Valfermoso de Tajuña

Valfermoso de Tajuña municipality
Valfermoso de Tajuña - the townscape
coat of arms	Map of Spain
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Castile-La Mancha
Province :	Guadalajara
Comarca :	La Alcarria
Coordinates	40 ° 37 ′  N , 2 ° 57 ′  W Coordinates: 40 ° 37 ′  N , 2 ° 57 ′  W
Height :	961  msnm
Area :	29.45 km²
Residents :	60 (Jan. 1, 2019)
Population density :	2.04 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	19411
Municipality number  ( INE ):	19308
administration
Website :	www.ayuntamiento.es/valfermoso-de-tajuna

Valfermoso de Tajuña refers to a place and a municipality ( municipio ) with 60 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) in the southwest of the province of Guadalajara in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha . The Catholic parish belongs to the diocese of Sigüenza-Guadalajara .

location

The place Valfermoso de Tajuña is located on a hill above the central reaches of the Río Tajuña in the southwest of the province of Guadalajara at an altitude of about 960 meters above sea level. d. M. The distance to the western provincial capital Guadalajara is almost 27 kilometers (driving distance). The Spanish capital Madrid is located about 100 kilometers southwest.

Population development

year	1960	1970	1981	1991	2001	2011
Residents	558	226	107	70	99	67

In the first half of the 20th century the community consistently had between 500 and 600 inhabitants; since then, the population development has declined sharply as a result of the mechanization of agriculture and the associated loss of jobs.

economy

For centuries the community lived exclusively from growing grain ( barley and wheat ), which was mainly operated for self-sufficiency ; the cultivation of olives also played a major role. Livestock husbandry (sheep, goats, chickens) also took place to a small extent. For centuries, the town of Valfermoso served as a mercantile, craft and cultural center for the hamlets and farmsteads in its area, which have now mostly disappeared. Today agriculture still plays the most important role in the economic life of the municipality, but there is also a small income from tourism (rental of holiday homes).

history

Prehistoric, Roman or Visigoth traces have not yet been discovered, but a Moorish fortress ( kasbah ) probably existed here , from which a large cistern ( aljibe ) has been preserved. The castle and the likely pre-existing site were recaptured by Christians at the end of the 11th century ( reconquista ) and settled by newcomers from the north and south of the Iberian Peninsula ( repoblación ). A new castle complex ( castillo ) was built in the 15th century, but only ruins have survived.

Attractions

Iglesia de San Pedro Apóstol

• The late medieval castle complex is dominated by the three-storey wall remains of the keep ( torre de homenaje ). There is a round tower nearby .
• The parish church right next to the castle ruins is dedicated to the Apostle Peter and dates from the 16th century. The church tower is almost entirely made of bricks , which will be the norm in the southern regions of Spain. A beautiful Renaissance portal on the south side allows entry into the interior of the church, which, however, was stripped of a large part of its furnishings during the course of the Spanish Civil War and therefore looks a bit bare and cold.
• In the village you can still see an oil mill ( almazara ) and the stump of a windmill.
• In addition, there are several storage cellars ( bodegas ) driven into the stone-strewn soil .
• At a vantage point ( balconete ) above the village there is a pillar of judgment ( rollo or picota ) as can still be found in many places in Castile .

Web links

Commons : Valfermoso de Tajuña  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Valfermoso - photos
• Valfermoso, church - 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).