In autumn 1862 Malaga became a short-term home for the Danish writer and poet Hans Christian Andersen. Also, a famous traveller.
Andersen stayed at Hotel La Fonda de Oriente. Opened in 1845 by the Swiss Carlos Brunetti and the Frenchman Pedro Gassend, it was one of the best hotels in the city. Unfortunately, the original building of the hotel is now gone but the house that replaced it has a commemorative plaque saying that the Danish writer stayed there.
We all know Andersen as an amazing fairytale writer. A keen traveller, Andersen also published several long travelogues. One of them - “In Spain” - was based on his journey in 1862. Andersen visited many Spanish cities during that trip, but it was Malaga he loved the most. Here is how he described it: "I found my own way of life, nature, the open sea, everything that is vital and indispensable to me, I found here... The party atmosphere was everywhere; one felt rejuvenated by the sun and the lush nature of southern Spain. Everyone seemed to be in an excellent mood, as if life was just showing its bright side; joy and youthfulness reigned everywhere. Malaga, beautiful city, here I feel at home, I thought jubilantly.”
In the nearby Plaza de la Marina there is a bronze statue of Andersen commissioned by the Danish Royal Family and created by the sculptor Marîa Córdoba. The inscription says: “In none of the Spanish cities have I been so happy, so entirely at home, as here in Malaga”.
