Workers' right to rest: the 'Ciudad Sindical de Vacaciones' of Marbella

Abstract

The worker’s right to rest constituted a new right in the construction of world peace after the First World War. Drawing on primary sources, the study begins with an overview of legislation ranging from the regulation of weekly weekend rest to annual holidays, analyzing public European proposals for holidays in the interwar years, distinguishing those designed to ensure rest for workers specifically within the context of the city. The newly acquired right was most warmly embraced by totalitarian regimes, converted into a prize, a charitable act, or an opportunity for indoctrination and control. Focusing on the case of Spain, the research presents the Ciudades Sindicales de Vacaciones, Trade Union Holiday Towns, as the culmination of the public promotion of rest for workers under Franco’s regime, subsequently giving way to private initiative and mass tourism. The research presents the Trade Union Holiday Town of Marbella as the ultimate prototype for a specific typology, analyzing its values through a projective approach to territory, providing new documentary evidence of its evolution and current status, and offering a reflection on the loss of values brought about by such transformations in light of findings made.