La Vall d'en Bas

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
La Vall d'en Bas municipality
Carrer de Teixeda in the suburb of Hostalets d'en Bas
Carrer de Teixeda in the suburb of Hostalets d'en Bas
coat of arms Map of Spain
Coat of arms of La Vall d'en Bas
La Vall d'en Bas (Spain)
Finland road sign 311 (1994-2020) .svg
Basic data
Autonomous Community : Catalonia
Province : Girona
Comarca : Garrotxa
Coordinates 42 ° 7 ′  N , 2 ° 28 ′  E Coordinates: 42 ° 7 ′  N , 2 ° 28 ′  E
Area : 90.61 km²
Residents : 3,072 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density : 33.9 inhabitants / km²
Postal code : 17176
Municipality number  ( INE ): 17207
The suburb of El Mallol, located on a hill (panoramic view)
The small suburb of Sant Privat d'en Bas (market square)
View of the main town of Sant Esteve d'en Bas

La Vall d'en Bas is an agricultural municipality in the Garrotxa in the Catalan province of Girona in Spain . The place was founded in 1968 through the union of several small towns and hamlets (including Joanetes, els Hostalets d'en Bas, el Mallol, la Pinya, Puigpardines, Sant Esteve d'en Bas, Sant Privat d'en Bas, Els veïnats de Cirera, Santa Magdalena del Mont) and parishes emerged. This new community formation restored the old structure of the "Vescomtat" of Bas as a geographical and landscape unit. The land consolidation associated with the merger, the expansion of the network of paths and roads between the suburbs and the establishment of the agricultural cooperative of La Vall d'en Bas at the beginning of the 1970s have decisively strengthened agriculture and tourism in the region. The municipality is one of the largest municipalities in the Garrotxa in terms of area and had 3,072 inhabitants in 2019.

The central plain of Bas is connected to the plain of Olot in the north , and in the west the massifs of Puigsacalm (1515 m) and Santa Magdalena (1515 m) with grandiose rock faces and the Llancers and Sant Miquel mountain ranges border the valley. The Sant Miquel also closes off the southern area of ​​the plain. The entire plain is around 500 meters high and has one of the most fertile agricultural soils in Catalonia. The mountain slopes are covered with beech-oak forests (holm oaks and other Quercus species). Some streams - for example the Riera de Sallent with the Salent waterfall from strictly to the west and the Riera de Joanetes with the Roure waterfall from the southwest - drain from the west into the Fluvià , which is even in the mountains of Falgars in the southwest of the Municipality rises and runs through the entire plain from north to south. Firewood and charcoal are made from the wood, which is abundant in the mountains. The sub-towns are all strongly agricultural. Grains, maize, fodder, potatoes, fruit and vegetables, and pulses are grown. Buckwheat was also grown in the past. In addition to agriculture, cattle breeding (cattle, pigs and chicken breeding) plays an important role. Accordingly, there is also a meat processing industry in addition to a wood processing (sawmills). There is also a small textile industry in town. The place has developed into a tourist center in recent years. Worth mentioning is the so-called "Turisme Rural", a special form of vacation in the country where you can rent historic farms. There is an extensive network of bicycle and hiking trails in the municipality.

The suburbs used to belong to the domain of the "Vescomte" of Bas:

  1. The suburb of el Mallol (about 600 inhabitants) is located on a hill and was the old administrative seat of the "Vescomtat".
  2. Sant Privat d'en Bas (about 330 inhabitants) is an old settlement with a market square, church and cemetery. In the mountainous area of ​​this part of town you come across a small waterfall of the Sallent and the chapel Les Olletes.
  3. In Puigpardines (about 120 inhabitants) is the Romanesque church of Santa Maria de Puigpardines, which was previously integrated into a monastery.
  4. The suburb of Joanetes (about 300 inhabitants) has the Romanesque church Sant Romà and a 35 meter waterfall.
  5. The most populous suburb of Sant Esteve d'en Bas (about 1300 inhabitants) has the Romanesque church of Sant Esteve d'en Bas from the 12th century. In this church, an art-historically interesting stone sculpture of the enthroned Christ, which dates before the 12th century, is kept. The battle of Sant Esteve d'en Bas took place here on March 10, 1695 .
  6. In the district of la Pinya (about 160 inhabitants) there is the church of Santa Maria. There was the figure “La Maria de la Cabeça”, which was lost in the Spanish Civil War . The Romanesque chapel of Sant Joan dels Balbs, about 1.5 kilometers south of La Pinya, is very beautiful .
  7. The suburb of el Hostalets d'en Bas (about 180 inhabitants) is located on the old trade route between Olot and Vic and essentially goes back to the old hostel Can Llonga from the 18th century. This part of town is known because of the listed Carrer Teixeda with its unique ensemble of flower, corn cob and vine-decorated wooden balconies. The Romanesque hermit chapel of Sant Quintí d'en Bas and the baroque chapel of Sant Ximpli (also called Sant Simplici) are also worth seeing in the north of the area .

literature

Web links

Commons : La Vall d'en Bas  - 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. ↑ The article is based on information from the Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2nd edition, supplemented by information from the official website of the municipality of La Vall d'en Bas. The characterization of the individual sub-locations is based on the tourist information brochure of the Diputació de Girona.
  3. ↑ Catalan: el vescomtat: Medieval, Catalan regional authority with a rank below a county
  4. ↑ Catalan: el vescomte: Catalan nobility title between count and baron
  5. ↑ Catalan: "el hostal", hence also "el Hostalets d'en Bas"
  6. ↑ the Eibenholzstrasse, from el teixeda =: the yew wood and this to el teix =: the yew