rubio .

Both the park and the Plaza del Ayuntamiento are the focal point for many of the cultural events and fiestas, such as the mediaeval market,  which take place in Alhama throughout the year, combining the historical past of the spa town of Alhama and the future of modernity in a practical and welcoming murcian town.

  It's interesting to look inside the town hall, as although the external fachada is a 20th century house, the inside is a practical, modern, open plan office building with light and internal garden spaces.

Although the spa waters disappeared in the 1930's a new source has been found, so one day the healing waters of Alhama de Murcia, Al-hamman may flow again, but in the meantime Alhama is an interesting and enjoyable morning out for visitors to the region and boasts a fine selection of atmospheric bars, restaurants and shops, which bring visitors back with their friends time and time again.

 

The audioguide for the tour is available free of charge from the excellent tourist office, which we would say is amongst the best in the region,  with helpful, friendly , English speaking staff who go out of their way to make sure English visitors are well cared for and enjoy all of the benefits Alhama has to offer.

We would recommend allowing about one and a half hours to do this route, and wearing sensible shoes as some of the route crosses cobbled areas.

 

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