It is undeniable that Dénia is a city full of history. Not in all municipalities you can take shelter from the heat in the shadow of a wall with more than a thousand years of life, for example. But apart from the obvious central monument that crowns Dénia, its castle, the streets of the city have a lot of past to tell. And its buildings, some of them having witnessed the turn of the century on more than one occasion. Even the most everyday.
At first glance they look like ordinary houses. Most, in fact, have undergone so many facelifts that they look like homes built yesterday. But the truth is that these are buildings that have been in Dénia since the XNUMXth century. It is not that they are from the last century, it is that they are from two centuries ago.
Away from the aforementioned castle or historical buildings such as churches, convents or the town hall, the common residential buildings also have a lot of life behind them. There are a large number in Dénia that are still alive more than a century after their construction. And they share the street with other XNUMXst century homes without attracting attention or showing anything that indicates their age. On other occasions, however, they are clear vestiges of what Dénia was in the past.
A walk through our past
To tour the everyday Dénia of the XNUMXth century that still exists, the easiest thing to do is to go to neighborhoods where most of the houses from that time are still located. And, according to the data consulted in the cadastre, almost all of them are concentrated in two: Centro and Baix la Mar.
In Carrer Major and its surroundings we find more than half a dozen houses from the XNUMXth century. Some have practically new facades, others cannot deny their age. But they all share foundations with the same past. In Pare Pere street there is a couple near Tenor Cortis square, just like in Loreto street there is one now housing an important restaurant and another hidden in Sant Narcís street.
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XIX building next to Tenor Cortis
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Large XNUMXth century houses on Carrer Major
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Hidden XNUMXth century house in Sant Narcís
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Old manor house from the XNUMXth century that has been converted into a successful restaurant on Calle Loreto
The rocks of the XIX
Going a little further away, but in the area, we find an old warehouse from that time, and that today is almost unsustainable, in Campo Torres and a house that doesn't seem to come from where it comes from in Sant Pasqual, already in Les Roques, where there are also two equally long-lived solitary houses that do not go unnoticed at the end of Santíssima Trinitat street.
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On the right, the oldest house in Ronda Les Muralles
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What remains of a XNUMXth century warehouse in the West neighborhood
Returning to the south of the castle, we find a street whose houses are practically all from that time. We are talking about carrer de l'Hospital, just after the town hall. In Glorieta del País Valencià, on the corner with Cop, stands the largest XNUMXth century building, several stories high. And although Marqués de Campo is more modern as a whole, Calle Colón still has four residential buildings whose beginnings date back two centuries.
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Industrial basement in Colón from the XNUMXth century on which a residential building stands today
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XIX buildings in Colón street
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Carrer de l'hospital, in an area where all the houses are from the XNUMXth century
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Small XNUMXth century house hidden in La Via
A neighborhood with history
However, the oldest neighborhood is undoubtedly Baix la Mar. Or, at least, it is the area where the largest number of XNUMXth century buildings stands. It was to be expected, but when you find one in front of them you would not believe it, since most of them are preserved in perfect condition. Calle Pont, Senieta, Plaça de la Creu and Sandunga are still a refuge for those historic buildings that still stand. Many of them, curiously, have gone from being buildings for living in or, at least, for humbler purposes, to being places focused on tourism.
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XNUMXth century building in Pont street
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construction of 1890
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The oldest house on Alberto Sentí street
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Calle Senieta, where many houses are from the XNUMXth century
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XNUMXth century building in Pont street
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Old houses of the Pati de la Creu, in the port area, from the XNUMXth century converted into catering establishments
The furthest XIX
And as strange as it sounds, also further from the center, in what is now the urban area, you can find buildings from that time. Specifically between Saladar and Marquesado, in front of which, unknowingly, a large number of people pass every day, thinking that they are just another house. And not. Like all those mentioned, they are an important part of our history, which despite not being great monuments, but solo homes, are just as important to learn about our past. At least, its most daily part.
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XNUMXth century house on Avenida Marquesado
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XNUMXth century house in Calp street
