Vilamalla

Vilamalla municipality
Vilamalla - Sant Vicenç Church
coat of arms	Map of Spain
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Catalonia
Province :	Girona
Comarca :	Alt Empordà
Coordinates	42 ° 13 '  N , 2 ° 58'  E Coordinates: 42 ° 13 '  N , 2 ° 58'  E
Height :	45  msnm
Area :	8.76 km²
Residents :	1,181 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density :	134.82 inh / km²
Postal code :	17469
Municipality number  ( INE ):	17226
administration
Official language :	Castilian , Catalan
Website :	Vilamalla

Vilamalla is a place and a municipality ( municipi ) with 1,181 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) in the province of Girona in the autonomous region of Catalonia . It is located in the Comarca Alt Empordà .

location

The place Vilamalla is located on a small hill above the south bank of the Riu Fluvià at an altitude of about 65 meters above sea level. d. M. about 33 kilometers (driving distance) south of the Spanish-French border town Le Perthus ; the provincial capital Girona is a further 37 kilometers to the south-west. The village of Afores and two new development areas also belong to the municipality .

Population development

year	1960	1970	1981	1990	2000	2014
Residents	304	364	375	641	761	1.103

In the 19th century the community usually had well over 300 inhabitants. The phylloxera crisis in viticulture and the mechanization of agriculture only led to a short-term decline in the number of inhabitants; the resurgence in population is due to the overall positive economic development in Catalonia.

economy

Above all, agriculture forms the livelihood of the residents. Since the 1960s, tourism has developed into an important source of income in the form of vacation rental.

history

The first mention of the place name comes from the year 904; In the middle of the 11th century, Vilamalla belonged to the diocese of Girona . Since 1242 the place was under the manorial rule of the Fontcoberta family , who in turn had to represent the interests of the Counts of Empúries . Since 1447 the place was allowed to administer itself due to a royal privilege, which led to conflicts with the local landlord family.

Attractions

• The parish church of Sant Vicenç is an unadorned Romanesque building from the 12th or early 13th century. The block-like facade with an unusual, upwardly open bell gable ( espadanya ), which resembles the church of Torroella de Fluvià in its austere expressiveness, is impressive . The church building was extensively restored between 2010 and 2013. The nave shows a slightly pointed barrel vault.
• The building called L'Batllia dates from the 16th / 17th centuries. Century; it integrates the remains of a medieval tower

literature

• Vicenç Buron: Esglésies Romàniques Catalanes. Artestudi Edicions, Barcelona, ISBN 84-85180-06-2 , p. 40.

Web links

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

• Vilamalla, Church - Photos + Info (Catalan)
• Vilamalla, the site - photo

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).