Valdegeña

Valdegeña municipality
Valdegeña - Apse of the Iglesia San Lorenzo
coat of arms	Map of Spain
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Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Castile and León
Province :	Soria
Comarca :	Moncayo
Coordinates	41 ° 49 ′  N , 2 ° 10 ′  W Coordinates: 41 ° 49 ′  N , 2 ° 10 ′  W
Height :	1070  msnm
Area :	13.3 km²
Residents :	38 (Jan. 1, 2019)
Population density :	2.86 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	42111
Municipality number  ( INE ):	42192
administration
Website :	Valdegeña

Valdegeña is a mountain town and a northern Spanish municipality ( municipio ) with only 38 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) in the province of Soria in the autonomous community of Castile-León .

Location and climate

The place Valdegeña is at the foot of the Sierra del Madero about 1 km north of the road between Soria and Pamplona in the extreme north of the Soria province near the border with the autonomous region of La Rioja at an average altitude of about 1070  m . The provincial capital Soria is about 35 km (driving distance) in a south-westerly direction. The climate is harsh, sometimes temperate to warm; Rain (approx. 585 mm / year) falls over the year.

Population development

year	1857	1900	1950	2000	2017
Residents	k. A.	223	196	48	42

The main reason for the significant population loss in the 20th century is the mechanization of agriculture and the resulting loss of jobs; The abandonment of small farms also plays a certain role.

economy

The community is traditionally oriented towards agriculture (grain, sunflowers ). In the past, people lived largely as self-sufficient ; today it is mainly produced for urban markets.

history

There was a Celtic settlement in the area of ​​today's municipality ; The Romans and Visigoths , on the other hand, left no archaeologically usable traces. In the 8th century, the Moors penetrated into the region; the neighboring city of Ágreda became an important center of Islamic culture. In 1119 King Alfonso I of Aragon recaptured the area ( reconquista ) , but in 1135 it fell to the Kingdom of Castile .

Attractions

• The single-nave Iglesia San Lorenzo on the slope is an important testimony to the Romanesque church buildings in the region around Ágreda . The apse is made of stone and structured by half-column templates. The bell tower (campanario) has a strong resemblance to a bell gable (espadaña) . The portal, which protrudes slightly from the wall, is on the south side. The entire church building is almost windowless; during mass the church door was left open or candles were lit.
• A spring is located a little below the village.

Surroundings

• There is a medieval tower in the abandoned hamlet of Castellanos .

Personalities

• Avelino Hernández (1944-2003) described life in Valdegeña in several of his stories - especially in Una vez había un pueblo .

Web links

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

• Valdegeña, sights - photos and information (Spanish)
• Romanesque churches in Ágreda and the surrounding area - photos and information (arteguias, 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. ↑ Valdegeña - climate tables
3. ↑ Valdegeña - population development