Guadix Cave Houses

Useful Information

Location:	Guadix
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Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
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Address:	Guadix Cave Houses, Tel: +34-
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

Description

The cave houses at Guadix are common housings for centuries. The flanks of the mountains were used to carve caverns horizontally into the rock, which were then closed by a wall. Such houses consist only of one single facade, the rest is inside the cave. Sometimes the cave houses were surrounded by small buildings in front of them, or probably an enclosed patio.

The cave houses were a traditional architecture in the whole area, but most of the houses are foound around Guadix, almost 2,000 different cave houses were counted. But the cave houses were abandoned in the mid 20th century, as many people moved into the cities, or found the caves to be uncomfortable or simply old fashioned. But this area of Spain is rather hot and semi arid. The days are very hot, the nights may become cold. As a result the modern houses needed an air conditioning, which consumed a lot of energy.

At the end of the 20th century the continual increase in tourism, especially the wish to offer exceptional overnight opportunities resulted in the renovation of some cave houses. They were cnverted into hotels. As a result the locals also re-discovered the cave house, especially the enormous opportunities in reducing the energy costs. With the increase in energy cost during the last decade the number of people who decide to move into a cave house increases too.