Rilke’s city of dreams

Rainer Maria Rilke, the famous German poet, stayed in Ronda for a few months between 1912 and 1913 at the Hotel Catalonia Reina Victoria. Looking out from his room (nr 208) over the deep ravine which divides the city in two, Rilke was hypnotised by the landscape. “I have searched everywhere for the city of my dreams, and I have finally found it in Ronda”, he wrote.

Rilke is well-remembered in Ronda. There is a street named after him, a driving school, a real estate agency, a car park and a pub. Hotel Reina Victoria is still open (https://www.cataloniahotels.com/es/hotel/catalonia-reina-victoria?mb=1), and there is a statue in his honour in the grounds of the hotel. 

Sources: https://www.secretserrania.com, https://www.andaluciamia.com/