Málaga has a wide-ranging, historico-artistic legacy. Monuments such as the Roman theatre, dating back the age of Augustus, the Arabic Alcazaba, built between the 11th and 14th centuries, and the Catedral de la Encarnación, on which work began in the 16th Century, give some idea of the varied Málaga patrimony.
Oher monuments of importance are the Arabic Castle of Gibralfaro, with its impressive, panoramic views, and the Finca de la Concepción, one of the most beautiful and important tropical gardens in Europe.
A city of artists, which witnessed the birth of a painting great, Pablo Picasso, Málaga has a large variety of museums. The Picasso Museum, located in the renaissance-style, 16th Century Bellavista Palace, houses more than 150 works by the most international of all Málaga artists. In addition, the Modern Art Centre (CAC), featuring the best in avant-garde, complements this feast of top-quality art.
Málaga has been named as a candidate for European Capital of Culture in the year 2016, as a result of which the city is undergoing painstaking preparations in all aspects of culture and artistic expression.
