History Marbella
Marbella City
Marbella History
In a little over forty years, Marbella has grown from little more than a secluded fishing village into one of Europes leading playgrounds for the rich and famous.
With Puerto Banus marina nearby, golf courses every couple of kilometres apart and a modern infrastructure on a par with anything in the world - its hardly surprising that Northen Europeans are retiring or moving in to the area in their millions.
So enormous has the expansion been in Marbella and the surrounding area, that some argue that the area has been ruined with overbuilding and scant consideration for green areas or nature.
These concerns reached a high point in 2003 when all new building licences in the Marbella area were stopped.
Even so, with all year warm weather and endless things to do by day and by night, Marbella continues to draw millions of visitors into the area every year.
When Marbella was founded is uncertain, but there is evidence of Roman settlings that pre date the birth of Christ.
The Moors invaded the area in the 8th century bringing with them the distinctive Flamenco style of music and their unique glazed ceramic art. Even today, many street signs are still cast in this traditional way with the distinctive blue dyes on a glazed ceramic.
The local Marbellans or Andalucians are a very relaxed group of people and very tolerant of all nationalities and cultures. This welcoming, relaxed attitude is one of the reasons why uptight Northen Europeans love the area so much.
The expression 'Manana' is a favourite among locals and it literally means - tomorrow. As any local Andalucian will tell you however, Manana doesn't simply mean tomorrow - it means definetly not today!
In keeping with this attitude, Andalucia has more public holidays than almost anywhere else in the world - even within Spain.
Partying or Fiestas take place in almost every town and village throughout the year. For such occassions, the Andalucians like to dress up in Flamenco clothes, ride horses, eat Paella on the beach and drink beer.
On the Monday following any major Fiesta it is not unusual for entire commercial shopping centers to remain closed to the public because noone turns up for work. These 'recovery days' are widely accepted as part of the Marbella and Andalucian way of life.
Another unique attribute of this way of life are the hours that Andalucians keep. While Andalucia is physically only one hour ahead of England on the clock, in reality, the Andalucians are on another planet.
Dinner reservations are often made for 11 pm and if you want to see a genuine Flamenco show, don't be surprised if the main event takes to the stage at 2 am in the morning.
Equally, it is not unusual to be in your hotel room or apartment and hear Cannon Fire going off at Midnight. This signals the beginning of yet another party taking place on a beach or in a town somewhere.
Marbella was put on the map as an international resort with the arrival of Prince Alfonso von Hohenlohe in 1946.
He purchased the finca Santa Margarita and later converted it into an American-style resort hotel. This has now become the prestigious and legendary Marbella Club where you can still dine on Marbellas Golden Mile.
The Guadalmina golf course opened in 1959 leading the way to the subsequent golf boom. There are now 40 golf courses in the area.
When Jesús Gil y Gil, was elected Mayor of Marbella in 1995 he effected the 2nd boom in Marbella. It was under his supervision that the building craze went mad but also led to converting Andalucia from a largely argicultural community - to an Internatinal hot spot.
Many locals became millionaires out of it.
During the Summer months, Bull Fighting takes place in several arenas around Marbella - usually on a Sunday. You can't help but notice the posters advertising this ritual all over the place. Unlike Portugal however, where the bull remains alive, in Spain, they kill the bull in the ring - so attending these events are not for the churlish.
Nor should bull fighting be easily criticised. The Andalucian obsession with Bulls is legendary and is a symbol that can be seen everywhere.
Ernest Hemingway cherished his time in Spain. His fascination with Spain and bullfighting was first reflected in the novel The Sun Also Rises and was further developed in the classics "Death in the Afternoon" and "The Dangerous Summer."
The Dangerous Summer is one of the all-time classics regarding Spain, its culture and bullfighting. If you want to get to know more about Spain and Ernest Hemingway, we highly recommend reading this book. It can be purchased on line by clicking here or opposite
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