Walking the streets of Marbella Old Town will transport you to a world far from the hustle and bustle of other parts of Marbella.The old town of Marbella includes the ancient city walls and the two historical suburbs of the city, the Barrio Alto, and the Barrio Nuevo. The ancient walled city retains nearly the same layout as in the 16th century. The Plaza de los Naranjos, is an example of Castilian Renaissance design. Around the square are three buildings: the town hall, built in 1568, the Mayor's house and the Chapel of Santiago, the oldest religious building in the city, Other buildings of interest in the centre are the Church of Santa María de la Encarnación, built in 1618, the Casa del Roque, the remains of the Arabic castle and defensive walls; Capilla de San Juan de Dios (Chapel of St. John of God), the Hospital Real de la Misericordia (Royal Hospital of Mercy) and the Hospital Bazán which now houses the Museum of Contemporary Spanish Engravings.
A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY-
Marbella began in approximately 1600 BC when it was conquered by the Romans who named the city Salduba, which means Salt City. However, scientists have found remains that the area has been inhabited since the Paleolithic and Phoenician eras.
There are remains of the Roman era throughout the city such as the Roman Baths and the Villa Romana de Rio Verde in the area of San Pedro de Alcantara. There are even remains of early Christians at the Basilica de San Pedro that dates back to the 3rd century AD.
In the 6th century Arabs arrived in southern Spain bringing Islamic rule and changing the name of the town to Marbil-la,. A fortress and a defense wall was built with only three access points to protect them from Christian attacks.
In 1485 Marbella was conquered by the Spanish Catholic Monarchs led by King Fernando, who forced the defeated caliph Mohamed Abuenza to turn over the keys of Marbella.
The original Muslim Medina in the current Old Town was destroyed in order to open up a new square, which today is called Plaza de los Naranjos, or Orange Square.
Throughout the 19th century Marbella remained a small agricultural town of only 10,000 inhabitants until the 1940s when Prince Alfonso de Hohenlohe landed in Marbella.The Prince decided to buy land for commercial purposes building hotels and apartment complexes. In 1954 he opened up the Marbella Club Hotel, which still stands today on the Golden Mile. Having aristocratic roots and kinship to the royal courts of Europe, Price Hohenlohe quickly convinced Europe's ruling elite to vacation in this new hot spot in casual yet discreet luxury.
The 70's saw the arrival of Prince Fahd bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, the former King and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia,King Fahd's love affair with Marbella meant good times for the locals as he paraded around the city spending excess amounts of money.
The 90's welcomed the mayor of Marbella Jesus Gil, then president of the soccer club Atletico Madrid, he continued to develop the city in new directions improving its infrastructure, sports arenas, cultural centres, municipal offices, parks, golf courses and more.
Today,the rich and famous continue to flock to Marbella for it`s warm weather and beautiful beaches.