Paloma and Tomás Riestra Giner de los Ríos, grandchildren of the late poet Francisco Giner de los Ríos and owners of the family home in calle Carabeo, have reportedly expressed ‘complete surprise’ at hearing, through the media, that the Council wants to expropriate the property and turn it into a museum.
The grandchildren say they totally reject the idea and have been trying to contact the Mayor of Nerja, José Alberto Armijo, but without success. Paloma Riestra is quoted as saying that the house is a ‘family home’ and it was her grandfather’s desire that it be enjoyed by his children and grandchildren in the same way that he had enjoyed it during the final years of his life.
They also question where the idea of the museum originated as no-one even visited the home which, they add, has no historical or architectural significance having been built in 1976. They conclude that the expropriation move is purely a means of getting hold of the property because of its location.
The Mayor of Nerja reportedly responded by saying that he had maintained contact with a member of the family of the poet and the idea of making the Giner de los Rios home a house-museum formed part of the manifesto commitment of the Partido Popular at the last elections in 2011.
The Mayor also reportedly expressed his willingness to come to an agreement satisfactory to both parties in order to avoid expropriation of the property. He added that he could not miss the opportunity to transform the house, in which the poet lived for many years, into a cultural facility for museum use. He continued by saying that the Council must defend the general interests of all citizens and sometimes, as in the present case, these conflict with the interests of individuals.