Colmenar (Málaga)

Just 30 kilometres north of Málaga, ten kilometres east of Casabermeja, and right in the middle of Los Montes, lies Colmenar, also known as the Capital of the Montes de Málaga. With a population today near 4,000, Colmenar has been populated since the Neolithical period, as testified by the remains found at the Cueva de las Pulseras. After the Reconquest, the town was named after a nearby farm known as Colmenar (apiary) for it's great number of beehives, or "colmena"s as they are called in Spanish. The history of the village begins in 1487, but it is not before 1777 that it becomes independent as a township.

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On top of the hill, overlooking the village and its surrounding valleys, sits the hermitage of La Santísima Virgen de la Candelaria. It was built in the 17th century and is nowadays declared a historical local monument. The hermitage is consecrated to the patron saint of Colmenar.

Colmenar houses the region's medical centre, opened and staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There is also an internet cafe, Spanish School, and business centre with all facilities.

[http://www.montesdemalaga.com/ Colmenar (Málaga)]