Ronda
Ronda | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Coat of arms | |
| Country |  Spain |
| Autonomous community |  Andalusia |
| Province | Málaga |
| Comarca | Serranía de Ronda |
| Government | |
| • Alcalde | Antonio María Marín Lara (PSOE) |
| Area | |
• Total | 481.31 km2 (185.83 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 723 m (2,372 ft) |
| Population (2009) | |
• Total | 36,827 |
| • Density | 77/km2 (200/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Rondeños |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 29400 |
| Dialing code | 95287, 95219 |
| Website | Official website |
Ronda is a city in the Spanish province of Málaga. It is located about 100 kilometres (62 mi) from the city of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is 35,515.
History
Around the city are remains of prehistoric settlements dating to the Neolithic Age, including the rock paintings of Cueva de la Pileta. Ronda was however first settled by the early Celts, who, in the 6th century BC, called it Arunda. Later Phoenician settlers established themselves nearby to found Acinipo, known locally as Ronda la Vieja, Arunda or Old Ronda. The current Ronda is however of Roman origins[1], having been founded as a fortified post in the Second Punic War, by Scipio Africanus. Ronda received the title of city at the time of Julius Caesar.
In the 5th century AD Ronda was conquered by the Suebi, led by Rechila, being reconquered in the following century by the Eastern Roman Empire, under whose rule Acinipo was abandoned. Later the Visigoth king Leovigild captured the city. Ronda was part of the Visigoth reign until 713, when it fell to the Arabs, who named it Izn-Rand Onda ("city of the castle") and made it the capital of the Takurunna province.
After the disintegration of the caliphate of Córdoba, Ronda became the capital of a small kingdom, the taifa of Ronda. During this period Ronda received most of its islamic architectural heritage. In 1065 Ronda was conquered by the taifa of Seville led by Abbad II al-Mu'tadid. Both the poet Salih ben Sharif al-Rundi (1204-1285) and the Sufi scholar Ibn Abbad al-Rundi (1333-1390) were born in Ronda.
The islamic domination of Ronda ended in 1485, when it was conquered by the Marquis of Cádiz after a brief siege. Subsequently, mostly of the city's old edifices were renewed or adapted to Christian roles, while numerous others were built in newly-created quarters such as the Mercadillo and the San Francisco ones. The Real Maestranza de Caballería de Ronda was founded in the town in 1572, with military finalities.
In the early 19th century, the Napoleonic invasion and the subsequent Peninsular War caused much sufference in Ronda, whose inhabitants reduced from 15,600 to 5,000 in three years. Ronda's area became the base first of guerrila warriors, then of numerous bandits, whose deeds inspired artists such as Washington Irving, Prosper Mérimée and Gustave Doré. In the 19th century the economy of Ronda was mainly rural. In 1918 the city was the seat of the Assembly of Ronda, in which the Andalusian flag, coat of arms and anthem were designed.
Ronda was heavily affected by the Spanish Civil War, after which much of the population emigrated elsewhere.
Geography
Ronda is situated in a very mountainous area about 750 m above mean sea level. The Guadalevín River runs through the city, dividing it in two and carving out the steep, 100 plus meters deep El Tajo canyon upon which the city perches. The Spanish Fir (Abies pinsapo) is endemic to the mountains surrounding Ronda.
Main sights
Three bridges, Puente Romano ("Roman Bridge", also known as the Puente San Miguel), Puente Viejo ("Old Bridge", also known as the Puente Arabe or "Arab Bridge") and Puente Nuevo ("New Bridge"), span the canyon. The term "nuevo" is a bit of a misnomer, as the building of this bridge commenced in 1751 and took until 1793 to complete. The Puente Nuevo is the tallest of the bridges, towering 120 metres (390 ft) above the canyon floor, and all three serve as some of the city's most impressive features.
Another important site in Ronda is the Plaza de toros de Ronda, the oldest bullfighting ring in Spain that is still used, albeit infrequently. It was built in 1784 in the Neoclassical style by the architect José Martin de Aldehuela, who also designed the Puente Nuevo.
The partially intact Baños árabes ("Arab baths") are found below the city and date back to the 13th and 14th centuries.
The former town hall, which sits next to the Puente Nuevo, is the site of a parador, and has a view of the Tajo canyon.
Cultural influence
American artists Ernest Hemingway and Orson Welles spent many summers in Ronda as part-time residents of Ronda's old town quarter called La Ciudad. Both wrote about Ronda's beauty and famous bull-fighting traditions. Their collective accounts have contributed to Ronda's popularity over time.
Hemingway's novel For Whom the Bell Tolls describes the murder of Nationalist sympathizers early in the Spanish Civil War. The Republicans murder the Nationalists by throwing them from cliffs in an Andalusian village, and Hemingway allegedly based the account on killings that took place in Ronda at the cliffs of El Tajo.
Orson Welles said he was inspired by his frequent trips to Spain and Ronda (e.g. Welles' unfinished film about Don Quixote). After Welles died in 1985, his ashes were scattered in a Ronda bull-ring.
English writer George Eliot's book Daniel Deronda ("Daniel of Ronda") tells the story of Spanish Jew brought up as an Englishman. There have been some speculation that Eliot's ancestors may have lived in Ronda prior to the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492.
Transportation
Ronda is accessible via highways and by rail from Algeciras and from Córdoba.
Sister cities
- Cuenca, Spain
Chefchaouen, Morocco [2]
Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy- Ontinyent, Spain
References
- ^ Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia - on Spain, Books 3 & 4
- ^ Asociación Senderista Pasos Largos - Chefchaouen, Morocco.
External links
Cities and port cities in Andalusia | ||
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| Port cities | ||
| Other big towns | ||