Goodbye to the Bonsai Museum

The council owns the building and has decided to turn it into a library now that the bonsai museum's 25-year concession has expired

NIEVES CASTRO

Friday, 23 March 2018, 13:05

The Bonsai Museum in Marbella is an exotic paradise in the middle of a concrete jungle. This popular attraction, with its 265 miniature trees, opened early in 1992 and is one of only four in Spain: the others are in Madrid, Burgos and Almuñécar. However, it will close at the end of the summer, as the 25-year concession granted by the council has run out. It has been decided to turn the premises into a library instead.

The single-storey museum, which covers 1,000 square metres in the Parque de la Represa, has always been in private hands. It was started by Miguel Ángel García, a local businessman and great bonsai enthusiast , and when it opened it was the only one in the country. Since then Marbella council has paid the running costs of the building, and the management uses the entry charge (currently four euros for adults and two euros for children) to cover maintenance and new acquisitions to expand the collection.

About 20,000 people visit the Bonsai Museum every year, says director Rodrigo García, who admits that he was surprised by the council's decision to close it.

Official notification arrived from the town hall on 8 November, with an order to vacate the premises before 15 January. After discussions with the council, it was agreed to extend the period to the end of the summer. In the meantime, the museum management wants to sell as many of the bonsai trees as possible and has made contact with private collectors and other museums.

Rodrigo García says the council has not offered any alternative premises, a change in attitude because the previous mayor, José Bernal, had said the local authority would continue to support the bonsai museum because of the lack of museums in Marbella. I've been waiting for a phone call from the council to discuss the future of the bonsai museum, but it hasn't happened. When they told me on 8 November that we had to close by 15 January, I had to knock on a lot of doors to persuade them to give us more time to make arrangements for the trees, he says.

Marbella's councillor for Culture, Carmen Díaz, says there was no alternative but to locate the library in these premises. There is nowhere else for it, she insists, and it is up to the owner of the museum to find somewhere else.

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