The Renclusa refuge (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

: ''Refugio de la Renclusa'') is a refuge located in the Spanish

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 C ...

at the foot of the massif de la Maladeta, at high, in the

Ésera The Ésera (), is a tributary of the Cinca in the High Aragon. It is part of the valley of the Ebro and its drainage basin. Its etymology is Celtic and it is cognate with several European rivers: Isar, Jizera, Isère, Isel, IJssel The IJssel ...

valley. It is the starting point for excursions to the summit of la

Maladeta Maladeta (3,312 m) is a mountain in the Pyrenees, close to the highest peak in the range, Aneto. It is located in the Natural Park of Posets-Maladeta in the town of Benasque in Province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. Its northern slope contains t ...

, of the monts Maudits and the

Aneto Aneto (''pic d'Aneto'' in French language, French, formerly ''pic de Néthou'') is the highest mountain in the Pyrenees and in Aragon, and Spain's third-highest mountain, reaching a height of . It stands in the Spanish province of Huesca (provi ...

(highest point in the

). It lies in the commune of

Benasque Benasque (; in Benasquese dialect: ''Benás''; an, Benás) () is a town in the comarca of Ribagorza, province of Huesca, (Spain). It is the main town in the Benasque Valley, located in the heart of the Pyrenees and surrounded by the highest p ...

, north-east of

Huesca Huesca (; an, Uesca) is a city in north-eastern Spain, within the autonomous community of Aragon. It is also the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and of the comarca of Hoya de Huesca. In 2009 it had a population of 52,059, almo ...

province,

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to sou ...

(

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

History

The refuge's name comes from the Pic de la Rencluse above it. It was originally a shelter under rock, then a shepherd's hut, which was used as a shelter by Platon de Tchihatchev, Albert de Franqueville and guides Pierre Sanio, Jean Sors dit ''Argarot'', Pierre Redonnet dit ''Nate'' et Bernard Arrazau dit ''Ursule'', during their first ascension of the Aneto in July 1842. Later, engineer and Catalan pyreneist Juli Soler i Santaló (1865-1914) made a small 4x3 house built, near its current location, which he named ''villa Maladeta'', and he draughted the future refuge. The refuge was inaugurated in 1916. It had 22 beds and was kept by Antonio Abadias. It rapidly became one of the most frequented refuges in the Pyrenees. The

Spanish civil war The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

interrupted its activity, and it wasn't until 1951 that a new refuge, restored and enlarged, came to be. After Antonio Abadias' death, Benasquan Antonio Garié succeeded him in 1966.

Access and services

Today the refuge offers around 110 places and is one of the biggest in the Pyrenees. It is kept from end of June to end of September and is open weekends during the skiing period. It is managed by the Aragonese Mountain Federation (FAM) and the Excursionist Centre of Catalonia (CEC). One can get there from

(about an hour's walk from Besurta car park) and from France, from

Bagnères-de-Luchon Bagnères-de-Luchon (; oc, Banhèras de Luishon), also referred to as just Luchon, is a commune and spa town in the Haute-Garonne department in the Occitanie region of south-western France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Luchonn ...

, by the

port de Venasque The Port de Venasque () is a mountain pass in the Pyrenees. It lies on the border between France and Spain and is a popular border crossing point for mountaineers and walkers. It can be reached in about two to three hours from the Hospice de France ...

References

External links

{{Commons category
Federacion aragonesa de montanismo
Geography of Spain Mountain huts in Spain