Plaza de la Merced, Málaga

Apart being a meeting point for young and student people is very well know because Pablo Ruiz Picasso was born in a house there. The house is open to all visitors. Very nice place to walk round there, to have a drink and a tapa in on of the bars.

A parte de ser punto de encuentro para la gente joven la plaza de la merced es muy conocida porque Pablo Ruiz Picasso nació allí. La casa donde nació está abierta a todos los visitantes. Plaza muy bonita donde puedes dar un paseo o tomar algo en algunos de los bares.

In this square you can come and sit on a hot afternoon or early evening when its cooler and watch life go by. It can be a very peaceful place...somewhere to gather your thoughts. I prefare it on a friday or saturday night, this is when it really comes alive and it is very popular for people (mostly young people) to come and have few drinks befor they go dancing. It is also a very well known place in Malaga so there always seems to be alot of different nationalities hanging out here. It is surrounded by many restaurants, cafes and bars which you can go sit in if you dont want to sit drinking on the concret steps or benches. If you do not choose to drink in a bar you can by beer, wine and spirits from one of the many shops that are near the square. There is also a mini cocktail bar which opens and sell great drinks which come in litre glasses...try the mojito...mmm...its great, loosens the bones and joints up for you big night of dancing.

A cute square where you will find the house in wich Picaso was born. You must not miss this beauty of Malaga and all its surrounders. At night young people use to meet there, they bring their bottles and drink in the square.
You will find many good bars for tapas at this square.

TAPA:
have something in "El Cortijo de Pepe" a lovely place (Plaza de la Merced 2)
-salpicon de marisco
- porra antequerana
- albondigas.... what ever you want

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Plaza de la Merced is a pretty little square, especially beautiful during May when all the trees are blooming purple. Most of the monumental buildings date from the 19th century when the city was important for its trade and commerce. Be aware though, that at night the square is often frequented by drug addicts and other undesirable types.

On this square you will also find the birthplace of Picasso (no. 15). It is the base of the Picasso Foundation and hosts temporary exhibitions. In 2003, the city has opened a museum dedicated to the artist. You will find the Picasso museum in Calle San Agustín 8, not far from the cathedral.

For those of you which wee unaware, Pablo Picasso the famous artist was born right here in Malaga.

Therefore all around the the town there are sights related to Picasso such as the house he was born in Plaza de la Merced.

El Museo Casa Natal, as it is called in Spanish, was opened in 1988, but in 1997 it went through extensive renovations. So if you visited before 1997 you may want to take another look if you are in the area.

The house was rented by José Ruiz Blasco, father of the artist, from 1880 to 1884, when they moved from nº36 (nowadays, nº15) to the third floor of nº32 on the same square. In 1891 Picasso's father got a job as a drawing professor in La Coruña, and consequently, the family moved to this city.

OPENING TIMES: From Monday to Saturday, from 10:00 to 20:00. Closed on Sunday afternoon and bank holidays.

PRICE: Museum & temporary exhibition. Admission fee: 1 €

Free admission:
- Senior citizens
- Youths aged up to 17 (accompanied by an adult)
- Students up to 26 years old with student ID

Inside the house you can visit the museum which includes other artist's work from Malaga: Barbadillo, Brinkmann, Peinado, Stefan, Joaquín de Molina, Robert Harvey, Diego Santos, Carlos Durán, Bola Barrionuevo, Chema Lumbreras, Joaquín Ivars and Rogelio López Cuenca.

Plus other spanish artists like: Miró, Christo, Bacon, Brossa, Ernst, Tápies, Chillida, Plensa, Dokoupil, Guinovart, Matta, Moore, etc.

From Picasso you can find: ceramics, engravings and illustrated books.

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Malaga is very proud of its famous artist ,where he actually only spent the first 14 years of his life in the city before his family moved to Barcelona.The house where he lived in Malaga is also a popular tourist attraction, although it is no longer open to the public. It is situated facing Plaza de la Merced, a relaxing place to go and have an afternoon coffee, or before going to the nearby Cervantes Theatre.

Just a few minutes walk north of the Cathedral, the Plaza de la Merced is a nice place to relax and have a drink in one of the many bars. Also, check out Picasso's birth home which borders the plaza on the northwest corner.