The Dutchman in love with old photos of historic Torremolinos

Wim Kuipers holds the title of 'Adopted son of the town of Torremolinos', has a square named after him in El Ejido in Almeria and is deeply appreciated by Benidorm town hall for his services. These are just a few of the Dutchman's many achievements.

Although born in the Netherlands, Spain has been his home since 1963, when he arrived in Torremolinos - back when it was still a district of Malaga. Since then, he has been both a witness to and a key player in the town's tourism boom and economic development.

With a degree in hotel management from both the École Hôtelière de Lausanne in Switzerland and the Hoge Hotelschool in Maastricht, he managed the Al-Andalus, which was one of the few luxury hotels located between Torremolinos and Benalmádena at the time. “These neighbouring establishments,” he recalls, “promoted themselves as being on Torremolinos soil to capitalise on the brand's pull.”

It was the era when the Pez Espada had just opened and the legendary, now-vanished Tres Carabelas was in its heyday.

Entrepreneurial drive

Driven by an incredible business spirit, Kuipers also ran the Eurotours agency, describing its meteoric rise: “We started with 15 beds and grew to manage over 1,500.”

He went on to launch the Wima estate agency and was one of the co-founders of the well-known Santa Elena Clinic. Yet amid all this hustle and bustle, he always made time for his true passion: photography.

“Because I was involved in so many businesses, I kept images, and whenever I could, I bought more,” he explains. Over the years, he has built up an impressive collection of more than 4,000 references - a global catalogue from various countries that he continues to update daily. “I have an app on my phone that I check every morning, and if I see something interesting, I buy it.”

This passion extends far beyond Torremolinos. That is why his name graces the street map of El Ejido, a town he discovered upon his arrival in Andalucía and to whose town hall he donated vintage photographs of the Guardias Viejas Castle and the local spa, among other landmarks.

For similar reasons, Benidorm is in his debt: he presented its municipal archive with a collection of early photos of the Costa Blanca resort's fledgling tourism industry, originally taken by an English traveller and acquired by the Dutchman.

His love affair with photography is illustrated by another anecdote: during his time running the famous La Florida restaurant - which was once the largest along the entire coast - he catered to countless national and international film stars. Many of these celebrities discovered the charms of his venue and the wider Malaga region thanks to the more than 500,000 Costa Sol postcards that Kuipers mailed out to clients and friends across the globe.

Aerial memories

Anyone interested in discovering the style of photography that captured Kuipers' heart can do so on the first floor of Torremolinos town hall. Running until 30 October, the free exhibition - Torremolinos, Años 60 Desde el Aire (Torremolinos, the 1960s From the Air) - offers a fascinating look back at local life in the mid-20th century, charting the profound transformation of the municipality across all dimensions.

The display features bird's-eye views of natural and agricultural spaces, the coastline and the very first developments linked to the tourism boom. Visitors can view beaches that are unrecognisable to modern eyes and public squares where the only passers-by were donkeys - a journey through landscapes, buildings, roads, and urban structures that have, in many cases, vanished or been integrated into a completely different landscape.

A lifetime of heritage

“I believe these photos are part of the town's culture. I keep them to enjoy, but I believe the locals should see them to learn more about their history,” reflects Kuipers, who reveals: “I have plans to donate the entire collection to Torremolinos.”

“Wim Kuipers arrived in Torremolinos in the 1960s and began a love affair with our town that endures to this day. He is also the longest-residing Dutch citizen in our province,” remarked Mayor Margarita del Cid during the opening of the exhibition.

“In fact, I am the most veteran Dutch resident in the whole of Andalucía - or so the consul told me,” Kuipers clarifies, looking back on a lifetime rich in stories to tell.