Huge relief map of Spain at Malaga school gets a spruce up 25 years after last restoration

Martiricos nursery school in Malaga city is finally getting a refurbishment of its large-scale relief map of Spain some 25 years after its last overhaul.

Malaga city council started works last month, with a budget of 36,153 euros. The works, carried out by Quibla Restaura are expected to be finished in December this year.

The map, some 24 metres wide and 18 metres long, shows the Iberian Peninsula, archipelagos and the area of the former Spanish protectorate in Morocco. It was the initiative of General Enrique Cano, military governor and mayor at the time, in the 1920s. It is resource that has been treasured at the school since it opened its doors in 1930. Since then, due to its location outside, the map has required various restoration works, with the last occurring in 1998.

The city hall said the current works "are intended to restore the map, respecting the original appearance of the stucco relief, as well as modernising the interior plumbing and electrical mechanisms". It houses an original system of taps and pipes representing the rivers of the Iberian Peninsula with water. In addition to the renovation of the current plumbing system, a waterproofing system and a water recycling system are also being considered, to avoid possible water wastage.