A small town in Malaga, Spain, is only inhabited by 192 people, but there are many British expatriates living there.
Salares, a town located in the Axarquia region and part of the scenic Mudejar route, has an interesting mix of Belgians, British, Danes and Romanians among its residents.
The town is famous for its whitewashed houses, a traditional feature of the area, which is even more interesting due to its location within the Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama Natural Park.
Despite being only 42 miles from the capital of the Costa del Sol, the journey by road takes almost two hours, thanks to winding mountain roads.
According to the latest figures from the National Institute of Statistics (INE), as of 1 January 2023, Salares had only 192 registered residents.
Interestingly, there are years when there are even fewer residents. Over the past year, six new residents have moved to the city.
Among its inhabitants, 164 people are Spanish by birth. There is also one Danish citizen, two people born in Morocco, one Romanian citizen, four Belgian citizens and 20 British citizens. These nationalities are all recorded in the municipal census of this city.
The city’s network of streets and the architecture of its whitewashed houses create beautiful and unforgettable corners, giving it a unique identity. This identity was so distinct that it became part of what is known as the Mudejar Trail.
Its steeple, declared an Artistic-Historic Monument, is the highlight of its urban complex.
Salares was once a Roman settlement that saw the presence of Phoenicians, Greeks and Carthaginians, according to information gathered by the Junta de Andalucia.
It is noted that the bridge over the River Salares, which is still in perfect condition and in use today, dates from Roman times at the exit of the city. Since the time of Muslim domination, the city’s spatial layout has been maintained with few changes.
This church still displays the old mosque tower as a bell tower, complete with sebka panels and tiles, as well as several pillars discovered during the restoration.