Sierra de Baza

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Sierra de Baza

The Sierra de Baza is a mountain range and natural park in Andalusia , ( Spain ). It is located in the east of the province of Granada between Sierra Nevada and Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas , from which it is separated by the plateaus of Valle del Marquesado in the south and Hoya de Guadix and Hoya de Baza in the north. To the east it continues into the Sierra de los Filabres . Geologically it belongs to the Betic Cordillera .

With numerous peaks of over 2,000 m (the highest is the Calar de Santa Bárbara , 2,269 m), the Sierra de Baza has a high mountain character. Geologically, the Sierra de Baza belongs to the inner zone of the Betic Cordillera, the metamorphic rock in the east belongs to the Nevado Filabrids, the limestone in the west to the Alpujarrids. The landscape of the west differs significantly from the east: limestone predominates in the west, the individual mountain ranges are separated from one another by deep valleys. In the east, metamorphic rock forms a more compact mountain range, into which the ravines of the rivers are cut so regularly that sometimes a “grill pattern” arises.

Of particular botanical interest are, on the one hand, the pine forests at altitudes above 2,000 m, because the Scots pine is a relic from the Ice Ages in the Mediterranean area, and on the other, moist high mountain meadows. In contrast, the largest area is covered by pine afforestation. Only small remnants have remained of the original oak forests.

The brown bears and wolves that once lived in the area have long been exterminated, deer and wild boar have been reintroduced, and wild cats and gorse cats live here. Above all, however, the observer will see numerous birds of prey, including goshawks , bonelli's eagles , golden eagles and eagle owls .

The area has been inhabited by humans since the Stone Age, as is shown by finds in rock caves, for example on Monte Jabalcón. The most famous archaeological find, the "Dama de Baza", an Iberian sculpture, is exhibited in Madrid's Museo Arqueológico Nacional de España . In the 19th century, a phase of intensive forestry and pasture use began, which is still continued today. However, people no longer live in the mountains, and numerous places in the nature park are uninhabited. The “capital” is the city of Baza, outside the nature park .

literature

Asociación Proyecto Sierra de Baza 1998: Guía para conocer y visitar el parque natural Sierra de Baza . Self-published, ISBN 84-605-7837-2 . Spanish-language basic work about the nature park.

Web links

Commons : Sierra de Baza  - Collection of images, videos and audio files