APRIL 1957 – View across the river bed formed by the Rio Vinalopó in Elche, Spain, with the Basilica de Santa Maria overtowering the city. Scan © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com
The story behind the image
Today I’d like to share yet another historic shot from our family archive that documents a trip by car from Germany to Alicante in Spain. The family members also did a side trip to Elche which is situated just about 35 kilometers from San Juan Playa. But Elche is not situated directly at the sea, so it’s quite different.
This shot has fascinated me from the moment I saw it. I admit that I have not even heard of Elche before, but upon first glance it looked more like a fortress than a city. I figured out that the historic town had not been erected on a hill but rather the Rio Vinalopó has washed out the sand and rocks to form a deep river bed. As you can see, in 1957 there were poles for electricity that seem to originate from the river bed. Over time, the river has been harnessed by concrete, and pavement paintings are being exhibited to form a giant public art gallery. At the time of writing, the pieces can even be seen on aerial images on Google Maps.
Comparing the images from 1957 with 2019, both the trees and buildings have grown, preventing a direct comparison. But it seems that the city has resisted the temptation to erect buildings even closer to the river bed. I like that and will put a visit to Elche on my bucket list.
The high resolution image
| Capture Date | April 1957 |
| Location | Elche, Spain |
| Image Source | 7 x 10 cm Print from Original Negative Film |
| Digital Image Source | EPSON Perfection 4870 Photo |
| Digital Image Source Format | TIFF, 48 bits/pixel, AdobeRGB |
| Edited Image Format | JPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Dimensions | 4394 x 2951 Pixels |
| Copyright | © by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com |
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