El "etern vigilant", as Paco Muñoz describes it in one of his most esteemed topics by dianenses, he keeps a story that has helped to build the physiognomy that we know today. The Vell Montgó, land of the first inhabitants of Dénia, was for a few years the hope of the administration to enhance the cultivation of grapes in the municipality.
In the 1921 year, the Colonia Agrícola del Montgó was launched, an action that ended with the construction of 51 lots of parcels of about three hectares distributed among the settlers for their cultivation. Each plot had space to cultivate and a simple house with a corral with access from the inside and from the outside and an oven and a cistern on both sides of the building.
The work began with the construction of stone terraces on the slope of the Montgó to facilitate the cultivation of steep slopes, allowing the cultivation of vines, almonds and carob trees. To access the plots, an access road was built, which we now know as the Camí de la Colònia, and in which there are still remains of the houses that were built.
Over time the plots were successfully cultivated, but the decline of the grape export and the economic crisis of 1929 and its aftermath led to the abandonment of the crop and subsequent abandonment of the plots by the settlers.
Today, the remains of that infrastructure are visible by those who make excursions in the mountains. That Camí de la Colònia has now become the perfect access to the secrets of the Montgó, becoming one of the busiest routes with the arrival of good weather by tourists and visitors. With a length of 5 kilometers from Pare Pere Hermitage, the Camí de la Colònia allows you to reach destinations such as Cova del Aigua or Cova del Camell.
Now, thanks to the installation of an informative panel that collects all this information, the walkers can enjoy the ride while they know more about the history of the mountain that has seen us grow.
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Explanatory poster of the Montgó colonies
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Camí de la Colònia Dénia
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House of the colony in the Montgó de Dénia
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Colony road in the Montgó
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Road colony
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House of the colony on the Montgó
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Interior of one of the houses of the colony of Montgó
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Remains of a house of the colony in the Montgó
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Remains of a house in the colony of Montgó
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Views from the path of the colony of Montgó
I would like to be able to contact a descendant of the settlers of that colony. I am from another belonging to the same colonization law in Villena, also in the province of Alicante.
I love doing this path, it has excellent views, a good place to enjoy nature.
It is not that image that usually presents, but I'm glad to see that, even if it was for the photo, they have cleaned the inside of what is left of that house and canine excrement from kleenex and other garbage the way of the colony.