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Marbella lies on the Costa del Sol and after the provincial capital Málaga is the most important city on this stretch of the Andalusian coast and a famous holiday location. Countless visitors are attracted every year not only by the extensive beaches, the mild climate, the impressive mountain backdrop and the beautiful hinterland but also by the numerous leisure activities such as golf and water sports as well as the cultural heritage which delight holidaymakers.
The area around Marbella was already inhabited in the New Stone Age. This is testified by prehistoric finds in the caves of Nerja and Gibraltar as well as near Ronda. Marbella was founded by the Phoenecians
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as a trading centre around 1600 B.C. In the third century, the area came under Roman rule. Remains of a Roman villa which was part of the settlement of Cilniana were discovered in the town of San Pedro de Alcántara. From the 8th century onwards, the Moors shaped the history of Marbella. Fortress ruins, defence towers, picturesque alleys in the historic centre and individual houses still bear witness to the Moorish influence. In 1485, the Catholic Monarchs conquered the region in the course of the Reconquista.
Agriculture and fishing dominated the economy of Marbella for centuries.
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In the 1940s, the city is discovered as a holiday destination by the European nobility. Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe-Langenburg buys up large plots of land and opens them up to tourism. In 1954, the famous Marbella Club Hotel is built, which to this day has remained a meeting place for international society. Many prominent figures, including King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, build grand villa complexes and palaces here. The cosmopolitan character of Marbella characterises the flair of the city. Puerto Banus, the largest private marina on the Mediterranean, was created at the end of the 1960s and developed into an important tourist attraction and shopping mile.
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