Vallibona
Encyclopedia
Vallibona (ˌvaʎiˈβɔna) is a small town and municipality
located in the Ports comarca
, province of Castelló, part of the autonomous community of Valencia, Spain
. According to the 2009 census, it has a total population of 90 inhabitants. It is located in the upper valley of the Cérvol River, between the Serra del Turmell and the Ports de Beseit mountain ranges, in a very lonely area, relatively far from other towns. Vallibona is part of the Taula del Sénia
free association of municipalities.
Vallibona has a special relationship with the town of Pena-roja (Peñarroya de Tastavins) over the hills in Matarranya. It has been recorded that festivities have been celebrated together with that town at least since the 14th century.
Sant Domènec de Vallibona is a small settlement with a church founded in 1237 located 12 km to the east, close to the road leading to Rossell
.
Vallibona is the birthplace of La Pastora, nickname of Florencio Pla Meseguer, also known as Teresa (1917 - 2004), a transvestite Spanish Maquis
who used to disguise as a female and who operated in the Maestrat area until the early 1960s.
This municipality should not be confused with Vallivana
, a small settlement depending from Morella
further SW.
in the 13th century.
The town has lost much population in the last 100 years; it had 1.808 habitants in 1900 and 1.133 in 1950. After General Franco's Plan de Estabilización in 1959 the population declined steeply as people emigrated towards the industrial areas of Barcelona
and coastal Castelló Province. Other causes of the strong emigration have been the abandonment of traditional agricultural practices, like sheep and goat
rearing, by the local youth, as well as the lifestyle changes that swept over rural Spain during the second half of the 20th century.
By 1994 Vallibona had only a residual population of 104 habitants, mostly in their old age. Nowadays the town derives some income from rural tourism
. Vallibona revives during the summer season when many former residents return to the town to spend the holidays.
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...
located in the Ports comarca
Ports (comarca)
Ports is a comarca in the province of Castellón, Valencian Community, Spain. It mostly overlaps the historical comarca known as Ports de Morella , except for the municipal areas surrounding Catí and Vilafranca that were excluded from the present-day Ports...
, province of Castelló, part of the autonomous community of 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...
. According to the 2009 census, it has a total population of 90 inhabitants. It is located in the upper valley of the Cérvol River, between the Serra del Turmell and the Ports de Beseit mountain ranges, in a very lonely area, relatively far from other towns. Vallibona 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.
Vallibona has a special relationship with the town of Pena-roja (Peñarroya de Tastavins) over the hills in Matarranya. It has been recorded that festivities have been celebrated together with that town at least since the 14th century.
Sant Domènec de Vallibona is a small settlement with a church founded in 1237 located 12 km to the east, close to the road leading to Rossell
Rossell, Baix Maestrat
Rossell is a municipality in the comarca of Baix Maestrat in the Valencian Community, Spain.The town is located at the eastern end of the Ports de Tortosa-Beseit, in the area known as Muntanyes de Benifassà. Rossell is part of the Taula del Sénia free association of municipalities.-Villages:*Bel,...
.
Vallibona is the birthplace of La Pastora, nickname of Florencio Pla Meseguer, also known as Teresa (1917 - 2004), a transvestite Spanish Maquis
Spanish Maquis
The Spanish Maquis were Spanish guerrillas exiled in France after the Spanish Civil War who continued to fight against the Franco regime until the early 1960s, carrying out sabotage, robberies , occupations of the Spanish Embassy in France and assassinations of Francoists, as well as contributing...
who used to disguise as a female and who operated in the Maestrat area until the early 1960s.
This municipality should not be confused with Vallivana
Vallivana
Vallivana is a small settlement belonging to Morella, Ports .-Description:It is located southeast of Morella, at the eastern end of the Dena de Coll i Moll, right by N-232 road between Vinaròs and Morella....
, a small settlement depending from Morella
Morella
"Morella" is a short story in the Gothic horror genre by 19th-century American author and critic Edgar Allan Poe.-Plot summary:An unnamed narrator marries Morella, a woman with great scholarly knowledge who delves into studies of the German philosophers Fichte and Schelling, dealing with the...
further SW.
History
Vallibona was a Muslim town until nearby Morella was conquered by James I of AragonJames I of Aragon
James I the Conqueror was the King of Aragon, Count of Barcelona, and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276...
in the 13th century.
The town has lost much population in the last 100 years; it had 1.808 habitants in 1900 and 1.133 in 1950. After General Franco's Plan de Estabilización in 1959 the population declined steeply as people emigrated towards the industrial areas of Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
and coastal Castelló Province. Other causes of the strong emigration have been the abandonment of traditional agricultural practices, like sheep and goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
rearing, by the local youth, as well as the lifestyle changes that swept over rural Spain during the second half of the 20th century.
By 1994 Vallibona had only a residual population of 104 habitants, mostly in their old age. Nowadays the town derives some income from rural tourism
Rural tourism
Rural tourism focuses on participating in a rural lifestyle. It can be a variant of ecotourism. Any village can be a tourist attraction, and many villagers are very hospitable. Agriculture is becoming highly mechanized and therefore requires less manual labor...
. Vallibona revives during the summer season when many former residents return to the town to spend the holidays.
External links
- Associació cultural Amics de Vallibona.
- Associació cultural Col·lectiu Avinsilona.
- País Valencià, poble a poble, comarca a comarca, de Paco González Ramírez, d'on se n'ha tret informació amb el seu consentiment.
- Institut Valencià d'Estadística.
- Portal de la Direcció General d'Administració Local de la Generalitat.