La Serra d'en Galceran
Encyclopedia
La Serra d'en Galceran (la ˈsɛra ðeŋ gaɫseˈɾan) is a small municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...

 in the province of Castelló
Castellón (province)
Castellón or Castelló is a province in the northern part of the Valencian Community, Spain. It is bordered by the provinces of Valencia to the south, Teruel to the west, Tarragona to the north, and by the Mediterranean Sea to the east. The western side of the province is in the mountainous...

, Valencian Community
Valencian Community
The Valencian Community is an autonomous community of Spain located in central and south-eastern Iberian Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Valencia...

, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

. It is located inland surrounded by the mountain range known as Serra d'en Galceran
Serra d'En Galceran
Serra d'En Galceran is a mountain range of the Valencian Community, Spain. Its main peaks are 1,078 m high Tossal de la Vila, Penya Blanca and Tossal de la Toiola . This range is one of the most important areas in Europe where there are still pristine woods and thickets of Phoenician juniper,...

. The town gives its name to the range.

La Serra d'en Galceran is located about 50 km north of the town of Castelló de la Plana, on the north of the Valencian Community.

History

It is not known what was the name of the range or the village in ancient times. There are ancient Iberian settlements in an area known as El Castellàs, as well as some cave painting
Cave painting
Cave paintings are paintings on cave walls and ceilings, and the term is used especially for those dating to prehistoric times. The earliest European cave paintings date to the Aurignacian, some 32,000 years ago. The purpose of the paleolithic cave paintings is not known...

s that have been declared a World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...

 by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

. During the Muslim times there was a castle, as well as some agricultural settlements, in the area.

Historically the first documents are from the years 1213 and 1238 and they tell that James I of Aragon
James I of Aragon
James I the Conqueror was the King of Aragon, Count of Barcelona, and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276...

 gave the territory, just conquered from the saracens, to nobleman Pere Valimanya. Thus, in 1364 the place appears with the name Serra de Valimanya. Following this, the territory was acquired by a nobleman of the Galceran family; hence the present name.

Nicolau de Casalduch, known as "l'antic" or "el vinculador" gave the municipal charter
Municipal charter
A city charter or town charter is a legal document establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the middle ages....

to the town on the 6th December 1512.

Villages

  • La Serra d'en Galceran
  • El Brusalet
  • Les Deveses
  • Els Ivarsos
  • La Marina
  • Els Rosildos
  • Collet
  • Els Bancals
  • Pujols de Dalt

External links

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