Guardamar was destroyed after the 1829 earthquakes. José Agustín de Larramendi designed a new town plan, located on the coastal hillside, under the reign of King Fernando VII. The project was carried out gradually over the next decades and in Larramendi’s words: “Guardamar will be the prettiest town in the kingdom”.
The new Guardamar was threatened again in the late 19th century. This time by the advance of the coastal dunes. As a matter of fact, the moving sand dunes started to invade some of the town’s houses. The new reforestation scheme stopped the dunes inland advance.
