Queralbs () is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
in the
''comarca'' of the
Ripollès in the
province of Girona,
Catalonia
Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy.
Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the nort ...
, Spain. It is situated in the
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to ...
to the north of
Ribes de Freser
Ribes de Freser () is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Ripollès in Girona, Catalonia. It is situated at the confluence of the Freser, Rigard and
Segadell rivers, north of Ripoll. It is known for its mineral water,
paper manufact ...
, near the peaks of
Puigmal (2909 m),
Infern (2896 m) and
Noufonts (2864 m). Tourism and
hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...
are the bases of the local economy. The
Virgin of Nuria shrine is situated in the municipality, to the north of the village in
Vall de Núria: it houses a romanesque mural image of ''la Mare de Déu de Núria''. The shrine is reached by
Vall de Núria Rack Railway from Ribes de Freser, which also serves the village. There is also a local road to Ribes de Freser (), which serves the
ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area – a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In Nort ...
.
The first historical mention of Queralbs is in the consecration act of the church of the
Urgell Diocese in 836—thus the town's motto, ''poble mil·lenari'' (millennial town)—and its
Romanesque church, dedicated to
Saint James, dates to the late tenth century.
Earthquakes
Queralbs is located to the north-west of the active
Amer
Amer may refer to:
Places
* Amer (river), a river in the Dutch province of North Brabant
* Amer, Girona, a municipality in the province of Girona in Catalonia, Spain
* Amber, India (also known as Amer, India), former city of Rajasthan state
** Am ...
-
Brugent fault system.
Queralbs was entirely destroyed in the
Catalan earthquake of 1428 whose epicentre was in nearby
Camprodon
Camprodon (; from ''Camp Rodó'' "Round Field", ultimately from Latin ''Campus Rotundus'') is a small town in the comarca of Ripollès in Girona, Catalonia, Spain, located in the Pyrenees, near the French border.
History
The settlement of Ca ...
.
[Banda E. & A. M. Correig (1984). The Catalan earthquake of February 2, 1428. ''Engineering Geology'', 20, pp. 89-97.]
Demography
Notable people
For many years, Queralbs was the vacation home for the former president of the
Generalitat
Generalitat (, literally in English 'Generality') is the name of two major medieval and early modern political institutions and their modern-day analogues in Kingdom of Spain. The ancient Principality of Catalonia and the Kingdom of Valencia were ...
,
Jordi Pujol
Jordi Pujol Soley (, born 9 June 1930) is a Catalan politician who was the leader of the party Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya (CDC) from 1974 to 2003, and President of the Generalitat de Catalunya from 1980 to 2003.
Early life
Pujol was ...
.
See also
*
Vall de Núria Rack Railway
References
* Panareda Clopés, Josep Maria; Rios Calvet, Jaume; Rabella Vives, Josep Maria (1989). ''Guia de Catalunya'', Barcelona: Caixa de Catalunya. (Spanish). (Catalan).
External links
Official websiteGovernment data pages
{{Authority control
Municipalities in Ripollès
Populated places in Ripollès