Mura (Barcelona)

Mura municipality
Mura - the townscape
coat of arms	Map of Spain
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Catalonia
Province :	Barcelona
Comarca :	Bages
Coordinates	41 ° 42 ′  N , 1 ° 59 ′  E Coordinates: 41 ° 42 ′  N , 1 ° 59 ′  E
Height :	454  msnm
Area :	47.67 km²
Residents :	224 (Jan. 1, 2019)
Population density :	4.7 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	08279
Municipality number  ( INE ):	08139
administration
Official language :	Castilian , Catalan
Website :	Mura

Mura is a place and a municipality ( municipi ) with 224 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) in the province of Barcelona in the autonomous region of Catalonia .

location

The place Mura is located in the middle of a mountainous and wooded area in the nature park Sant Llorenç del Munt i l'Obac in the Comarca Bages at an altitude of approx. 450 meters above sea level. d. M. The distance to the city of Manresa is about 24 kilometers (driving distance) north-west; Barcelona is about 72 kilometers to the southeast.

Population development

year	1960	1970	1981	1990	2000	2014
Residents	308	193	179	193	217	211

In the 19th century the community usually had over 600 inhabitants; the phylloxera crisis in viticulture and the mechanization of agriculture justified the gradual decline in the number of inhabitants to the lows of recent decades.

economy

In particular, forestry, but also the planting of olive trees, as well as field management (potato and vegetable cultivation) and the keeping of cattle and poultry in stalls form the livelihood of the inhabitants. Since the 1960s, tourism has developed into an important source of income in the form of vacation rental.

history

The isolated location of the mountain village, which already existed in the Middle Ages, ensured that Mura remained almost untouched by the great historical events of Catalonia. On May 7, 1713, a battle took place in the municipality as part of the War of the Spanish Succession .

Attractions

Portal of the Sant Martí Church

• The houses and alleys of Mura have retained much of their medieval charm.
• From one mentioned in the year 1023 castle ( castell ) only a few wall remains standing.
• The Hermit Chapel ( Ermita de Sant Antoni ) is only about 200 meters from the village. Originally a Romanesque building, it was changed in the 18th and 19th centuries.
• The parish church ( Església Sant Martí ) also underwent many renovations and extensions . The Romanesque apse and the west portal with its tympanum , which shows the enthroned Mother of God with the baby Jesus on her lap ( sedes sapientiae ) in the middle, were preserved from a renovation in the 12th century ; from the left the three wise men approach with their gifts, while on the right the bearded Joseph is dozing, sitting on a stick, leaning on a stick. Two flying angels wave their censer over the side figures . The two well-preserved capitals of the set columns of the vestments and the wooden door wings with their iron and nail fittings also deserve attention.

El Puig de la Balma

• The few houses in the hamlet are leaned against a rock wall. One has been converted into a small museum and shows work and household equipment from earlier times.
• The apse and nave of the Church of Santa Creu de Palou are in serious decline .

literature

• Vicenç Buron: Esglésies Romàniques Catalanes. Artestudi Edicions, Barcelona 1977, p. 87, ISBN 84-85180-06-2 .

Web links

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

• Mura, castle - photo + info (catalan)
• Mura, Chapel of Sant Antoni - Photo + Info (Catalan)
• Mura, Sant Martí church - photos + info (catalan)

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).