Melilla Modernist Ensemble

Melilla expanded rapidly from the 1890s when the old fortified town became too small, and the new districts were laid out by Enrique Nieto, a Catalan architect who had worked in Gaudi's circle and moved here in 1909, staying for the rest of his life. He and others built in modernismo and later art deco on a scale that gives the city around nine hundred such buildings, the largest concentration in Spain after Barcelona: the Casa de los Cristales, the Casino Militar, the synagogue, the mosque and the Or Zaruah synagogue among them, along with hundreds of apartment blocks with wrought iron, floral plaster and coloured glass. Above the new town, Melilla la Vieja is a walled sixteenth-century fortress on a promontory.

What you actually see

• The Nieto buildings - modernist blocks by Gaudi's former collaborator.
• The Casa de los Cristales - a landmark corner building of glazed balconies.
• The four cultures - Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Hindu buildings side by side.
• Melilla la Vieja - a walled sixteenth-century fortress above the port.

When to go

April to June and September to November; Melilla is hot in summer. Ferries run from Malaga, Almeria and Motril, taking several hours, and there are flights from mainland Spain. A passport is required.

Honest expectations

Melilla is a Spanish enclave bordering Morocco, with a heavily policed frontier and a political situation that is sensitive. It sees few tourists and services reflect that. Many modernist buildings are private and seen only from the street.

Nearby

Melilla la Vieja is above the port; the Moroccan border and Nador lie a few kilometres away.