Denia |
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Dénia (Spanish: Denia) is the judicial seat of the comarca of Marina Alta, and is situated in the Spanish Autonomous Community of Valencia, in the northern area of the province of Alicante – Alicant, 86 km from the city of Alicante and 103 km from the city of Valencia. Dénia is the nearest continental point to the Balearic Isles: 88 km from Eivissa. The city of Dénia is situated at the foot of Mount Montgó (Natural Park), on the Mediterranean shore, and next to the Cape of Sant Antonio. There is evidence of human habitation in the area since prehistoric times and there are significant Iberian ruins on the hillsides nearby. During the first quarter of the 1st Century the Roman town of Dianium was founded. The Romans dedicated this city to the goddess Diana, and turned its port into one of the most active in the Peninsula. In the days of Al Andalus, Denia served as the capital of a taifa kingdom, ruling over part of the Valencian coast and Ibiza. The Slavic slaves, saqaliba, managed to free themselves and run the taifa. The Arabic word "DANIAH" means low or near. The Moors originally built the fortress (Castillo) the 11th and 12th century, and the French, who occupied the city for four years during the War of the Spanish Succession, re-built it in the early 19th century. A community of English raisin traders lived in Denia from 1800 until the time of the Spanish Civil War in the late 1930s. The city also has remarkable monuments such as the church of Asunción, from the 18th century, with Renaissance and Baroque reredos; and the City Hall, which still has in its façade two memorial tablets from the ancient temple of Diana. The Montgó Nature Reserve can be accessed from the road that goes to Jávea, which passes through Las Rotas, and San Antonio Cape. A lighthouse sits on this cape, on top of a cliff that is 163 metres high.
The ferry to Ibiza and the other Balearic Islands departs from Denia. It also serves as a terminus of a picturesque metre gauge railway line through the mountains from Alicante (popularly known as the Limón Express), run by FGV.
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