Ulldecona
Encyclopedia
Ulldecona is a town in the South of Catalonia
, in Montsià
(Terres de l'Ebre
), near the Senia River
. Ulldecona is part of the Taula del Sénia
free association of municipalities.
The nearest towns are: Alcanar
, Sant Carles de la Ràpita
, Freginals
, Godall
, La Galera
, Mas de Barberans
and La Sénia
in the Montsià
region; and Vinaròs
, Traiguera
, Sant Jordi and Sant Rafel del Riu in Baix Maestrat
. Important tourist areas are also nearby, such as Salou
and Peñíscola
.
, almond
and carob tree
s of the area, as well as fruit and vegetable crops.
Leaving aside the agricultural activities, the furniture, construction and service sectors are also of relative importance.
In recent years the quarrying of the stone of Ulldecona, a type of high quality marble
, from the Serra de Godall hills has become a major income earner for the town.
Quarried since ancient times, the stone of Ulldecona has been used in the construction of important public works in Spain, such as the Pedrera in Barcelona, the Town Hall in Zaragoza and the airport of Madrid. Presently it is also exported to different countries, such as the US (Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles), France, Switzerland (Town Hall of Geneva), South Korea, Saudi Arabia and China.
, as well as traditional dances and the releasing of bulls in the streets (bous).
The Passió d'Ulldecona is a yearly festival reenacting the Passion of Christ staged by local people, including a live donkey and real palm and olive branches.
Other important sports are five-a-side football, basketball, twirling and table tennis.
On the other hand, it is also very important the support that trial has in Ulldecona, bearing in mind that Adam Raga
, from Ulldecona, has been the World Indoor Trial
Champion in 2003, 2004 and 2005.
The visibility and the fertility and wealth of the land were features that increased the strategic value of this area.
The oldest remains that have been discovered show that that area was already populated during the Iberian era, between the 5th and the 1st centuries before Christ. Arabic peoples settled there during the 9th century and they started to build some of the buildings whose remains can be seen nowadays in the area. Ramón Berenguer IV conquered the south of the current territory of Catalonia in the 12th century and the medieval buildings started to be built.
The castle was inhabited until the end of the 13th century, when the people from Ulldecona started to settle in the plain.
In 1986, the Town Council bought the Castle.
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, in Montsià
Montsià
Montsià is the southernmost comarca of Catalonia in Spain. Its capital and largest city is Amposta.-History:The Montsià was first established as a separate administrative comarca in 1936 and was named after the Serra del Montsià mountain range...
(Terres de l'Ebre
Terres de l'Ebre
Terres de l'Ebre is one of the seven territories defined by the Regional Plan of Catalonia. It is located in the south-west of Catalonia, in the southern part of river Ebre, and will be formed by four comarques: Baix Ebre, Montsià, Terra Alta and Ribera d'Ebre.The northern coastal limit of the...
), near the Senia River
Sénia River
The Sénia River is a river in the provinces of Castellón and Tarragona, Spain. It begins its course at 1,200 m in the Barranc del Salt, Ports de Beseit. limestone massif near La Pobla de Benifassà....
. Ulldecona is part of the Taula del Sénia
Taula del Sénia
The Taula del Sénia or Mancomunitat de la Taula del Sénia is a mancomunitat or free association of municipalities made up of 22 towns, totalling up to 100,000 people, of some of the comarcas that make up the center of the historical region of Ilercavonia , Spain...
free association of municipalities.
The nearest towns are: Alcanar
Alcanar
Alcanar is a municipality of the Catalan comarca of Montsià, in the Tarragona province. The Serra del Montsià range and its foothills rises above the town and its surroundings. According to data from 2006 its population is 9,620 inhabitants, although this increased the next year, to 9,969...
, Sant Carles de la Ràpita
Sant Carles de la Ràpita
Sant Carles de la Ràpita is a town in the area of the Montsià in Catalonia, Spain. The town covers a portion of the south-west of the Ebre delta, including el Trabucador isthmus and la Banya peninsula, which close off a salt water lagoon known as the Port dels Alfacs. The town of Sant Carles de la...
, Freginals
Freginals
Freginals is a municipality in the comarca of Montsià inCatalonia, Spain.This picturesque town is located on a hill between the northern end of the Serra de Godall and the Serra del Montsià, not far from the forking of the roads between Tortosa, Ulldecona and Amposta...
, Godall
Godall
Godall is a municipality in the Montsià comarca, Tarragona Province, Catalonia, Spain. Godall gives its name to the Serra de Godall, a moderately high and smooth calcareous mountain range that rises above the town....
, La Galera
La Galera
La Galera is a municipality in the comarca Montsià, in the province of Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain. In 2009 its population was 884. La Galera is part of the Taula del Sénia free association of municipalities.- History :...
