Alarilla

Alarilla municipality
Alarilla - Iglesia Nuestra Señora de la Asunción
coat of arms	Map of Spain
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Castile-La Mancha
Province :	Guadalajara
Comarca :	La Alcarria
Coordinates	40 ° 51 ′  N , 3 ° 6 ′  W Coordinates: 40 ° 51 ′  N , 3 ° 6 ′  W
Height :	948  msnm
Area :	22.14 km²
Residents :	163 (Jan. 1, 2019)
Population density :	7.36 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	19228
Municipality number  ( INE ):	19005
administration
Website :	Alarilla

Alarilla is a central Spanish town and municipality ( municipio ) with a total of only 163 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) in the province of Guadalajara in the autonomous region of Castile-La Mancha . The municipality belongs to the sparsely populated region of the Serranía Celtibérica .

Location and climate

The place Alarilla is located on the northwest side of the Iberian Mountains at an altitude of about 950  m . The Spanish capital Madrid, which is only about 650 m high, is about 90 km (driving distance) in a south-westerly direction. The climate in winter is temperate, while in summer it is warm to hot; the rather low amounts of precipitation (approx. 440 mm / year) fall - with the exception of the almost rainless summer months - distributed over the whole year.

Population development

year	1857	1900	1950	2000	2019
Residents	437	570	358	136	163

Due to the mechanization of agriculture , the abandonment of small farms and the resulting loss of jobs, the population of the municipality has declined sharply since the end of the 19th century ( rural exodus ).

economy

Also because of the altitude of the place, the economy for centuries was essentially based on self-sufficiency ; urban markets were too far away. Agriculture was only possible to a very limited extent in the mountainous and rocky landscape; Therefore, the main focus was on livestock farming , the durable products of which (cheese, meat and wool) were sometimes bought by traveling traders.

history

Alarilla - court column

Bronze Age settlement remains were discovered in the municipality. Little is known about the later local history, because the place is not mentioned in any older document; one must therefore assume that the high-lying area was not inhabited until the early Middle Ages, but was only used as a summer pasture. Even the Islamic-Moorish armies probably did not advance into this remote mountain region. Permanent settlement only took place since the high Middle Ages.

Attractions

• The medieval church standing on the highest point of the village was destroyed during the Spanish Civil War, but was rebuilt afterwards. The raised niches on both sides of the bell tower (campanario) are remarkable . Parts of the Romanesque step portal on the south side have been preserved. The interior of the church has a single nave.
• The court column (rollo or picota) dates from the 16th century as a symbol of local jurisdiction or self-government. It was restored or reconstructed at the end of the 20th century and rises on a modern three-tiered base; the upper part of the column shaft is decorated with the town's coat of arms, which was only attached during the restoration.

Web links

Commons : Alarilla  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Cifras oficiales de población resultantes de la revisión del Padrón municipal a 1 de enero . Population statistics from the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (population update).
2. ↑ Alarilla / Jadraque - climate tables
3. ↑ Alarilla - population development