This article is about the city in Spain. For the municipality in the Philippines, see Ronda, Cebu. For the former settlement in California, see Ronda, California. Ronda —  Municipality  — Coat of arms Ronda Location in Andalusia Ronda Location in Spain Coordinates: 36°44′14″N 5°9′53″W / 36.73722°N 5.16472°W / 36.73722; -5.16472Coordinates: 36°44′14″N 5°9′53″W / 36.73722°N 5.16472°W / 36.73722; -5.16472 Country  Spain Autonomous community  Andalusia Province Málaga Comarca Serranía de Ronda Government  - Alcalde Antonio María Marín Lara (PSOE) Area  - Total 481.31 km2 (185.8 sq mi) Elevation 723 m (2,372 ft) Population (2009)  - Total 36,827  - Density 76.5/km2 (198.2/sq mi) Demonym Rondeños Time zone CET (UTC+1)  - Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2) Postal code 29400 Dialing code 95287, 95219 Website Official website View in Ronda looking toward the Church of Santa Maria la Mayor The bridge in Ronda. The view from Ronda.

Ronda is a city in Spanish province of Málaga. It is located about 100 kilometres (62 mi) Northwest from the city of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is aproximately 35,000 inhabitants. Contents 1 History 2 Geography 3 Main sights 4 Cultural influence 5 Transportation 6 Sister cities 7 References 8 External links 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 suffering in Ronda, whose inhabitants reduced from 15,600 to 5,000 in three years. Ronda's area became the base first of guerrilla 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. The ‘Corrida Goyesca’ is a unique and historical bullfight that takes place once a year in Ronda in the Plaza de toros de Ronda, the oldest bullfighting ring in Spain.2 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. Ernest Hemingway wrote many of his novels here as well, such as Fiesta.2 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 buried in a well, located on the rural property of his friend, the retired bullfighter Antonio Ordonez.

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. In the fashion world Italian designer Giorgio Armani was pleased to announce that he specially designed the bullfighting costume, called ‘Goyesco’ for famed bullfighter and testimonial Cayetano Rivera Ordóñez, on the occasion of the ‘Corrida Goyesca’, that took place on September 6, 2009 in Ronda. Cayetano’s suit of lights was in the Goyaesque style, comprises a jacket, trousers and cloack in techno satin in a shade of Armani greige. The three pieces are embroidered with sequins, small glitter stones and thread, all matching the colour of the background fabric.23 Transportation Ronda is accessible via highways and by rail from Algeciras and from Córdoba. The single track railway between Ronda and Algeciras was built between 1890 and 1892 by the Gibraltar Railway Company. It enabled the British military officers to escape the summer heat of Gibraltar. The railway was built by James Morrison, an engineer, in partnership with, Sir Alexander Henderson, a financier. The station at Ronda was opened in 1892. Sister cities Cuenca, Spain Chefchaouen, Morocco 4 Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy Ontinyent, Spain References ^ Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia - on Spain, Books 3 & 4 ^ a b c GIORGIO ARMANI DESIGNS COSTUME FOR CAYETANO RIVERA ORDONEZ FOR ‘THE CORRIDA GOYESCA’ ^ "Armani brindó en Ronda". El Pais. 2009-09-06. http://www.elpais.com/articulo/agenda/Armani/brindo/Ronda/elpepigen/20090906elpepiage_3/Tes.  ^ Asociación Senderista Pasos Largos - Chefchaouen, Morocco. External links Ronda Tourist Board Ronda images Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ronda

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