Torre Bermeja to regain its historic appearance with a €375,000 restoration in Benalmádena

Benalmádena is preparing a major intervention on one of the oldest surviving elements of its coastal heritage. The Town Hall has launched the tender for the restoration and conservation of Torre Bermeja, located near the marina, with a budget of €375,000.

The project will focus on a structure dating from the 13th and 14th centuries, when it formed part of the Nasrid defensive system used to monitor the coastline. Today, it is officially protected as a Site of Cultural Interest (BIC) in the Monument category.

The work will go beyond repairing the tower itself. The surrounding area will also be improved to make access easier, enhance the setting and help visitors better understand the historical importance of the site.

Eight months of work to preserve Torre Bermeja

Once the contract is awarded, the restoration will have an expected execution period of eight months.

The intervention will aim to preserve as much of the original structure as possible. Planned works include cleaning the walls, sealing and repointing masonry, and applying treatments designed to protect and stabilise the building.

Materials added during previous restorations that are now considered unsuitable from a heritage perspective will also be removed.

The aim is to conserve the different historical stages visible in the tower rather than carry out a reconstruction that could alter its original character.

A new roof to protect the monument

One of the most important elements of the project will be the installation of a new roof, as Torre Bermeja currently has no proper covering.

This measure is intended to solve problems related to rainwater entering and draining through the structure, one of the factors that can accelerate deterioration in a historic building so close to the sea.

The project will also recover architectural details linked to the tower’s earlier appearance, including gargoyles positioned at the different cardinal points.

Work will also be carried out around the base to recover its historic level and improve the way the original volume of the tower can be appreciated.

The area around Torre Bermeja will also be transformed

The restoration will be accompanied by improvements to the surrounding public space.

Plans include ramps, seating, landscaped areas and wooden paving, creating a more accessible route around the monument and reducing some of the barriers that currently limit its integration with the surrounding area.

New lighting and interpretive signage will also be installed so residents and visitors can learn more about the tower’s origins and its former defensive role.

The intention is for Torre Bermeja to become more than an old structure beside Benalmádena Marina and gain greater prominence as a cultural and historical attraction.

A watchtower that protected Benalmádena’s coastline more than 600 years ago

Torre Bermeja once formed part of a wider network of coastal watchtowers used to monitor the Mediterranean.

Its location made it possible to maintain visual contact with Torre de Pimentel in Torremolinos and Torrequebrada, forming part of a communication and defence system designed to detect possible threats arriving from the sea.

It is now one of three historic watchtowers still standing in Benalmádena, making it an important part of the municipality’s surviving heritage.

Its Nasrid origins offer a glimpse into a coastline that is now associated with tourism, beaches, hotels and the marina, but which once played a strategic defensive role.

More than €269,000 comes from tourism funding

Of the €375,000 allocated to the project, €269,117.93 comes from the Andalusian Tourist Municipalities funding programme, known as MUNITUR, corresponding to the 2025 call.

The funding is provided by the Regional Ministry of Tourism and Andalucía Exterior of the Andalusian Government.

The Torre Bermeja project forms part of Benalmádena’s wider efforts to protect and highlight its historical heritage while creating new cultural and tourism opportunities.

Once the work is complete, the town will have recovered one of the few surviving landmarks that still show how this stretch of the Costa del Sol was monitored and defended during the medieval period.

Full details on the budget, planned works and historical significance of the monument can be found in the official information published by Benalmádena Town Hall.