Sotalbo

Sotalbo municipality
Sotalbo - town view
coat of arms	Map of Spain
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Castile and Leon
Province :	Ávila
Comarca :	Valle de Amblés
Coordinates	40 ° 33 ′  N , 4 ° 51 ′  W Coordinates: 40 ° 33 ′  N , 4 ° 51 ′  W
Height :	1155  msnm
Area :	90.46 km²
Residents :	256 (Jan. 1, 2019)
Population density :	2.83 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	05198
Municipality number  ( INE ):	05239
administration
Website :	Sotalbo

Sotalbo or Sotalvo is a place and a central Spanish municipality ( municipio ) with 256 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) in the province of Ávila in the autonomous region of Castile-León .

location

The place Sotalbo is located in the northern foothills of the Sierra de Gredos a good 34 km southwest of Ávila and almost 150 km northwest of Madrid at an altitude of about 1155 m above sea level. d. M. The Río Picueso flows about 1 km west of the place. The climate in winter is cool, in summer it is quite warm despite the altitude; the low amounts of precipitation (approx. 435 mm / year) fall - with the exception of the almost rainless summer months - distributed over the whole year.

Population development

year	1857	1900	1950	2000	2017
Residents	471	571	732	267	237

The population decline since the 1950s is mainly due to the mechanization of agriculture and the associated loss of jobs.

economy

The economic life of Sotalbo is largely agrarian - in the past, grain, vines, etc. were planted for self-sufficiency ; Vegetables came from the house gardens. Cattle breeding (previously mainly sheep and goats, today mostly cattle) was also operated. Small traders, craftsmen and service providers of all kinds have settled in the village. In the meantime, rural tourism (turismo rural) also plays an increasingly important role in the economic life of the municipality.

history

Sotalbo - Iglesia de NS de la Purificación

Little is known about the older history of Sotalbos, but the Celtic (perhaps Vettonic ) high fortress Castro de Ulaca , located in the neighboring village of Solosancho , proves an early settlement of the region. There are no Roman and Visigoth evidence. In the 8th century the Moors overran the area; however, nothing is known of settlements. In the 11th century the area was recaptured ( reconquista ) and repopulated ( repoblación ) by the Christians . In a document from the year 1250, a large community named Valle Amblés is mentioned, to which the name but not mentioned and perhaps not yet existing place Sotalbo belonged.

Attractions

• The simple church Nuestra Señora de la Purificación dates back to the 16th century and is made of field stones. In the 17th / 18th In the 19th century a simple portico and sacristy were added on the south side ; at the same time the artesonado wooden ceiling of the nave was repainted. The late baroque altarpiece (retablo) with twisted columns in the style of Churriguerism also dates from the 18th century .

Surroundings

• The Celtic fortress of Castro de Ulaca is located in the neighboring municipality of Solosancho to the west .
• The Castillo de Aunqueospese , built around 1500, is located on the territory of the neighboring municipality of Mironcillo to the east .

Web links

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

• Sotalbo, tourism - photos + information (Spanish)

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. ↑ Sotalbo - map with altitude information
3. ↑ Sotalbo / Solosancho - climate tables
4. ↑ Sotalbo - population development
5. ↑ Sotalbo - Church