Motril

To the South of the province of Granada between the mountains of Sierra Lújar and the Mediterranean we find the town of Motril.

The town is situated between Granada , Malaga and Almeria and is a major point of influence, linked to all three by the N-323 and N-340.

Motril is bounded to the north by the municipality of Vélez de Benaudalla and Lújar , east by Gualchos , west by Salobreña and to the south by the Alboran Sea (Mediterranean Sea).

Motril has a subtropical climate, suitable for the cultivation of crops such as sugar cane and tropical fruits, these lands are a dominant feature and well differentiated. The area also is blessed with the southern Mediterranean climate: a calm sea and bright blue skies and the warm, softly caressing breezes which can be felt on the beaches with names like La Joya, Poniente and Carchuna. One of the biggest attractions of the city is its port, which is important for fishing, commercial activities and sports. Good harbours and fine beaches can also be found in two other towns in the municipality, Torrenueva and Calahonda.

The origins of the town of Motril are still hidden in the mists of time. By the numerous archaeological finds in the area, we know that the Mediterranean has been settled, at least since the Bronze Age, by the Phoenicians, Romans and Arabs.
Although it probably existed earlier as an arabic farmstead, ‘salobreña’ (Xalubina, Salambina), it became a leading Arab enclave on the coast, within the Kingdom of Granada, and the town achieved documentary proof of existence, its current name coming from the Arabic Mootril, Metrel and Mutrayil.

During the last years of the Kingdom, the Alcazaba, situated on the Cero de la Carquifa (Cerro de la Virgen), belonged to Axia Al-Horra, the last Nazari queen, mother of Boabdil el Chico, the last Moorish king of Granada.

Motril, in those times, when it was conquered by Christian armies in 1489, had two thousand inhabitants engaged in agriculture, local fisheries, silk production and the sugar cane industry brought by the Arabs from India and taken to America by the Spanish in the second voyage of Columbus, in 1493. References have been made to the existence of a settlement here in the 10th century.

The centuries after the Christian conquest are characterized by the repopulation of the old Christian lands abandoned by the Moors in their flight, and the continued attacks and looting by Turkish and Berber pirates, which made the strengthening the fortress of the city essential, together with the building of Carchuna Castle and as a defensive fortress, the main Church of the Incarnation.

The city boasts on its shield the words "Very Noble and Loyal" since 1657, these were granted by Philip IV, and Fernando VI, in 1748, who granted an annual fair fortnight, and the town became the most important commercial town along the Granada coast.

However, the crucial period for the development of Motril was the nineteenth century. Industrialization, with the opening of a large number of sugar factories, put Motril at the industrial head of the province of Granada, ushering in an era of demographic and urban development that definitely broke with the traditional pattern of the town.

The population grew to fourteen thousand inhabitants and works, such as the Promenade of the Explanadas, the most traditional in the city, were carried out, and the Teatro Calderón de la Barca, has also been restored.

In the twentieth century most of the public works and infrastructure of Motril were upgraded, with the construction of the seaport, which began in 1909, and improvements to road communications with Malaga , Almeria and Granada.

The sugar cane industry has also been important to Motril, having seen a revival after the crisis period of the sixties.

Motril is currently in a phase of economic and social improvement. Rapid urban development which occurred over only twenty-five years has depersonalized the City, civil and religious monument are hidden, but a good urban infrastructure has been left, and shopping and the service industry, together with tourism and fisheries are improving.

Traditional agriculture has taken new directions, with the introduction of subtropical crops   (avocados, cherimoya, mangos) and a greenhouse cropping system, and only insufficient road communications, (the highways Bailen-Motril and Nerja-Adra are not yet complete) slow down a still greater progress in the town.

Monuments

Iglesia Mayor de la Encarnación (church)
Shrine of Our Lady de la Cabeza (known as "El Cerro de la Virgen)
Church Divina Pastora
Shrine of Our Lady de la Victoria
Ermita de la Virgen del Carmen (convent)
Ermita de Nuestra Senora de las Angustias (convent)
Ermita de San Antonio
Ermita de San Nicolás
Chapel of the Santo Rosario

Archaeological Sites

Cueva del Capitan (Neolithic, Bronze and Carthage).
Remains of the Moorish fortress.
Llanos de Carchuna  (rock art, Neolithic and Bronze ages.)
Monte Testar (Carthaginian and Roman).

Town planning

Commercial and fishing port.
Casa Eugenia de Montijo ( XVIIth century).
Casa de la Palma.
Park of the Peoples of America.
Plaza de la Aurora.
Ermita del Puerto.
Faro Sacratif (Lighthouse.)

Gastronomy

The town of Motril has a wide variety of dishes; fish and seafood are well known. Culinary specialties satisfy the most demanding palates, the following come well recommended:
Gazpacho, (cold summer soup,) vinegar, oil, garlic, tomatoes, bread crumbs, peppers and cucumbers. Kebabs, sardines or anchovies strung on reeds, roasted over a fire. The coast has the best wines to go with the food. Garlic Cabañil (traditional stew of kid, simmered with a spicy sauce.) Migas (meat with breadcrumbs) a dish usually eaten on rainy days, served with olives, radishes, green peppers, etc.. Jayuya is a cake that is eaten cold,cooked with ham, oil and eggs.

Directions

From Málaga:
Mediterranean motorway to Nerja. Then via the N-340.
Motril:
1 ,-Leave the N-340,Pass Salobreña and Follow'Puerto', at the crossroads from Granada. From there go to Playa de Poniente, Playa Granada, Golf course "Los Moriscos" and the port.
2 .- Leave the N-340 past the junction towards Almeria and Granada towards 'Motril. " Head for Motril and follow the signs for "Centro".
3 .- From the N-340 past the exit called "Motril" and take the exit for Puerto. You have access to the port and the beaches of Motril.
4 .- From the N-340 past the exit called "Puerto de Motril" and take the exit "Motril East." You have access to the city of Motril through the industrial park area.

From Granada:
Highway A-44 to Izbor. Then the N-323 to the junction with N-340. From there follow direction Motril.
From Almería:
Mediterranean motorway to Adra, then by N-340.

By Train
Nearest train stations are located in Granada, Almeria and Malaga. From there you can take a bus to Motril.

Distances