#uniquedestinations
Several European cities claim to have the narrowest building in Europe, such as the house at Oude Hoogstraat 22 in Amsterdam or a tiny kebab shop in Bratislava, but the narrowest one can be found in the centre of the atmospheric Old Town (Ciutat Vella) in Valencia (Spain) and is called La Estrecha, which means ‘the narrow one’.
No 6 of Plaza Loppe de Vega
The building is located at Plaza Loppe de Vega, No. 6. It’s a beautiful square with numerous colourful houses, shops, cafes, tapas bars, and the Santa Catalina Church. It’s easy to overlook this five-story mansion painted bright red, which could easily be mistaken for one of the neighbouring structures. Its facade is 107 centimetres, but the Amsterdam building has a 101 centimetre facade but a bigger interior. In this way, La Estrecha is the narrowest building overall, with only one room on each story.
The structure was initially built as a family home. According to the locals, the woman who used to reside here had to dress in the street for Communion. Because she couldn’t pass through the door wearing the traditional fallera outfit. The house inside included two little beds, a cot, a small kitchen attached to the wall, and a table with two seats. It appears that houses in the area were taxed based on the size of their facades. As a result, the family that built this house found a means to reduce their tax bill.
The ground level was originally utilised as a jewellery store run by the family who resided here. Later, it held a newspaper kiosk, a gift shop, and a vending machine. At the same time, the upper floors were rented to prostitutes and those having extramarital affairs.
La Estrecha today
Today (April 2020) the entrance and the ground floor of the building is part of the tapas bar next door. It is called Tasquita La Estrecha and has demolished the wall that separated them. The owners have kept the original flooring intact. They also have a collection of pictures of the interior of the house as it once was. The upper floors have been joined internally with the next building in apartments.
La Estrecha is a curious tourist attraction and not very well-known. However, it is becoming more and more popular with tourists, while the citizens of Valencia tend to ignore it.
*[All photos are from iStock]
