As fine as new, restored and well maintained green spaces can be, to me dilapidation holds an intriguing appeal. What was once shining bright has by time and human neglect fallen into a shady existence. Such a place is Baños del Carmen on the eastern outskirts of Málaga, southern Spain. Around 1900 it went from a small port to a fancy public bath, based on ideals of antiquity. Plants and other garden ingredients featured as part of the overall design. These have now lost their glory, but interestingly are still there. Which I think is good, it adds to the patina of the place.
Baños del Carmen was once a small port. In the late 1800s/early 1900s the local bourgeoisie started to take an interest in the upgrade of urban design and public health issues. Public baths became fashionable and eyes were directed at the old port and the baths were inaugurated in 1918. There was also a football field and space for music, dancing and shows.
A planter that has seen far better days
As I understand it, there have been plans for some time to regenerate this area, such as the park land and beach. So far nothing much has happened. There’s still an extremely popular restaurant here. I hope they tread very carefully with development plans. It would be very sad to loose the magic vibe around this spot.
