Naut Aran
Encyclopedia
Naut Aran (ˈnawt aˈɾa) is a municipality
in the comarca
of the Aran Valley in Catalonia
, Spain
. It is the second largest municipality in Catalonia in terms of surface area (225.8 km², behind Tremp
), and was created in 1967 by the merger of the municipalities of Arties, Salardú, Gessa, Tredòs and Bagergue: the former municipalities retain some privileges as "decentralised municipal entities" (entitats municipals descentralitzades, EMD). The name literally means "Upper Valley" in Aranese
, and both the Garonne
(Garona) and the Noguera Pallaresa
have their sources on the territory of the municipality. The ajuntament (town hall) is in Salardú. The municipality is linked to Vielha by the C-28 road, which continues to Alt Àneu
over the Bonaigua pass (2072 m). This road, the higher stretches of which are impassable in winter, was the only route between the Aran Valley and the rest of Spain before the opening of the Vielha tunnel
in 1948.
The local economy is based almost entirely on tourism and winter sports. The ski resort of Vaquèira-Beret
is one of the
largest in the Pyrenees
. A number of local churches have been classified as historic-artistic monuments:
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 comarca
Comarques of Catalonia
This is a list of the comarques of Catalonia . A comarca is roughly equivalent to a US "county" or a UK "district". However, in the context of Catalonia, the term "county" can be a bit misleading, because in medieval Catalonia, the most important rulers were counts, notably the Counts of Barcelona...
of the Aran Valley in Catalonia
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...
, 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 the second largest municipality in Catalonia in terms of surface area (225.8 km², behind Tremp
Tremp
Tremp is a municipality in Catalonia, Spain, the capital of the comarca of the Pallars Jussà. It is the largest municipality in Catalonia in terms of area , accounting for nearly a quarter of the total area of the comarca....
), and was created in 1967 by the merger of the municipalities of Arties, Salardú, Gessa, Tredòs and Bagergue: the former municipalities retain some privileges as "decentralised municipal entities" (entitats municipals descentralitzades, EMD). The name literally means "Upper Valley" in Aranese
Aranese language
Aranese is a standardized form of the Pyrenean Gascon variety of the Occitan language spoken in the Val d'Aran, in north western Catalonia on the border between Spain and France, where it is one of the three official languages besides Catalan and Spanish...
, and both the Garonne
Garonne
The Garonne is a river in southwest France and northern Spain, with a length of .-Source:The Garonne's headwaters are to be found in the Aran Valley in the Pyrenees, though three different locations have been proposed as the true source: the Uelh deth Garona at Plan de Beret , the Ratera-Saboredo...
(Garona) and the Noguera Pallaresa
Noguera Pallaresa
The Noguera Pallaresa is a river in Catalonia, Spain. Its source is at Era Font d'era Noguereta in the municipality of Naut Aran at an elevation of about 2000 m and barely a hundred meters from those of the Garonne...
have their sources on the territory of the municipality. The ajuntament (town hall) is in Salardú. The municipality is linked to Vielha by the C-28 road, which continues to Alt Àneu
Alt Àneu
Alt Àneu is a municipality in the comarca of the Pallars Sobirà in Catalonia, Spain. It is the largest municipality in Catalonia in terms of area at , but it has only about 400 people....
over the Bonaigua pass (2072 m). This road, the higher stretches of which are impassable in winter, was the only route between the Aran Valley and the rest of Spain before the opening of the Vielha tunnel
Vielha Tunnel
The Vielha tunnel is a road tunnel in north-west Catalonia, connecting Vielha, the capital of the Val d'Aran valley, with the Alta Ribagorça comarca. It is part of the N-230 road and consists of 2 parallel tunnels...
in 1948.
The local economy is based almost entirely on tourism and winter sports. The ski resort of Vaquèira-Beret
Baqueira-Beret
Baqueira-Beret is a ski resort located in the heart of the Pyrenees, in the Aran Valley, Lleida, Catalonia. The ski area extends from 1,500 to the 2,510 meters.- The resort :...
is one of the
largest in the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
. A number of local churches have been classified as historic-artistic monuments:
- church of Sant Andreu de Salardú, which houses a thirteenth century sculptureSculptureSculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
of ChristChristChrist is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
(el Crist de Salardú) - church of Santa Maria, in Arties
- church of Santa Eulària d'Unha (twelfth century)
Subdivisions
The municipality is composed of nine distinct settlements:- Arties (445)
- Bagergue (65)
- Garòs (160), in the EMD of Arties e Garòs
- Gessa (127)
- Montgarri (1)
- Salardú (367)
- Tredòs (150)
- Unha (75), in the EMD of Tredòs e Unha
- Vaquèira (108)
Demography
Population figures from before 1967 are the totals for the five municipalities which combined to form Naut Aran.Note
- Entitats municipals descentralitzades are governed by the Llei Municipal i de Règim Local de Catalunya (8/1987 de 15 d'abril de 1987). They correspond to entidades locales menores in the rest of Spain (known as entitats locals menors in the Valencian CommunityValencian CommunityThe Valencian Community is an autonomous community of Spain located in central and south-eastern Iberian Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Valencia...
and the Balearic IslandsBalearic IslandsThe Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.The four largest islands are: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The archipelago forms an autonomous community and a province of Spain with Palma as the capital...
).
External links
- Official site
- Information from the Generalitat de CatalunyaGeneralitat de CatalunyaThe Generalitat of Catalonia is the institution under which the autonomous community of Catalonia is politically organised. It consists of the Parliament, the President of the Generalitat of Catalonia and the Government of Catalonia....
- Information from the Institut d'Estadística de CatalunyaInstitut d'Estadística de CatalunyaThe Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya is the official body responsible for collecting and publishing statistics in the autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain. It is under the responsibility of the Department of the Economy and Finances of the Generalitat de Catalunya.-External links:*...
- Entitat municipal descentralitzada from :ca:Catalan Viquipèdia