How did one person give life to the whole island? An exciting story about the harmony everyone ought to know
Everybode hear about Tenerife or Gran Canaria. But you should know about another wonderful Canary Island – Lanzarote.
Lanzarote is an island that busts stereotypes, which allows contemplating the fantastic Nature, its actions and consequences and the effects of Human actions afterwards in a desire to unite into a tandem. If you’re eager to get to fantasy and see the true love between a man and nature, you should head for Lanzarote.
This is earthly outer-space. This is the other world of Volcanoes. Of three hundred Volcanos.
Lanzarote will amaze you back and forth. You would like to absorb the landscapes surging from everywhere in large gulps, to learn natural phenomena and to keep your eyes wide-open for not to skip anything and to retain everything in the memory.
The island of purple mountains. The island of burning tops. The island of 300 volcanoes.
Here you get to know the Earth may be stony.
Here you learn about one resident who made this island such as it’s being viewed today. And it could be quite the contrary and no one would have even mentioned Lanzarote and probably wouldn’t have lived there!
Sincere admiration and respect for this man raise lots of kind words about his work, all he did for his native land and its inhabitants.
César Manrique – the creator. The Canarian, who was intended to be an artist, designer, and architect of the united living canvas 60 km long and 13 km wide.
To understand what canvas this person got, you need simply to see what this island is famous for – there’re about 300 volcanoes here. And almost all of them quite recently – a little more than 250 years ago – have been erupting for 6 years in succession. For 6 years have hot lava been flowing and absorbing live and fruitful land into its burning embraces. A third of the island was burnt several meters deep. The residents managed to flee to the neighboring island of Fuerteventura located in a few kilometers. But after six years of constant destruction of their settlements, there was nowhere to return to. Only the daredevils came to the northern part, where the burning rivers inflicted less harm.
What can one do on the island covered with hardened lava, with no water and rain, with no fertile land?
Before the volcanoes’ eruption the Lanzarote’s inhabitants cultivated grape of Malvasia variety. After all the vineyards were destroyed by lava people for a wonder, tried to change the growing conditions and took the risk.
César Manrique, born in 1919, was the artist inspired by Picasso’s oeuvre. For a long time he lived in New York at the invitation of Rockefeller, who was purchasing his paintings.
César admired his island since his childhood. He wanted everyone in the world to learn the uniqueness and the beauty of the island. Once he had the chance of unlimited possibilities in highlighting all the beauty of Lanzarote.
César had three main objectives:
1) For the whole world to see the island’s beauty in his view
2) To create harmony between the nature and man
3) To ensure protection the island’s body and soul.
There’re seven wonders of César Manriqueon on Lanzarote – unique seven projects showing the fantastic beauty of the island.
Timanfaya National Park.
There are the same 30 volcanoes that destroyed half of the island. César invented and developed the route for people to look at the volcanoes’ craters and get the unrealistic impression as though from trip to the Moon, which can be gone though on bus, at the time being. César built restaurant El Diablo with the logo of the Devil at the largest volcano.
See more about this in a separate article. Here refers another objective of César – to save the pristine nature around volcanoes. That’s why Timanfaya park with area of 50 km2 is a nature reserve being protected.
Cactus garden.
It’s a bit unusual word “garden” for mentioning blank Lanzarote. César made it from scratch.
If other six wonders were harmonious complement to the existing nature, the garden is completely separate and brand new project. 10,000 cactuses and area of 5,000 m2. He surprised everyone and created the beauty.
El Rio observation deck.
This is a mega-cool object. Architecture is harmoniously combined with nature here. The landscape opening out of there is so stunning that you want to enjoy it forever. He made a fantastic facility out of the old and needless building. See more about this beauty in a separate article.
Amazing caves out of lava tunnels Cueva de los Verdes and Jameos del Agua.
César transformed giant gutters in lava from landfill into incredible facilities: underground concert hall and route to a sea lake where albino crabs live … and usually they are found deep beneath the ocean. In such a harmonious and beautiful way did this artist who devoted his heart of the island of Lanzarote preserve the nature.
The above is only a small part of all what César managed to implement. Besides 7 wonders of Manrique, he took cared of saving the island from tourists, creating special areas protected by the island law.
He designed the airport, some hotels, and other tourist zones. He helped the neighboring islands, apart from his native one. For example, he solved the problem with the lava beach in Puerto La Cruz on Tenerife, he built observation decks on La Gomera, El Hierro, beautiful park near the famous building in the capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
He also saw about preserving the beauty of the island, so that nothing could interfere with constant enjoying the scenery of the nature. He managed to ignite the hearts of the Lanzarote dwellers with the understanding that it’s necessary to preserve the island’s architecture the same as it was earlier. Only white houses are there on the whole island. The distinguishing color of windows and doors is emerald; it can also be dark blue. César helped the residents to restore their houses, urged them not to demolish old buildings for constructing new ones. He was so sincere and persistent in speaking about harmony, aesthetics, and preservation of all this, that the locals supported him and accepted this opinion.
You won’t see any ads and billboards on Lanzarote. This is the island’s feature aiming at access to landscapes not corrupted by people. César also managed to legitimize the island’s architectural style. Thus, they aren’t allowed to construct buildings higher than 4 floors. And indeed all settlements are white and low-rise. There’re many hotels in resorts but they also stick to the rules. We came across a bit different architecture, including high-rise – ugly 5-star hotel in the city center only in the capital, Aresife.
Certainly, César wouldn’t succeed in creating all of this without the authorities’ help. And everything turned out to be the best – a good friend of his who was in power, supported all the ideas since he as well wished the best future for the island.
Everything there’s on the island: logo, sculptures, landmarks, buildings and some restaurants and hotels – these all are the trace of a single person who sincerely believed in harmony and wanted to show the beauty of his native island to the world. And he accomplished that.
HARMONY. This word is concordant to happiness.
If you want you can get incredible energy, feel this harmony and be happy on this island.
“You do not realize the happiness of living on the Canary Islands surrounded by peace and tranquility, away from the troubles and tribulations of the rest of the world” – César Manrique.
We personally were struck by this man. We wish more people found out and were inspired for creating the same harmony, aesthetics, and happiness. Save the world in its better condition than it was when we were just born. Leave a trace that will incur thorough understanding not only enjoying.
Yes, Canarians are happy people. They live in a separate world they are trying to save for others.
Useful information about Canary Islands:
How to travel between the Canary Islands: Ferry and Aircraft
How to rent a car on Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote
Another Canary Islands:
Tenerife, Gran Canaria, La Gomera, La Palma, Fuerteventura
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