Ronda
After our visit to Antequera, we moved on to Ronda that early spring March 2019. For me it was the first time in Andalucía and the Alhambra de Granada made me decide to expand my photoproject from 'only' the countries of the former Yugoslavia to the other countries where Kurt Hielscher (1881-1948) made his photos, in the case of Spain over a hundred years ago. In a timespan of a century a lot can happen. Half way down descending into the gorge I saw that the yesteryear's houses missing. It was not until over a year that I found out what had happened.
Puente Nuevo, Ronda, Andalucía, Spain
Photo: Kurt Hielscher, 1914-'19
Puente Nuevo, Ronda, Andalucía, Spain
Photo: Casper Molenaar, 9th of March 2019
We arrived late in the afternoon and we settled first in our appartment where we watched the sunset over Ronda and the distant mountains. After dusk, went for a quick diner, tapas ofcourse, and a stroll around the city center. The famous 98 meters of height Puente Nuevo, the New Bridge, is one of three bridges that span the deep Tajo de Ronda gorge with the river Guadalevín. How impressive to finally stand on it and stare into the dark depths of the at some points 120 meters deep gorge. The bridge's construction began in 1735, but five years later, the unfinished bridge collapsed, killing 50 workers. The construction resumed in 1751, and the bridge was completed in 1793.
A wider view
The next early morning we took of by car and parked at the Plaza Ruedo Alameda where we could do some shopping. From there it is an easy, not so steep, walk via the Calle del Prado and the Ctra. de los Molinos to the viewpoint. If you would like to, you can even go down by car, but I don't think that is someting to recommend in the main season. The walk is longer than the steeper one coming down from the bridge itself in the city center, but that was not an option for us, because we had to move on back to the coast later that day.
The photos also tell the story of another dramatic event that happened in Ronda in July 1917. The houses with the watermills in the old photos vanished due to a huge rockslide killing 15 people.
Puente Nuevo at night
Kim and me at the viewpoint: La Hoya Del Tajo
1917 newspapers about the devastating rockslide killing 15 people in Ronda.
Sunset over Ronda from our appartment
Below: view over Ronda from our appartment
