The city of Marbella
Overview of Marbella
Marbella is a city in the region Andalusia, an autonomous community of Spain, on the Mediterranean coast, situated in the province of Malaga, beneath La Concha. In 2000 the city had 98,823 inhabitants, in 2004, 116,234.
The city of Marbella is an popular beach resort of the Costa del Sol. The town is known for being a playground for the wealthy and famous. Marbella is seen as a favourite destination for rich tourists from Scandinavia, as well as the well-to-do from the UK, Ireland and Germany. Marbella's surrounding area is very popular with those who enjoy playing golf.
Transport links
It is possible to get to other popular nearby tourist spots, like Malaga and Algeciras, by bus. However exploring the are using car rental or car hire is not expensive and very much more convenient.
The area is served by the A7 autovia, with the closest airport being at Malaga.
Early history
Local archaeological excavations indicate human habitation in Paleolithic and Neolithic times. There are also remains of Phoenician and later Carthaginian settlements nearby. In Roman times, the city was called Salduba.
During Islamic rule, Muslims built a castle in this city, and they surrounded it by walls. The name Marbella, which is derived from Marbil-la, dates from this Islamic era. In 1485, the Spaniards reconquered the city, and during the centuries that followed, the city grew.
Recent times
In the 1940s, Marbella was a small village with only 900 inhabitants. But this soon changed when Alfonso de Hohenlohe decided to buy land commercially, marketing the area as a tourist destination. In 1954 he opened the Marbella Club Hotel; his son had recently returned from California and the hotel was loosely modeled on the motel style with lower pitched terracotta roofs among 23,000 trees.
Because of Alfonso's maternal membership in Spain's titled aristocracy and his paternal kinship to the royal courts of Europe, the hotel proved a hit members of Europe's ruling elites, and those who socialise with them.
In 1974 Prince Fahd arrived at the city after having broken the bank of the Casino of Montecarlo. Until his death in 2005 he was a frequent and profitable guest at Marbella, where his retinue of over a thousand people spending petro-dollars was welcome.
Notable residents
Antonio Banderas is a frequent visitor to Marbella where he has a house in Los Monteros. He and Melanie Griffith have a daughter who was born in Marbella in 1999.
In 1981 English actress Joan Collins accepted her career-making role in the hit prime time melodrama Dynasty while living in her Marbella vacation home.
Sean Connery used to live in Marbella, near a golf course where he played daily when not filming. He left following disagreements with the local press, and now resides in the Bahamas where he plays golf much less frequently. He lent his image to the Marbella's townhall until Gil used it for political goals.
Arms dealer Monzer al-Kassar, currently on trial in the United States, is a longtime resident and has been nicknamed "The Prince of Marbella".
Mark Langford, the former, multi-millionaire boss of The Accident Group who notoriously sacked most of his 2,700 staff by text message, died after being involved in a car accident in Marbella on April 11, 2007.
Actor Dolph Lundgren resides in Marbella with his wife and two children. They also have a home in London.
English songwriter Richard Daniel Roman lives in Marbella.