A ticket to the past
Located in the La Malagueta district, this building known as the Palacio de la Tinta dates back to 1908. It was designed by architect Julio Aublin Calas (Algiers, 1866 – Málaga, 1939), chief engineer of Track and Works at the Andalusian Railway Company. It was inaugurated on 23 March 1908 and remains one of the few examples of European Modernism in Málaga. Its strong French influence is inspired by the fin de siècle Parisian style.
The original purpose of the Palacio de la Tinta was to house the headquarters of the Andalusian Railway Company, established as a result of the Córdoba–Málaga line. However, years later the company went bankrupt, was nationalised in 1936, and in 1941 it was integrated into the newly formed Renfe.
The name of the hotel refers to the large quantities of ink it received daily as the administrative centre for the railway company, where travel tickets were handwritten. The renowned poet of the Generation of ’27, Vicente Aleixandre, whose father worked as an engineer for the Andalusian Railway Company, described it as a “somewhat large” building, referring to its 10,500 square metres. Today, it forms part of Málaga’s architectural heritage.
Photographs 1 and 2: Fondo Thomas, Archivo IEFC.
Photograph 3: Arxiu Històric Fotogràfic.