Delete
The building is in the centre of Arroyo de la Miel.
From card factory to tourist office

From card factory to tourist office

The oldest building in Arroyo de la Miel was part of a factory that made playing cards that were exported to the Americas

ALBERTO GÓMEZ

Monday, 23 April 2018, 17:50

Compartir

In the eighteenth century the building was part of a paper factory that produced playing cards, but it will soon be converted into a tourist information centre. Benalmádena council has announced the project in response to complaints from local residents that the building, located between Plaza de España and Avenida de Andalucía, had been abandoned. Local mayor, Víctor Navas, announced that the decision was "an attempt to restore the town's historical heritage."

La Tribuna is the only remaining part of a paper factory built by the Italian businessman Félix Solesio and chosen by the well-known Gálvez family to produce playing cards to sell in the Americas, in order to provide money to develop their home town of Macharaviaya. The factory, located in Benalmádena, was known as the Real Fábrica de Naipes de Macharaviaya.

La Tribuna has two floors and has an area of nearly sixty square metres. With an architectural style more common in the north of Spain than on the Mediterranean coast, it was restored by Benalmádena council in 2007 with a plan to turn it into a museum.

The paper from which the cards were made was sourced from Arroyo de la Miel, which was then ground in water mills and made into pulp for playing cards. The cards were then stored in a building on Calle Granada in Malaga before they were exported to the Americas.

The local councillor for Tourism, Encarnación Cortés, said that the project for converting the building into a tourist information centre was at an advanced stage and due to be completed very soon.

The building, believed to be the oldest in Arroyo de la Miel, was refitted after an investment of two million euros over the course of a decade, when then mayor Enrique Bolín hoped to turn it into a museum. The project was never completed. More recently, local residents have complained about the state of the building, which has been used as a squat and vandalised in recent years.

Víctor Navas, along with the local councillor Salvador Rodríguez visited the site earlier this month. By turning the building into a tourist information office we hope to give new life to one of the most historic buildings in our town, explained the mayor. Through investing in the promotion of the heritage and history of the town we hope to attract new visitors and better inform those who visit our picturesque town.

The Gálvez brothers were influential in the growth of industry, agriculture and trade in Malaga province. They founded several playing card factories in the local area. To ensure that their venture was a success the brothers employed Félix Solesio from Genoa, which was then famous for its paper industry.

Reporta un error en esta noticia

* Campos obligatorios