The original Calahonda was founded by the Van Dulken’s. It used to be formed by two real estates of 280 hectares. Today’s Calle Conde de Jordana was the former main access to the fort house which is now known as El Camanario. Back then the fort house was painted in white and ochre to be able to watch the beaches and the coast without being seen. Reason for that were the attacks of the Moors that took place. The fort house was shelter for residents and used to have a large fire place where food could be prepared. The El Cmanario dates back to the same time when the watchtowers were built.
Due to the attacks the fort house had and still has very thick walls and small opening through which were shot for defence. The walls also offered protection from the heat in the summer and the cold in the winter times.
Mr Juan Orbaneja is another important name in Calahonda’s history. He developed the area further and originated Cabopino after purchasing some of the land of the Van Dulken family. Created by Juan Orbaneja was the La Naranja social club which was the beginning of a new and more modern lifestyle " a lifestyle that can still be found here today. The expansion of the area went further in the late 60’s when planning permissions were given for 45.000 people. Buildings were not allowed more than 6 floors on the contrary to before when buildings could have up to 12 storeys.
The planning and architecture of Calahonda as we know it today was started by Garcia de Castro and Gabriel Allende. Due to the property boom that took place in this time the architects decided to split the area into plots of 5000m2 as well as even larger plot of 8000 m2. To remain and improve the already existing lifestyle polo courts, a social club in El Campanario and a lake were constructed.
Fernando and Juan Orbaneja were the ones who took care about Calahonda’s water supplies. Fernando Orbaneja was the one who found several wells in the area but also realised that the water supply will not be enough for the size of the urbanisation. Juan Orbaneja found the solution: He started pumping water out of the well into a deposit which was found in Calle Monteparaiso. Here the water was collected and later distributed. This worked very well until 1969 when Calahonda suffered from a water shortage. Water had to be supplied by water wagons during the summer. Thanks to the construction of a reservoir (the Rio Verde reservoir) in 1968 Calahonda did not need to suffer for a long time. Soon water pipes where laid and the problem solved.
In 1966 120 hectares of pine trees were planted and already existing pine woods were thinned out and received special care and treatments as the trees were struck with a pest called "barrenilla". Electricity, phone connections and sewage were up and running which had a major effect in the popularity of the area. By 1980 Calahonda had 500 houses and is expanding ever since.
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