Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)IT is one of the sweetest investments to be made in the Axarquia for years.
The Junta has agreed to cough up 355,000 to help turn the Colmenar honey museum into one of Europe’s best.
As well as investing in new honeymaking equipment, the money will be spent on upgrading the museum, marketing and promotion.
Colmenar – which actually means beehive – will get a huge kick from the money with an expected new influx of tourists.
It is part of a local scheme to preserve the traditional industry of honeymaking, particularly after production has fallen this year in Malaga to less than half of an average year.
In total, the Junta is spending three million on over 50 projects in the Axarquia.
Some 500,000 euros is to be spent on a proposed visitor centre at the lake at La Viñuela.
Other initiatives include further restoration of the 19th century thermal baths of Periana, and virtual tours for the castles of Alcaucin and Comares.
Money is also to be spent on the publication of a book of local recipes.
As was revealed in the SUR last week, the visitor centre at La Viñuela has already been built – it was completed last year in fact and opened by the head of the Junta I recall.
Then the road collapsed and noone can get in and out of the place, and then the “visitor centre” was completely closed 5 months after it opened. Then the playground was vandalised, and the potplants stolen. Even all the rubbish was left behind, and is still there when I drove by last week. No signs were ever erected – so nobody would know what this place even was for. You can’t even buy a permit to fish the lake that sits just 100 yards away.
This sums up how projects get funded and implemented in Andalucia. I expect all the other projects will end up in the same disrepair and mismanagement. It is clear that the 500.000 has gone in someones pocket. A friend of mine fluent in four languages applied for a job in the centre (perfect for a tourism venture) and, as normal, the posts were given to relatives of the mayor. The visitor centre is now a run-down litter trap that is slowly falling apart – great build quality obviously. I despair.
We are regular visitors to the area and are pleased to see there will be investment here. We have been to Alcaucin a few times while staying in Torre del Mar & Nerja. Didn’t know there is a honey museum in Colmenar so go there on our next visit. Would love to see the virtual tour and love trying local dishes so look forward to the recipes being available.
Janet, we’re all pleased at the investment of course, but something that is left to fall apart and which is closed (like the visitor centre mentioned above) is not an “investment” by any definition of the word. It’s a total inefficient waste of money and an insult to taxpayers and residents alike.
Thank you Brian for all you information. I live in the area and indeed all that you say had happened. Unfortunately we have what we deserve. I have to ad another thing: The Visitor Center has a vast extension. Why put the kids play area right next to the road? I am afraid but the thinking minds in Axarquía are not in the town halls.