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History
| As
you can see from the old photograph taken in the fifties, there is an ancient
fortification in front of the building. This is all that is left of "El
Fuerte de San Luis", which was the fort which protected Marbella against
attacks from the sea. |
|
El Fuerte
was built by King Charles V of Spain in 1.554 because, at that time, Marbella
was under constant attack by pirates, principally "Los Barbarroja" who
had settled in North Africa. The coast of Marbella needed a defensive system
so towers and forts were built which were visible from the sea. They were
also constructed near to the village so that the defenders could be warned
about any pending attack. This was done by lighting bonfires and there
was even a tunnel from the fort to the castle in the event that the garrison
was not able to resist a seige. Obviously, El fuerte was in the first line
of fire whenever Marbella was attacked from the sea.
During
the war of Independence, when Napoleon invaded Spain, the El Fuerte was
witness to an even more important event, Sr. Rafael Ceballos, sergeant
of the troops in Málaga, together with colonel Jose Valdivia heroically
defended the refortified castle with the aid of the British. The French
troops maintained such a strong attack on the small fortress that only
a handful of the occupants were able to survive. They escaped by boat,
to be picked up eventually on the beach by the British. Marbella remained
occupied by Napoleon for almost 2 years, but the village was very often
attacked by guerrillas from the mountains around Ronda. As they were familiar
with the area, they would make raids on the French garrison. Eventually,
in August 1.812, the whole French occupation troops were surrounded both
by land and sea. So as not to leave the fortress intact, the French destroyed
part of the main structure, which is the reason that today, only half the
building is standing.
The
Fort is now used as a private meeting area and drinks room, which is open
for an special occasions. It is called "El Bodegón".
Don
José Luque Manzano took a tremendous gamble buying this piece of
land and building the very first hotel in Marbella. This imaginative business
man, who was generous and very forward-looking, was born in Estepa, near
Seville, and owned a chocolate factory together with an olive oil production
plant.
All his relatives and friends thought he was insane to
give up a good position in a prosperous city to start a venture which had
no apparent future. However time passed and Sr. Luque was completely vindicated.
On the
15th July 1.957, Don José Luque Manzano offered a gala dinner to
over 500 guests to celebrate the opening of the first building of the hotel.
At that time, it had 33 rooms and the first ever lift on the coast.
There are three characteristics of El Fuerte: good laste,
cordiality and hospitality. These and many other benefits you will encounter
when next you visit us.
e-mail: hotel-elfuerte@hotel-elfuerte.es
