Casa cuartel carabineros

This building is the old riflemans’ barracks. Between the years 1824 and 1940 the rifelmen, called carabineros, guarded the coastline and were in charge of customs. Their main task was to prevent smuggling. Barracks like this one used to be situated in strategic places along the coast. The name of the corps was taken from their regulation weapon, the Maüser rifle.

The l’Aguilo Tower

This coastal watchtower was built in the 16^th Century in the reign of Philip II. It forms part of the series of towers constructed in order to prevent the incursions of the Berber pirates that threatened the coast up until the 18^th Century. They attacked our coast in search of booty and hostages for ransom.

Once the enemy had been sighted the signal was transmitted to the nearby towers and settlements were alerted. The alarm even reached the town of Alcoy which is 60 km inland. The signals were made with the light and the smoke of bonfires. In the upper part of the tower there is an opening that faces the sea and you can see a projection called a barbican which served to defend the port.

Photo by Jaume Soriano Sivera

Hanging Houses

From the 18^th Century on, with the end of the Berber attacks, the city walls lost their function and houses grew and grew along the walls until they acquired their current aspect. These houses form the most emblematic image of our town.

The hanging houses, together with the historic centre, have been the subject of an ambitious restoration project ongoing since the 1990′s.

Hanging Houses: photo by Nora Lie

 Railway Station

It was inaugurated by Alphonso XII in 1914. The crane and the warehouse are from the same year. In this visit the King also conferred on Villajoiosa the title of town.

Shrine of la Virgen de la Salud

La Virgen de la Salud means the Virgin of Health. Like in many other places, the Vila has a tradition of going to the shrine to ask or to give thanks for the cure of some ailment or personal problem. In order to achieve this it is usual to take along small wax representations of affected objects or limbs known as exvotos. In Easter processions make there way up to the shrine via the via crucis. In the XIX Century there was a cemetery here.

Visiting hours: 9.30 to 12.30 and 16.30 to 18.30 except Sunday afternoons.

The Poble Nou Neighbourhood

This area had its major growth period in the 19^th Century with the construction of the road bridge. Together with the old quarter, it is the neighbourhood that best preserves the Mediterranean flavour with its multi-coloured façades.

 The Malladeta Tower

Although it is often confused with a watchtower, this tower was built towards the end of the 19^th Century for the use of Doctor Esquerdo as a personal study. The house on the right, which is of the neo-Islamic style, was also built for Dr Esquerdo. It is dangerous to approach them because of the risk of landslide.

Malladeta: Photo by Jaume Soriano Sivera

Mosaic

This work was created in the 1970′s by the artist Manuel Baeza, from the Gastón Castelló school. It was restored in 1997.

Lifesaving Tower

This tower is the work of the architect Rafael Pérez. It was built with reinforced concrete in a machine-like style, adapted to a marine environment. It forms part of a group of 33 towers built along the whole coastline of the Alicante Province.

Hotel Montiboli (built 1972)

This hotel is the work of M.López. It is made up of various smaller volumes integrated in the landscape and there is a larger construction for administration, with Rationalist touches and traditional architecture.

Xarco Tower

This is a coastal watchtower with a circular base. It was built in the 16^th Century in the reign of Philip II. It forms part of a series of towers built to prevent Berber pirate attacks which lasted until the 18^th Century. They attacked our coastline searching for booty and hostages for ransom. Once the enemy had been sighted the signal was transmitted to the nearby towers and settlements were alerted. The alarm even reached the town of Alcoy which is 60 km inland. The signals were made with the light and the smoke of bonfires.

In the upper part you can see four loopholes or small windows which served to protect the tower.

El Xarco: photo by Jaume Soriano Sivera