The XXth century brought a touch of cosmopolitanism and the search for a thrilled modernity in Melilla. The cyclopean geometries of its old fortress yielded to the wild vibrations of Art Nouveau buildings, the curves of their façades and their balconies, as well as the color range of their mouldings and decorative productions of local crafts. Melilla became then, thanks to the architect Enrique Nieto, one of the main Spanish cities which can boast about possessing an Art Nouveau heritage as vast and of such quality. The city probably constitutes the epicentrer of this style for all of North Africa. The style of this architect deploys on number of façades of the city; its ability to absorb its environment and achieve to synthesise it in a personal creation of very high quality is Nieto’s main characteristic. He reinterpreted all the Art Nouveau trends that can be imagined, and the result is simply splendid. Buildings like “La Reconquista”, the “Military store”, the “Building Melul”, the “Vicente Martinez House” and many others only form a small sample of more than 300 Art Nouveau buildings in Melilla. In this city a whole creative environment was introduced, encouraging other architects or engineers to develop Art Nouveau within its new town centre as well as in other areas. Thus Emilio Alzugaray, Francisco Carcaño or José de la Gándara are also important creators.
Art Nouveau in Melilla spreads with strength and stretches largely over time, with evolutions going from the original vegetal inspiration towards the step of geometrical modulations of the Viennese Secession until the Art Déco period, another chapter of its artistic history. This building complex is characterized by the originality, the dare of the design and a will of urban creation, the one of a city in an aesthetically pleasing city, proud of this heritage for a future which has now become the present of its inhabitants.
Present, which has become a moment of contemplation of this building complex received from previous generations, is also the present of responsibility, of the necessity to protect it and to make it transmitted to new generations. For that reason, this city marked by Art Nouveau is now listed as “Historical monument” and uses this reference of preservation as a tool generating culture and economic activity; above all, Melilla’s inhabitants become holders of a unique heritage which is mainly unwittingly used serves as a frame, for the wealth of their own future.
Image | artist | function | date |
---|---|---|---|
Enrique Nieto Y Nieto | architect | 1880-1954 | |
Emilio Alzugaray Goicoechea | architect | 1880-? | |
Francisco Carcano Mas | architect & military engineer | 1886-1936 | |
Droctoveo Castañónon Reguera | architect & military engineer | 1871-? | |
José De La Gandara Cividanes | architect & military engineer | 1880-? | |
Luis Garcia Alix Fernandez | architect & engineer | ? | |
Enrique Alvarez Martinez | architect & military engineer | 1887-? | |
Fernando Guerrero Stracham | architect | 1879-? | |
Francisco Hernanz Martinez | architect | 1897-? | |
Mauricio Jalvo Millan | architect | 1867-? | |
Tomás Moreno Lazaro | architect & military engineer | 1880-1930 | |
Juan Nolla Badia | architect & military engineer | 1875-? |
Cover | Author | Description | date | Link |
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Antonio Bravo Nieto | La construcción de una ciudad europea en el contexto norteafricano. Arquitectos e ingenieros en la Melilla Contemporánea Ciudad Autónoma-Universidad de Málaga, Melilla-Málaga ISBN: 84-87291-67-8 / 84-87291-68-6 |
1996 | |
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Antonio Bravo Nieto | La ciudad de Melilla y sus autores. Diccionario biográfico de arquitectos e ingenieros, finales del siglo XIX y primera mitad del XX Ciudad Autónoma, Melilla ISBN: 84-87291-81-3 |
1997 | |
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Antonio Bravo Nieto y Dionisio Hinojo Sanchez | Catálogo de Arquitectura de Melilla. 1895-1961 Consejería de Fomento, Melilla ISBN: 84-606-3547-3 |
2003 | |
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Antonio Bravo Nieto | Modernismo y Art Déco en la arquitectura de Melilla Bellaterra, Barcelona ISBN: 978-84-7290-428-6 |
2008 | |
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Salvador Gallego Aranda | Enrique Nieto en Melilla. La ciudad proyectada UNED-Universidad de Granada, Melilla-Granada ISBN: 84 338 2261 6 |
1996 | |
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Salvador Gallego Aranda | Enrique Nieto (1880-1954). Biografía de un arquitecto Fundación Melilla Ciudad Monumental, Melilla ISBN: 84 609 8889 9 |
2005 | |
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Antonio Bravo Nieto y Juan Antonio Bellver Garrido et al. | Catálogo de monumentos, placas, conjuntos ornamentales y heráldica de Melilla. DVD, Fundación Melilla Ciudad Monumental, Melilla ISBN: 978-84-613-2646-4 |
2009 | |
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Salvador Gallego Aranda | Enrique Nieto, un paseo por su arquitectura Fundación Melilla Ciudad Monumental, Melilla ISBN: 978 84 96101 89 0 |
2010 | |
Juan Bassegoda Nonell | "L'arquitecte modernista Enric Nieto i la ciutat de Melilla" Scientific articles in Temple, nº 120 |
1986 | ||
Rosario Camacho Martinez | "El eclecticismo en la arquitectura religiosa de Melilla" Scientific articles in Boletín de Arte, nº 2 |
1981 | ||
Antonio Bravo Nieto | "La imagen de una ciudad y la memoria escrita: aproximación bibliográfica a la arquitectura de Melilla" Scientific articles in El Vigía de Tierra, Revista de Publicaciones, nº 1 |
1996 | ||
Salvador Gallego Aranda | "Arquitectura y comercio: "La Reconquista"" Scientific articles in Cuadernos de Arte de la Universidad de Granada, nº 27 |
1996 |
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