Salobreña

Salobreña is a town on the Costa Tropical. It is built around a rocky outcrop on top of which stands the castle, about 100 m. tall and appearing to merge with the rock. It is surrounded by a wide plain, where abundant subtropical crops, sugar cane and garden products can be grown.

Salobrena borders the municipalities of Los Guájares , Vélez de Benaudalla , Motril , Almuñécar , Itrabo and Molvizar . The municipality, along the Mediterranean coast, is made up of three towns: Lobres, La Caleta-Guardia and Salobreña. The main population centre is located on the rock surmounted by a Moorish castle. Within the municipality is the delta of the Guadalfeo River. ( Rules Dam & Reservoir ).

In 1992 the municipalities of Albondón , Albuñol , Almuñecar , Gualchos-Castell de Ferro , Itrabo , Jete , Lentejí , Otívar , Los Guájares , Lújar , Molvizar , Motril , Polopos , Rubite , Sorvilán and Vélez de Benaudalla (later joined by Murtas , Turon and Salobreña ) were formed into a Union of Municipalities to promote the integral development of the region.

The Cave del Capitan shows the unmistakable presence of the nomadic people who frequented these lands in the Neolithic era. Later the Phoenicians settled here and founded an economy which was mainly engaged in fishing, still later the Carthaginians invaded and these lands became part of the “Liga Punico del Estrecho”.

In Roman times, the economy was based on crops of grapes, olives and fishing, which began with the construction of factories for salting fish. In the year 713 the area was invaded by Muslims and was not to be freed until the fifteenth century. During these centuries of Arab domination the growing of sugar cane began.

Much later in the fifteenth century, the land was taken by Christian forces led by Francisco Ramirez de Madrid. The Catholic Monarchs installed a mayor to the town as a reward for services to the crown. Despite the XVI century Moorish uprisings and their subsequent eviction, Salobreña’s economy was still based on sugar cane, and had not declined.

In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries there began a period of crisis that required replacing the sugar cane crop with cotton.

In the nineteenth century the War of Independence caused severe problems to the whole area. At the end of this century cotton production ceased and the cultivation of sugarcane began again. Today the economy of Salobreña is based on tropical crops and tourism.

Monuments

Castillo de Salobreña (castle)
Iglesia Parroquial Nuestra Senora del Rosaria  (Parish Church Our Lady of the Rosary)
Historical Museum 'Villa de Salobreña "
Sugar Factory
Torre del Brocal  (Tower)
Rock of Salobreña

Gastronomy

The cuisine of this beautiful town on the Costa Tropical is a blend of tradition and modernity, as a result of developments the town has undergone over the years. Therefore, the various restaurants on the waterfront and elsewhere, serve both traditional Andalusian cuisine together with the original Spanish. Produce from the local waters and farmland is plentiful. Among the dishes you can taste are rock salted fish, seafood casserole, fish marinades, sardines and other recipes made with tropical fruits like mango, avocado and cherimoya.

Directions

Exit  Granada in the direction of Armilla. Continue until Ogíjares Armilla. Continue along the road to Maracena Bailen - Motril. Continue to Cuesta de la Valdesa and on to Dúrcal. Exit Dúrcal. Continue along: E-902 / A-44. Follow signs to the coast where you will reach Salobreña.

Distances