Dénia

Encyclopedia : D : DN : DNI : Dénia

The fort of Denia overlooks the city.

Dénia (Spanish: Denia) is the judicial seat of the comarca of Marina Alta, in the province of Alicante, Spain, on the Costa Blanca halfway between Alicante and Valencia. It has a population is 36,200 (as of 2003). A partial ruin of a fortress stands right in the middle of the town.

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 Moors originally built the fortress, 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 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.

Nearby is the popular resort town of Javea.

Several times a year, the town of Denia is full of festivities. The popular fiesta Fallas is celebrated each March. Huge paper mache statues, called fallas are set up throughout the town, and then set ablaze.

July brings the popular Bous a la Mar or Bulls at the Sea The highlight of this week long festival is watching bulls run down the main street Marques de Campo, only to be chased into the Mediterranean sea by those daring enough to enter a makeshift bull ring with them.

External links

from Wikitravel

• [Traveling to Denia]
• [Denia], City guide on Denia Spain
• [Festivals]
• [Information on Denia]