Quel (La Rioja)

Quel parish
Quel - view of town with castle rock
coat of arms	Map of Spain
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	La Rioja
Comarca :	Arnedo
Coordinates	42 ° 14 ′  N , 2 ° 3 ′  W Coordinates: 42 ° 14 ′  N , 2 ° 3 ′  W
Height :	492  msnm
Area :	54.78 km²
Residents :	2,058 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density :	37.57 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	26570
Municipality number  ( INE ):	26120
administration
Website :	Source

Quel is a place and a municipality ( municipio ) with 2,058 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) in the south of the autonomous community of La Rioja in Spain .

location

The place Quel lies at the foot of an approximately 100 m high elongated rock ridge (Peña de Quel) on the Río Cidacos at an altitude of about 490  m . The distance to the northwestern provincial capital Logroño is approx. 50 km (driving distance). The climate is temperate to warm; Rain (approx. 525 mm / year) falls mainly in the winter half-year.

Population development

year	1857	1900	1950	2000	2017
Residents	1,727	2,031	2,607	1,888	2.011

Despite the mechanization of agriculture , the abandonment of small farms and the resulting lower demand for labor, the number of inhabitants has remained more or less constant.

economy

The place was and is to a large extent shaped by agriculture, especially cattle breeding (milk, cheese). In earlier times, the place served as a handicraft and market center for some - now mostly abandoned - smaller farmsteads and hamlets in the area. In the 17th and 18th centuries there was a significant production of shoes, remains of which have still been preserved. Tourism (hiking and holiday homes) has played an important role as a source of income for the community since the middle of the 20th century; The place also belongs to the Rioja Baja wine-growing region . In 2002 a wind turbine was put into operation on the rock ridge .

history

Quel - Castillo

Quel (or Kel ) was on an old Roman road in the valley of the Río Cidacos, which connected Calagurris Iulia ( Calahorra ) with Numantia (near Soria ). In the 8th century, the Moors penetrated into the area, but they were pushed south as early as the 10th century as part of the Reconquista . In the Middle Ages, the area between the Kingdom of Aragón and the increasingly dominant Kingdom of Castile was disputed and changed landlords (señor) several times .

Attractions

• Of the fortress (castillo ) built in the 15th century (at an older location?) Only the keep (torre del homenaje) and some remains of the wall are preserved.
• The single-aisled Iglesia de San Salvador was built between 1561 and 1580 with echoes of the Mudejar style .
• The 18th century Ermita del Cristo de la Transfiguración served as a parish church for a long time.
• There are several rock cellars ( bodegas ) on the outskirts .

Web links

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

• Quel, sights - photos

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. ↑ Quel - climate tables
3. ^ Quel - population development
4. ^ Quel story
5. ↑ Quel - Castillo
6. ↑ Quel - Castillo