Solana Valley
Encyclopedia
Solana Valley is a valley in the Pyrenees
. It is located in Aragon
, Spain
. River Ara cuts across the valley from east to west and its average altitude is 850 m.
, the Spanish National Institute for Forestal recovery that had bought the land surrounding the villages. There were other factors as well, like the abandonment of traditional agricultural practices by the local youth and the lifestyle changes that swept over rural Spain during the second half of the 20th century.
Most of Solana Valley's territory depends administratively from Fiscal, Sobrarbe
comarca
, Huesca Province.
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
. It is located in Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
, 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...
. River Ara cuts across the valley from east to west and its average altitude is 850 m.
History
There were many villages in Solana Valley. The inhabitants left the place between 1960 and 1970 owing to the pressure induced by ICONAICONA
Instituto para la Conservación de la Naturaleza , better known by its acronym ICONA was the administrative entity that was established in Spain in order to preserve and research the natural environment in the Spanish territory.Founded four years before General Franco's death, ICONA played an...
, the Spanish National Institute for Forestal recovery that had bought the land surrounding the villages. There were other factors as well, like the abandonment of traditional agricultural practices by the local youth and the lifestyle changes that swept over rural Spain during the second half of the 20th century.
Most of Solana Valley's territory depends administratively from Fiscal, Sobrarbe
Sobrarbe
Sobrarbe is one of the Comarcas of Aragon, Spain. It is located in the northern part of the province of Huesca, part of the autonomous community of Aragon in Spain...
comarca
Comarca
A comarca is a traditional region or local administrative division found in parts of Spain, Portugal, Panama, Nicaragua, and Brazil. The term is derived from the term marca, meaning a "march, mark", plus the prefix co- meaning "together, jointly".The comarca is known in Aragonese as redolada and...
, Huesca Province.
Ghost towns
In Solana Valley there are a few small village churches and smaller religious buildings worth visiting, like the Iglesia de la Asunción and the exconjuratory in Burgasé, the Iglesia de Santa María in Muro de Solana, Santiago Church in Villamana and Saint Peter's Church in Gere. The villages in the valley lie abandoned and the houses have fallen into disrepair and ruin:- Burgasé
- Càjol
- Càmpol
- Castellar
- Gere
- Ginuabel
- Giral
- Jánovas
- Lacort
- Muro de Ara or Muro de Solana
- Puyuelo
- Sasé
- Semolué
- San Martín de Puytarans or San Martín de la Solana
- Sanfelices de Solana or Sanfelices de la Ribera
- Villamana