There is evidence of human habitation in the area since prehistoric times and there are significantIberian ruins on the hillsides nearby. In the 4th century BC it was aGreek colony ofMassalia orEmporion,[citation needed] perhaps the one mentioned byStrabo[3][4] asHēmeroskopeion (Ancient Greek:Ἡμεροσκοπεῖον) (meaning "watchtower"). It was an ally ofRome during thePunic Wars, and later was absorbed into the Roman Empire under the name ofDianium (after their goddess Diana). In the 1st century BCQuintus Sertorius established a Roman naval base here.[5]
From 636–696, underVisigothic rule, it was the seat of a bishopsubordinate toToledo. After theMuslim conquest of Iberia and the dissolution of theCaliphate of Córdoba, Dénia (Arabic:دانية,Dāniyya) became the capital of aTaifa kingdom that reigned over part of the Valencian coast andIbiza.Slavic Muslim slaves,saqālibah, led byMujahid ibn Yusuf ibn Ali, profited from the progressive crumbling of the Caliphate's superstructure to gain control over the province of Dénia. Thesaqālibah managed to free themselves and run the kingdom, which extended its reach as far as the islands ofMajorca and its capitalMadinah Mayurqah [es]. Thesaqālibah taifa lost its independence in 1076, when it was captured byAhmad al-Muqtadir, lord ofZaragoza, under which it remained until theAlmoravid invasion in 1091. The Muslim Arabs originally built the castle fortress, and the French, who occupied the city for four years during thePeninsular War, rebuilt it in the early 19th century.
The town was reconquered by the Christians in 1244. This caused a decline for the city, which remained nearly uninhabited after the exile of most of the Muslim population. It was later repopulated by theValencian government. Created a fief in 1298, it was held by the de Sandoval family from 1431, although the city itself was returned to theAragonese crown in 1455. A marquisate from 1487, Dénia gained many privileges thanks toFrancisco Gómez de Sandoval y Rojas, Duke of Lerma, a favourite ofPhilip III of Spain. It suffered a further period of decay after the decree ofExpulsion of the Moriscos (1609), by which 25,000 people left the marquisate, leaving the local economy in a dismal state.
During theWar of the Spanish Succession Dénia was besieged by 9,000 French troops in June 1707, who broke down several sections of the town walls using cannon, but their attacks in July were repulsed by the small garrison with great loss of life to the attackers resulting in the siege being raised after 27 days. Dénia, however, fell to the French forces that November. In 1713 theTreaty of Utrecht recognised Louis XIV's grandsonPhilip, Duke of Anjou, as King of Spain (as Philip V), so returning Dénia to Spanish rule.
It was reacquired by the Spanish crown in 1803, after which Denia gained an increasingly important role as a trading port. A community of Englishraisin traders lived in Denia from 1800 until the time of theSpanish Civil War in the late 1930s.
Dénia is home to a large Moorish castle namedCastle of Dénia on a rocky crag overlooking the city. It was built in the 11th and 12th century and offers views around the sea, the city and the surrounding area. Located in the castle is thePalau del Governador and its corresponding museum.
Dénia also has theMuseu Etnològic with further details on the history and culture of the city.
Dénia has aMediterranean climate (KöppenCsa), with mild winters and hot summers. The average annual temperature surpasses 18 °C (64 °F) and the rainfall amount is around 750 millimetres (30 in). The mean temperature of the coldest month (January) is around 12 °C (54 °F), while the mean of the hottest month (August) is around 26 °C (79 °F).[6] Autumn is by far the wettest season, receiving more than 300 millimetres (12 in) of rainfall, mostly falling in few days but with heavy rainfalls, a phenomenon calledcold drop in Spain that is very common on theValencian coast.[7] Both September and October receive more than 100 millimetres (3.9 in) of rainfall while November receives close to 100mm as well. Summer is the driest season, but not rainless, as on average, it receives around 70 to 80 millimetres (2.8 to 3.1 in) although July is almost rainless as on average it receives under 5 millimetres (0.20 in) of rain, being the sunniest month as well.Storms are common in Autumn, averaging about 15 stormy days per year. The city enjoys around 2750 sunshine hours per year.[8]
Baleària operates daily ferry service from Dénia toIbiza and the otherBalearic Islands. Dénia is the closest Spanish mainland city to Ibiza.
The city also serves as the northern terminus for a1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)metre gauge railway line through the mountains fromAlicante (popularly known as theLimón Express), run byFGV. This is not a specific tourist railway; it provides transport throughout the year and is geared to commuter use.
TheFallas festival is celebrated each March from March 14-19.[11] As done in major cities throughout the Valencian Community, hugepapier-mâché statues calledfallas are set up throughout the town, are awarded both overall and category prizes, and then set ablaze on the last night of the celebration in reverse order of their overall finish. Dénia has 11 "falla districtes": Baix La Mar, Campaments, Centro, Darrere de Castell, Diana, Les Roques, Nou Camp Roig, Oeste, París-Pedrera, Port-Rotes, and Saladar.[12] Each district constructs both an adult and children's falla. Districts compete in the "Especial" or the "Primera" categories, depending upon how much is allocated for the construction of each falla.
TheBous a la Mar (meaning "Bulls at the Sea") is held in July. The highlight of this week-long festival is watching bulls run down the main streetMarqués de Campo, only to be chased into the Mediterranean sea by those daring enough to enter a makeshift bull ring with them.
Since 1974, Dénia has been home to painter and sculptorJoan Castejón. The town honored him as an Adoptive Son of Dénia in 1999.
Since 2015, Dénia has been anUNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy.[13] The celebrity chef Quique Dacosta has his namesake 3-star Michelin restaurant in the Las Marinas area of the city.[14] The 1-star Michelin restaurant Peix y Brases is also in Dénia.[15] The annual D*na Festival is the city's annual gastronomic fair, held annually on the last weekend of September at the Marineta Cassiana boardwalk.[16]
^Strabo (1903). "4". In Falconer, M.A. (ed.).The Geography of Strabo. Literally translated, with notes, in three volumes. Vol. 3. Translated by Hamilton, Esq., H.C. London: George Bell & Sons. Retrieved10 July 2020.Of these the best known is Hemeroscopium. On the promontory there is a temple toDiana of Ephesus, held in great veneration.Sertorius used it as an arsenal, convenient to the sea, both on account of its being fortified and fitted for piratical uses, and because it is visible from a great distance to vessels approaching. It is called Dianium, from Diana.
^Strabo (1877). "4". In Meineke, A. (ed.).Geographica (in Ancient Greek). Vol. 3. Leipzig: Teubner. Retrieved10 July 2020.
^Parque Natural del Montgó - Estudio Multidisciplinar (in Spanish). Valencia: Conselleria d'Administració Pública, Agencia del Mediambient. 1990. p. 60.
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