Date Published: 01/10/2011

Centro Cultural Plaza Vieja in Alhama de Murcia

Exhibition gallery and public library in Alhama de Murcia

Plaza Vieja, a small square at the foot of the hill on which the castle stands, was formerly the centre of social life in Alhama, and houses several important noble houses, one of which is now the Centro Cultural Plaza Vieja. This distinctive blue building was formerly the Town Hall, between 1923 and 1986, and has one of the best examples of the Coat of Arms of Alhama on the front of the building.

Nowadays, however, it has been converted to provide a home to temporary exhibition rooms and the municipal library, which is fully equipped with internet as well as a book loaning service, a reading room and a study room.

Centro Cultural Plaza Vieja in Alhama de Murcia

Until the 1950s there was no running water in private homes, so the townspeople would come to this square to collect water from the Fuente del Caño and water-sellers would also draw water to deliver to homes further away. It´s a cool and comfortable place to stop for a rest when walking around the town, with a water pipe and seats still to be found in the corner of the Plaza.

A curious legend exists that early in the 19^th century a coffin arrived in Cartagena from an unknown destination, crossing Spain to La Coruña and stopping off in this very location. As it travelled it left in its wake a trail of bloody murders, bloodlettings and incidents of vampirism which formed what became known as the route of "horror", and who knows what legacy may have been given to the places where it stopped. Local legends run riot when discussing the trail of what was left in Alhama that night, although the anecdote has never been confirmed through any documented evidence!

The building also houses the Sala de Exposiciones Plaza Vieja, which is used for exhibitions throughout the year.

Centro Cultural Plaza Vieja in Alhama de Murcia