Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)CAUGHT up in a long-running legal battle, one of Ronda’s most famous landmarks is being allowed to crumble away.
The 13th-Century Moorish Palace, perched on the edge of the El Tajo gorge, has now fallen into a state of disrepair.
Despite fears it may eventually succumb to the 200-foot drop below, the legal battle to secure the future of the Casa del Rey Moro rumbles on.
The palace may soon be put up for auction to settle an alleged 150,000-euro debt between a disgruntled creditor and the building’s owners.
It is reported that the creditor is demanding the sum after proposed bid to turn the palace into a five-star hotel in the year 2000 never transpired.
However, Jochen Knie, head of the Casa del Rey Moro group, insisted that “it would be completely unfair if the historical building were put up for auction”.
Knie blamed Ronda town hall for thwarting the group’s attempts to transform the palace into a luxury hotel.
He added: “We still want to remain true to our initial agreement but at the moment our hands our tied. If officials allow us, then we will do it.”
Meanwhile, amid the legal wrangling, the palace is tottering ever closer to the Tajo’s edge.
Ronda resident Wendy Burrows, who lives opposite the palace, explained: “No doubt about it, it’s on the point of collapse.
“Surely this is a crime against historical heritage, it really is an absolute national treasure and it would be a tragedy if it were to fall down.”
And a landscape gardener who has worked in the palace’s gardens shares the same worries as Burrows.
Luis Coronel said: “It is in a very bad way, at the moment nobody can ever enter it due to the risk.
“It is getting worse every day, it is completely saturated with water, cracks are appearing and there is a lot of movement within the foundations.”
What is all the fuss about? Why not demolish it and build some nice new houses on it with a car park? Spain needs lots of new houses doesn’t it?
I don’t know about the houses, but they certainly need a car park … now that the enormous space next to the bullring is reserved for a few carts and one or two tourists!
that carpark is made on the top of calle le espinel ( la bola ) in fromt of the street from the station. There now you can park your car…. much better since now the bullring’s view is not ruined by parked cars…
What Ronda needs is that the people have less cars per family and walk a bit since they take the car even to go around the corner……
Pierre you have hit the nail right on the head, half of them would take the car to bed if they could get it up the stairs
What exactly is happening there? Can we have a feature on this?
Este Sr. debe dinero en toda Andalucía, a otros empresarios, a sus antiguos trabajadores y sus proveedores. Durante años falló en el pago a los mismos, adeudando grandes sumas a Hacienda y a la Seguridad Social.
Tiene numerosas causas abiertas en los juzgados de Sevilla y Málaga, y otras tantas perdidas y pendientes de embargos.
El Hotel Casa Imperial, que supuestamente gestionaba y donde habría obtenido su experiencia para esta nueva aventura, después de años abierto sin licencias y sin inscripción en los registros de Turismo de Andalucía (consultar en Turismo los expedientes abiertos en contra suya), ha tenido que cerrarlo porque no se lo ha pagado al banco y a puesto en la calle sin cobrar a la mayoría de sus trabajadores.
¿Cómo va a financiar este nuevo proyecto?
¿Ha pagado ya a la Sra. a la que compró las casas frente al hotel y a quien dejó en la calle, tras prometerle una vivienda? ¿Ha depositado en los juzgados los importes del juicio que perdió contra ella?
A mi entender, se le permitió comprar el hotel, pero cuando se negó a pagar sobornos a los políticos locales para las licencias que se detuvo a partir de la renovación o la apertura del hotel. Así que él fue incapaz de hacer dinero, pero las facturas seguían llegando por lo que fue quebrado por aquellos que se negaron a soborno. ¿No es este el caso?