, Mas de Barberans
Mas de Barberans
Mas de Barberans is a municipality in the comarca of Montsià inCatalonia, Spain. It is part of the Taula del Sénia free association of municipalities.-Local crafts:This town is located at the feet of the eastern edge of the Ports de Tortosa-Beseit...
and La Sénia
La Sénia
La Sénia is a municipality in the comarca of Montsià inCatalonia, Spain.This town is located in a plain by the Sénia River at the western end of the Montsià comarca...
in the Montsià
Montsià
Montsià is the southernmost comarca of Catalonia in Spain. Its capital and largest city is Amposta.-History:The Montsià was first established as a separate administrative comarca in 1936 and was named after the Serra del Montsià mountain range...
region; and Vinaròs
Vinaròs
Vinaròs is a town and municipality in eastern Spain, in the province of Castelló and part of the autonomous Valencian Community. The town is on the Gulf of Valencia coast of the western Mediterranean Sea, Vinaròs is a fishing harbour and tourist destination....
, Traiguera
Traiguera
Traiguera is a town and municipality in the Baix Maestrat comarca, province of Castelló, Valencian Community, Spain. It is part of the Taula del Sénia free association of municipalities....
, Sant Jordi and Sant Rafel del Riu in Baix Maestrat
Baix Maestrat
Baix Maestrat is a comarca in the province of Castellón, Valencian Community, Spain.- Municipalities :*Alcalà de Xivert*Benicarló*Càlig*Canet lo Roig*Castell de Cabres*Cervera del Maestre*Chert/Xert*La Jana*Peñíscola*La Pobla de Benifassà...
. Important tourist areas are also nearby, such as Salou
Salou
Salou is a municipality of the comarca of Tarragonès, in the province of Tarragona, in Catalonia, Spain. The city is approximately 10km from Tarragona and Reus on the Costa Daurada and 112km from Barcelona...
and Peñíscola
Peñíscola
Peníscola or Peñíscola is a municipality in the province of Castellón, Valencian Community, Spain. The town is located on the Costa del Azahar, north of the Serra d'Irta along the Mediterranean coast...
.
Administrative divisions
The town has a main population centre and five smaller villages within its administrative perimeter:- Ulldecona, 5286
- Els Valentins, 272
- El Castell, 257
- Sant Joan del Pas, 173
- Les Ventalles, 39
- La Miliana, 29
Economy
Traditional local agriculture was based on the produce of the numerous oliveOlive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
, almond
Almond
The almond , is a species of tree native to the Middle East and South Asia. Almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree...
and carob tree
Carob tree
Ceratonia siliqua, commonly known as the Carob tree and St John's-bread, is a species of flowering evergreen shrub or tree in the pea family, Fabaceae...
s of the area, as well as fruit and vegetable crops.
Leaving aside the agricultural activities, the furniture, construction and service sectors are also of relative importance.
In recent years the quarrying of the stone of Ulldecona, a type of high quality marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
, from the Serra de Godall hills has become a major income earner for the town.
Quarried since ancient times, the stone of Ulldecona has been used in the construction of important public works in Spain, such as the Pedrera in Barcelona, the Town Hall in Zaragoza and the airport of Madrid. Presently it is also exported to different countries, such as the US (Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles), France, Switzerland (Town Hall of Geneva), South Korea, Saudi Arabia and China.
Culture and social life
The most important customs of the people of Ulldecona are related to the staging of processions with gegants, musical bands and pubillesPubilla
A pubilla in ancestral Catalan tradition was the female that would inherit the whole rural estate in the absence of a brother.-Tradition:She was the female version of the hereu or male heir of the whole inmoval property of the family. Traditionally, when there was no male heir, the eldest girl of...
, as well as traditional dances and the releasing of bulls in the streets (bous).
The Passió d'Ulldecona is a yearly festival reenacting the Passion of Christ staged by local people, including a live donkey and real palm and olive branches.
Sports
One of the most important sports in Ulldecona is football. Ulldecona has its own football club, the Club de Futbol Ulldecona, with ten teams and 200 players. The first team plays nowadays in the 1a Regional League.Other important sports are five-a-side football, basketball, twirling and table tennis.
On the other hand, it is also very important the support that trial has in Ulldecona, bearing in mind that Adam Raga
Adam Raga
Adam Raga in Ulldecona, province of Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain) is an internationally renowned Catalan Motorcycle trials racer.Has won 4 Indoor World Championships and 2 Outdoor World Championships.-Sporting achievements:...
, from Ulldecona, has been the World Indoor Trial
Motorcycle trials
Motorcycle trials, also termed observed trials, is a non-speed event on specialized motorcycles. The sport is most popular in the United Kingdom and Spain, though there are participants around the globe....
Champion in 2003, 2004 and 2005.
Medieval Castle
The Medieval Castle, declared a Castle of Cultural Interest, can be found on the top of a hill known as Mount of the Castle, which is part of the Serra de Godall.The visibility and the fertility and wealth of the land were features that increased the strategic value of this area.
The oldest remains that have been discovered show that that area was already populated during the Iberian era, between the 5th and the 1st centuries before Christ. Arabic peoples settled there during the 9th century and they started to build some of the buildings whose remains can be seen nowadays in the area. Ramón Berenguer IV conquered the south of the current territory of Catalonia in the 12th century and the medieval buildings started to be built.
The castle was inhabited until the end of the 13th century, when the people from Ulldecona started to settle in the plain.
In 1986, the Town Council bought the Castle.