Holiday apartment in Murcia: art, festivals and urban history

Murcia reveals its history through museums, religious spaces, festivals and paths along the Río Segura. Anyone considering a holiday apartment in Murcia will encounter a city where paintings, Baroque sculpture, Hispano-Muslim traces and the Huerta can be explored side by side in a variety of ways.

Culture

The present-day building of the Museo Arqueológico de Murcia was inaugurated on 10 December 1956, after the archaeological collections had been moved there in 1953. At the Museo de Bellas Artes de Murcia, the general public can visit the permanent exhibition free of charge; guided tours are also offered for groups and individuals. The collections represent Murcian painters from different generations of the 19th and 20th centuries. The permanent exhibition is presented in nine rooms across three floors.

At the Museo Ramón Gaya, the permanent exhibition presents the life and work of the Murcian painter in chronological order. The museum also offers guided tours tailored to schools, young people, students and other groups; group tours are possible with advance reservation. At the Conjunto Monumental San Juan de Dios, the church is freely accessible, while the archaeological site can be visited as part of a guided tour. The Iglesia de San Juan de Dios has an oval floor plan designed by Martín Solera around 1742. Painting, sculpture, applied arts and decorative elements come together there in a devotional programme dedicated to the Eucharist and its veneration.

The Santa María Cathedral is regarded as a landmark of Murcia and an important example of Spanish Baroque. Its main façade, known as the Imafronte, was created by Jaime Bort and is considered a work of international Baroque. The cathedral also contains the Capilla de los Vélez, a chapel in the late Gothic Flamboyant Gothic style with a ten-pointed star vault.

The Museo Salzillo comprises the 17th-century Baroque church of Nuestro Padre Jesús and a newer building dedicated to the sculptor. Works such as La Última Cena, La Dolorosa, San Juan and La Oración del Huerto can be seen there in their original setting, the church. The museum also includes the Belén de Salzillo with 556 figures, depicting 18th-century Murcia.

The Museo de Santa Clara displays numerous pieces dating from the 10th to the 15th century. Parts of the facilities of the Muslim Alcázar Seguir, or Alcázar Menor, have also been preserved in the Santa Clara complex. A southern section of Murcia’s city wall dates from the 11th to the 13th century; outdoors, the masonry of two towers, a parapet walk and a barbican have been preserved. The Museo de la Ciudad presents the history, tangible and intangible heritage, art, crafts and ethnography of Murcia in chronological order. Another highlight is the Patio Árabe of the Real Casino de Murcia, which was decorated with more than 20,000 sheets of gold leaf. Since 1990, the Teatro Romea has been classified as a cultural asset of special interest, a Bien de Interés Cultural.

Festivals and regional cuisine

The Bando de la Huerta always takes place on the Tuesday after Easter, that is, the first Tuesday after Easter, and opens Murcia’s cycle of spring festivals. It is recognised as a festival of international tourist interest. Traditional Murcian cuisine is served and folklore performances are held at the Bando de la Huerta; homes and former customs of the Huerta are also recreated. Murcia’s Semana Santa is a religious festival of international tourist interest with its own artistic style, originating in the 18th century.

Paths by the water and through the Huerta

The Paseo del Malecón extends more than 1,500 metres into the Huerta and is used for recreation and walking; it also offers views of the city. Behind the Museo de la Ciudad lies the Hispano-Muslim fruit and vegetable garden Huerto Cadenas, irrigated by the water of the acequia Caravija.

Boat trips are offered on the Río Segura, passing beneath Murcia’s bridges. A walk along the river through Murcia leads across numerous bridges and footbridges surrounded by gardens. The Mercado de Verónicas shows another side of everyday urban life: visitors can enjoy regional products there and consume them in some of the bars inside the market.

Further destinations:Los Zancarrones, La Majada, Santomera, Lo Pagán, La Puebla De Mula, Valentín, Abanilla, Purias

To the higher-level travel overview: Murcia.