Murcia Underestimated

Murcia is the seventh largest city in Spain, with a population of nearly 500,000. However, the signs inside are only in Spanish because tourism is bypassing. The nearest airport is in Alicante, about an hour away on the motorway, and from there tourists head directly to Cartagena and the beaches of the Mediterranean. I had the pleasure of visiting on business and I dare say that tourists are very wrong. The city is charming and has a lot to offer, even though its beach is 40 kilometers away.

Murcia’s architecture is a mix of old and new, in several different forms. The feeling of South America and colonial design is intertwined with the Arab heritage of Al-Andalus, among which multi-storey apartment blocks are hidden. The spaces between them are filled with tiled squares and green gardens. At the corners, there peek the umbrellas of cafes and tapas restaurants, which are deserted in the early morning, but are full of life at 10 pm. The color scheme is decided in light tones: white, ecru, ivory and sand with honey shades.

With global warming, squares are becoming increasingly unforgiving to their inhabitants in the summer. In recent years, all of southern Europe has suffered from extreme heat waves with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, making the provision of climate protection “islands” a priority. The local municipality is trying to exert some control by restoring gardens, providing drinking water in all public buildings, turning museums into cooling shelters, shading spaces and maintaining city fountains.

Speaking of tapas-erias, we could mention the local cuisine. It is a feast for the eyes and palate, as you would expect in Spain. Almost nothing happens without the presence of jamon, whether you get it as a thinly sliced appetizer, on toasted bread with lots of local goat cheese, or fried in croquettes. I expect they will soon make it into dessert, although breaded lemon tree leaves hold the championship in my opinion. Either way, be prepared for a lot of meat.

Let’s now turn our attention to some of the emblematic places in the city. First and foremost is always the Cathedral, located on its own square, where city events often take place. You can buy a ticket for just the Cathedral or for the Cathedral plus the church museum, but for the bell tower you have to wait for the special guided tours. And keep in mind that, in the heat, there is approximately one tour per day. The building is in a typical Gothic style, and the interior decoration contains some truly impressive examples.

The next landmark is the Royal Casino of Murcia. As far as I understand, it was never a casino in the conventional sense of the word. Rather, it is the headquarters of the Society of the Royal Casino of Murcia, of which I have no idea how it connects to gambling. The society was founded in the mid-19th century and for a while moved around the surrounding buildings, until it finally settled in today’s combination of “modernist and eclectic artistic styles”. The building is specific and I recommend seeing it from both the outside and inside.

After the Casino, we can walk to Santa Clara, which is both a former Moorish castle, a still operating convent and one of the city’s museums, and it’s free. The Moorish patio (inner courtyard) with a beautiful water pond and Alhambra-style greenery is only visible through glass windows, because it is part of the convent and is closed for visitors. However, you can enjoy the old architecture and the exhibited examples of the preserved material heritage of Al-Andalus from around the area.

You can see more of this heritage at the Archaeological Museum of Murcia, also free. There you will learn about the local prehistoric Argar Culture from the Early Bronze Age (2200-1500 BC), which, like other localized cultures in Europe from this period, is amazing. You will probably also be impressed by the examples of pre-Roman Iberian culture. Like the Thracian culture in Bulgaria and the Balkans, this culture had its own distinct physiognomy before it was melted into the boiling pot of the Roman Empire.

You will learn interesting things about the later history of Murcia in the City Museum. For example, about the local livelihoods before and after Industrialization. About sericulture, for the benefit of which they planted a hundred thousand mulberry trees. About the large-scale canning industry, which inspired numerous accompanying businesses such as making cans, bottles, packaging, etc. Or about the production of espadrilles, “the shoes of the poor”, and other products from the esparto plant, which grows happily and abundantly in the special geography of the region.

Finally, we will take a look at a specialized museum dedicated to the 18th-century sculptor Francisco Salzillo. The museum displays many of the molds and models for various sculptures produced in the master’s studio, as well as a small church whose chapels contain the huge platforms with religious statues carried in processions during Semana Santa, the Holy Week before Easter. Personally, I was most impressed by the miniature but detailed sculptural compositions that recreate real life.