subject: History Of Marbella [print this page] The imprint of human beings which has been found in the mountains around Marbella tells that the earliest human habitation in Marbella can date back to the Paleolithic and Neolithic times. The remains of Phoenician and later Carthaginian settlements can also be found. Later under the settlement of Rome, the city was called Salt City.
At first, the city observed Islamic rule and the name of the city is actually derived from Islamic language. The famous Muslim scholar and traveler complemented the town as "a pretty little town in a fertile district. However, in 1485, the Reconquista occupies the town and converted it into Christian.
Until 1940s, Marbella was still a small village with only 900 people, but later when Alfonso de Hohenlohe, the heir of Prince Max Egon zu first saw this place, he was deeply impressed. After that, he decided to buy this land and generate it into tourism destination. One decade later, he even opened the Marbella Club Hotel.
The hotel turned out to be a success due to Alfonso's relationships networks and it quickly became a hit among Europe's ruling elites and rich people who could afford the luxury and wanted to socialize with the ruling class.
Marbella continued to be a playground for the wealthy people with high social status until some celebrities were kidnapped here which put Marbella in the medias focus.
In 1991, the new mayor was elected, who promised to fight against the crime and restore Marbellas reputation. He even found a spokesman, actor Sean Connery for the city. However, later the actor ended this relationship because the new Mayor Gil took use of him for political purpose. During Gils time, a lot of buildings were constructed without considering the citys existing development plan.
Although, the city won some appraisal and celebrity tourists, the undesirable corruption started to be investigated. In the end, Jess Gil was forced to resign after jailed for misappropriation of public funds. Unfortunately, his successor had not escaped from the trials of corruptions later. The continuing political scandals put the council near bankruptcy. The Spanish government had to dissolute the Marbella City Council in 2006 to put an end to the corruptions which was an unprecedented movement.
Car rental
As you may know that when you try to get in the city, the public transport including the train and even the flight can not lead you to Marbella directly,; when you arrive in the city, there is no public transportation any more. Your only two choices are to hire a car or take a taxi. Taxi will not arrive as promptly as drive a car by yourself, so the most convenient option is to hire a car which can pick you up at the train station or the airport.
Almost all the major car rental companies has a branch in Marbella, but some small local companies may meet your needs best. Car rental companies with low price and good services like Marbesol, Europcar, Helle Hollis car rental, FIRST Car Group, Autos Costasol, Blue Sky Super Car Hire and Auto Europe will take care of your need.
