The transformation of Estepona as a city structured by culture

The municipal management carried out by the mayor of Estepona, José María García Urbano, has made it possible in little more than a decade to go from a lack of cultural facilities and activities to consolidate a network of spaces and a permanent agenda that illustrate an unprecedented change and place the city at the forefront of culture.

In the last decade, the city of Estepona has undergone a process of urban transformation that has been accompanied by an outstanding regenerating element: culture as the backbone and dynamizer of society. The leap in quality of life, social care and a healthy economy has also been reflected in a metamorphosis linked to the arts, heritage, leisure and creativity.

In the last 14 years, the work carried out by the mayor of Estepona, José María García Urbano, has allowed Estepona to go from a lack of cultural facilities and activities to consolidate a network of spaces and a permanent agenda that have positioned the city as one of the most complete destinations in southern Europe.

This year 2025 has marked the first decade of existence of the Felipe VI Auditorium, a reference scenic space, with more than a thousand activities held since its opening, and has become one of the most important municipal facilities built by the current government team. It is the result of its firm commitment to the development of culture and to providing the municipality with a large auditorium for the performing arts, music and culture, which until then did not exist.

However, the creation of the Mirador del Carmen Cultural Center, an imposing tower overlooking the sea, has undoubtedly been the most ambitious cultural project of recent years. It is a multifunctional space with an auditorium for events, an exhibition hall, a lookout tower and a Conservatory of Music. This facility, dubbed “Estepona’s great cultural beacon”, also houses the Library of Contemporary Cultures. The BCC occupies eight floors of the tower and has been designed as a transversal, dynamic and future-oriented cultural center, equipped with the most advanced technology and means, offering citizens a complete range of uses.

Since its opening in 2023, the Mirador del Carmen has attracted the attention of important events. Its exhibition hall has hosted works from the Carmen Thyssen Collection, the MAPFRE and Zuloaga Foundations, and the international artist Juan Miguel Quiñones. The auditorium is the stage for talks, conferences, literary presentations and concerts throughout the year, especially during the celebration of the Estepona Literary Festival (FLEST). The City Council created this event two years ago to bring the lookout tower to life, while maintaining a specific annual program for the Library of Contemporary Cultures.

The cultural and social impact of the implementation of the Mirador del Carmen has transcended borders, giving a boost to the cultural and artistic offer in Estepona, and has complemented the model of sustainable city and quality of life, which has been a clear energizing element of cultural, social and economic activity in the municipality.

During this time, the City Council has also recovered an eighteenth century building that for years was a welfare center, to transform it into a cultural space. The Casa de las Tejerinas, located in the Plaza de las Flores, is a point of reference for creators of different disciplines, providing a space not only for painters, sculptors and writers, but also for the

painters, sculptors and renowned writers, but also to those who are just starting out and are looking for a place to make their work known. Its activity is tireless. During 2024 alone it hosted 42 painting exhibitions, 6 sculpture exhibitions, 1 exhibition held in collaboration with Easter brotherhoods, and up to 36 literary presentations, along with five other business events.

The municipal action has had another axis in museum matters with the recovery and conservation of the Castle of San Luis, a coastal fortress built in the last quarter of the sixteenth century and whose remains are located in the historic center of the city. The intervention has allowed the enhancement of these remains, which have remained unused for almost a hundred years, and which last year opened to the public as a museum center.

The recovery and preservation of the municipal heritage has been another of the hallmarks of the current municipal government, and in this sense has chosen to bring to light many of the pieces of the Estepona of the prehistoric, Roman and Islamic periods and display them in the Archaeological Museum of the city, which is in the process of expansion. The aim of this intervention is to provide more space to this facility, which is based in the old Town Hall.

A few weeks ago, the City Council inaugurated the new Museum of the Sea, with one of the best collections of pieces of navigation and fishing in Spain belonging to the fisherman, diver and navigator from Malaga Miguel López Mateo. This space pays tribute to the millenary relationship between the human being and the ocean. Among the exhibits are from astronomical navigation instruments to diving equipment of the nineteenth century, through models, gear, fishing gear and everyday objects of life on board.

Estepona has also become an open-air museum that offers a new and original way of enjoying art. Artistic murals decorate the facades of buildings in different neighborhoods and areas of the municipality, giving them life and turning them into a different attraction for tourists and visitors. It is possible to stroll through the different streets and enjoy pictorial works of great quality, as well as beautiful sculptures of important artists of national and international fame, and famous poems in various languages on plaques scattered throughout beautiful enclaves. The so-called ‘Route of the Murals’ and ‘Route of the Poetry’ have two contests of special relevance, both organized by the City Council. The International Competition of Murals, which distributes 27,000 euros in prizes, is in its third edition, reaching a record number of participants (116 in the last edition) from different parts of Spain, but also from many countries.

As for the International Poetry Prize, endowed with 7,000 euros and the publication of the winning work in the publishing house Pre-Textos, has reached its fifth edition, for which 2,300 works of writers from around the world have been received.

The Estepona City Council, with the collaboration of the Manuel Alcántara Foundation, also organizes the ‘Ciudad de Estepona’ Novel Prize, one of the highest prize money in the country, with 25,000 euros and the publication of the winning work in Pre-Textos. Nearly 800 proposals have been submitted in its last edition.

In short, Estepona has demonstrated a great capacity for transformation, in a balance between modernity and conservation of its identity, with sustainability, quality of life and a decisive commitment to culture as objectives achieved.