Estepona tourist information
Almost the entire municipality of Estepona is dominated by the majestic Sierra Bermeja range. This massif is formed of volcanic rocks known as periodite, a mineral rich in iron oxide, that imparts a characteristic reddish tinge to the terrain. The Paraje Natural (Nature Park) of Los Reales de Sierra Bermeja (highest point 1,449 metres) is located in this setting. Here are found the largest masses of periodite in southern Europe. This natural space, with an area of 1,236 hectares, also preserves the only forest of Spanish firs on this type of rock.
The preceding may give some idea of this area’s extraordinary ecological value. This translates visually into an beautiful scenery, especially at the highest elevations, which command an extremely broad panoramic view encompassing not only the coast but also the Atlas mountain range on the neighbouring continent of Africa.
In the lower regions of the municipality the waters that come down from the mountains have formed several short rivers in the eastern part, including the Padrón, Castor, and Velerín, on whose banks citrus and fruit trees grow, while in the west, and in some areas that meet the sea, one again sees fruit orchards and, even more frequently, broad fields of grain, low brush and grazing lands. This is in frank contrast to the coastal strip, where, besides the village itself, endless urban developments have sprung up, as is to be expected of a first class tourist locality.
Nevertheless, the municipality has avoided massive development as much as possible, so there are still large green zones between the most heavily developed areas, and even these generally have open spaces. This has led to the Town Hall of Estepona being honoured with the “Live in Spain-CISA 2004” award for the best residential urban development planning.
The village’s origin is rather confusing, but it seems that the Phoenicians, who established a commercial trading post at this point, called it Astapa. Some historians connect Estepona to the Iberian town of Saldaba, which others think was in Marbella, and there are those who cite Cilciana as the origin of the village. Be that as it may, on the hill of El Torreón ruins have been found that well may be of this primitive settlement.
It has been established with more certainty that this locality was besieged by the Roman Lucius Marcius because its residents had remained loyal to the Carthaginians, until in 208 B. C. it fell to the Romans. Later, and after the customary confrontations between Muslims and Christians-Alfonso XI fought a historic battle off the coast of Estepona in 1342 and emerged victorious-the village was conquered by Enrique IV, under whose ruse the San Luis castle was built, of which some ruins still remain on Calle Castillo.
The locality was subject to the jurisdiction of Marbella until 1729, when Felipe V granted it its independence by means of a document called a “carta de villazgo” (charter of royal burgh privileges) that is preserved in the municipal archives.
Since it is located right on the Western Costa del Sol Estepona can be reached with perfect ease by the AP-7 expressway or the coastal highway N-340: Just follow the road signs.
The Virgen de los Remedios church, in the Plaza de San Francisco, stands out prominently in the village. Its large tower has four levels and the uppermost is crowned by a roof of bi-colour ceramic that can be seen from any point in the village. It was built in the eighteenth century and at first was part of the Franciscan convent that was dismantled like so many other church buildings in Spain after the expulsions of 1835. Its interior is divided into three vaulted naves and a transept with a dome, and its façade has a beautiful stone rococo entrance incorporating some features that call to mind the late Hispano-American baroque style.
The Torre del Reloj (Clock Tower) was part of a former parish church that was built in the last third of the fifteenth century. It underwent an extensive restoration in the nineteenth century that followed the classic style and, even resorted to the Baroque, a style that has been popular in Andalusia since its first appearance. The El Calvario hermitage, like the Virgen de los Remedios church, also dates from the eighteenth century. It is a very small structure with a square floor plan dominated by architectural simplicity. The walls of the fifteenth century Castle and the ruins of the Castillo el Nicio (El Nicio castle) in the El Padrón area are more important as historical than as architectural attractions since only remnants have been preserved. This ninth century fortress, of which part of its walls and several towers remain, was important during Omar Ben Hafsum’s rebellion against the Caliphate of Córdoba. There are also several stately homes or palaces from the eighteenth century, such as the palace of the Marquise of Mondéjar and the Casa de la Borrega (La Borrega house).
At both the entrance and exit of Estepona along the coastline the traveller may observe a series of lookout towers (or signal towers) that were built in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries primarily for defence against the Berber pirate attacks that were so frequent during that time. There are a total of seven Muslim or Castilian towers distributed along 21 kilometres of coast.
If the visitor has the required time during his stay in Estepona, the locality makes it possible for him to explore its most ancient history and customs in a tour of the four museums that are open to the public. The Museo Etnográfico (Ethnographic Museum) at the Plaza de Toros (bullring) has an interesting display of gear and tools for fishing and tilling the soil, pursuits that are still followed in the village.
The Museo Taurino Antonio Ordóñez (Antonio Ordóñez Bullfighting Museum), also at the Plaza de Toros, has a collection of numerous photographs, posters and costumes that belonged to the most famous bullfighters. The Museo de Paleontología (Museum of Palaeontology) presents an instructive display of the varieties of fossils from the Pliocene period (some four million years ago) that have been found within the boundaries of Estepona. It contains more than 2,000 fossils of 600 species. The Museo Arqueológico (Museum of Archaeology) has a collection of relics from all eras that have been found in the various archaeological sites in this territory, from the Palaeolithic period until the fifteenth century. These last museums are located on the grounds of the Plaza de Toros.
