Duke of San Pedro de Galatino or Julio Quesada Cañaveral, Count of Benalúa, Lord of Láchar. A famous figure inherent to the history of Granada, whose bust you will find just as you enter the Hotel Alhambra Palace.
However, what is the reason behind this figure and why is he so important for the city?
Behind a noble title is a prodigious and visionary genius who gave rise to the construction and made tangible one of the most iconic and inspiring buildings, not only in Andalucia but in Spain, our hotel, Hotel Alhambra Palace. And it is to him that we relate today in this chapter of the blog to tell you all about him and discover just how important his contribution was. Join us to find out more about us!
Although he was born in Madrid, he was born in Granada, he was completely enchanted by Granada. That made him imagine a great Hotel Casino in a very prosperous economic moment for the city. So much so, that his passion and vision for Granada led him to build in 1905 what would become one of the architectural landmarks of the time and which still stands today. Anecdotally, the Hotel Alhambra Palace was the first building with an iron structure in Andalusia.
So that, San Pedro de Galatino is the key figure in the history of Granada. At that time, more than 115 years ago, he was convinced that tourism would be a great industry, and that the Alhambra and the Sierra Nevada would be the main driving forces behind it.
All carried out with its own capital, it was also involved in the political and business life of the time, contributing, among other things, to the improvements in the management of the products of the fertile Vega of Granada.
From the very start of his administration, the Duke managed the Hotel Alhambra Palace with great skill, becoming a true institutional, social and cultural centre of the city of Granada. Soon, the art of cinema and theatre also made its way into the hotel, where Federico García Lorca, Manuel de Falla, José María Rodríguez-Acosta, Ángel Barrios and many others were regular guests.
In 1917, Andrés Segovia held his first public concert in the theatre and, in 1922, Federico García Lorca presented the mythical Cante Jondo, a cultural event in our local history and the first cultured recognition of flamenco.
At the direction of the Alhambra's own architect and curator Modesto Cendoya, Hotel Alhambra Palace was built on the border of the Alhambra woods and with unique and spectacular views over the city. Years later, it was converted into a hospital during the Spanish Civil War.
Panoramic views of Granada from the Terrace of Hotel Alhambra Palace
Today, Hotel Alhambra Palace overlooks the hill of the Alhambra where the shapes of the Alhambra monument combine with the Torre del Oro (Golden Tower) and the Avila Walls.
Exultant, Hotel Alhambra Palace is considered by many of our visitors as one of the most inspiring places. It is a place of wonder for the traveller, the poet, the musician....
Not only the building itself, which is an architectural jewel in its own right, but its surroundings do not disappoint the visitor. Watching or simply listening to the water gushing from the fountains and irrigation channels around the Hotel Alhambra Palace is truly magical.
Hotel Alhambra Palace is a place to remember a past era of splendour that still endures and continues to make history.
