Marbella History

In the borough remains have been found to prove that Marbella was inhabitedsince the Paleolithic and Neolithic eras. In Roman times what is now known asCasco Antiguo probably corresponds with the city of Salduba.

During the Islamic era, the Muslims built in the 10thcentury a castle and then a fence that protected the city. The name may derivefrom the name they gave the Arabs: Marbil-la, which, according to recentlinguistic studies, is derived from an Iberian location. On June 11, 1485, theChristian conquest reached the area.

Early in the 19th century there were blast furnaces in Marbella servicing theiron mine.

During the Second Republic, Marbellaexperienced major social transformations, which were driven by strong politicaland social mobilization. They were cut short by the outbreak of the civil warand the subsequent repression by the Franco regime.

After World War II Ricardo Soriano Hermensdorff von Scholtzand Marquis of Ivanrey came to Marbella and madea propaganda film of Marbellashowing their rich and famous friends, like Prince Maximilian vonHohenlohe-Langeburg.

Ricardo Soriano bought a farm located between Marbella and San Pedro, where he constructed a resorthotel which then led to the beginning of tourism development in Marbella.