Jacob Laan: The Dutchman 'adopted' by Malaga

Jacob Adriaan Laan was born in the village of Wormerveer, about thirteen kilometres from Amsterdam, in 1869. He founded a food company with his brother Albert in 1893. The Gebroeders Laan (Laan Brothers) factory specialised in milling cereals using steam engines. The rice brand Lassie, made in the Laan factory, remains a household name in the Netherlands today.

In 1908, Jacob took part in the London Olympic Games, coming 26th out of 61 competitors in the shooting category.

His connections with Andalucía were cemented when he married Lucía Van Dulken Nagel, from Malaga, in 1909. Lucy, as she was known, was the daughter of a Dutchman and a Spaniard of German descent.

Jacob and Lucy acquired two of Malaga's best estates. In 1920 they resided in La Torrecilla, a large villa in Bellavista, on the road to Almeria. Shortly afterwards, they bought Hacienda de San Antón, behind El Palo. They built a new road to allow cars to drive up to the house, as well as renovating the property, including alterations to the estate's chapel, known as the Castillo de San Antón.

During the Spanish Civil War, Jacob and Lucy were supporters of Franco's side. A few days after the end of the war, Malaga city council declared the couple "hijos adoptivos" of the city. This recognition came after the donations they had made to support military hospitals during the conflict. It is even thought that Jacob personally flew to London to buy anti-tetanus medication that could not be found in Malaga at the time.

Jacob Laan died in Malaga on 5 April 1940, and lies in the city's English Cemetery. Lucy died in 1950 and was buried in San Miguel cemetery. The following year, the city council named two new streets in Malaga, near Avenida de la Paloma, after the couple.

Dick Laan, a nephew of Jacob and Lucy's, came to visit in 1929. He was the founder of the Dutch Film Collective, and produced a film during his visit, showing Jacob, Malaga and surrounding areas. The video is available to watch on Antonio F. Laporte's YouTube channel.