Motril
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History
It has not been possible to determine if this was the legendary Murgis, but it dates back to ancient times.
In the Arab Andalusian period it was an important defensive fortress along the coastline of Granada.
It was conquered by the Catholic Monarchs in 1489 and was left almost uninhabited after the Moors were expelled in 1507. It was later repopulated with Christians from the kingdom of Castile it was attacked and destroyed during the War of La Alpujarra in 1569.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, Berber pirates used to attack and destroy the coastline. However, the privileged location of Motril, 2 km off the coast, safeguarded the town, which from then on started a process of growth and non-stop development that led this town to become a first order communication base for the locations nearby the coastline of Granada, and an important link in coasting trade.
It became a town in the reign of King Phillip IV.
In February 1937, the municipality suffered serious floods that cut off the communications between Málaga and the rest of Republican Spain, which allowed the Italian detachments to advance from Motril and take Granada without much difficulty.
It was summer residence for King Balduino of Belgium, who died here in 1939.
Important characters
Carola Torres, painter.
Francisco Javier de Burgos, writer and politician.
José López Rubio, director and scriptwriter.
Manuel Rodríguez Martín, historian.
