Gironella 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

Berguedà Berguedà () is an inland comarca (county) in Catalonia, Spain, lying partly in the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees, and partly in the Catalan Central Depression. Geography The northern half of Berguedà, known as Alt Berguedà (“Upper Berguedà� ...

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 north ...

, Spain. It is situated in the left bank of the

Llobregat The Llobregat () is the second longest river in Catalonia, Spain, after the Ter. It flows into the Mediterranean south of the city of Barcelona. Its name could have originated in an ancient Latin word meaning 'dark', 'sorrowful' or 'muddy', or ...

river to the south of

Berga Berga () is the capital of the ''comarca'' (county) of Berguedà, in the province of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is bordered by the municipalities of Cercs, Olvan, Avià, Capolat and Castellar del Riu. History Berga derives its name from ...

. The local economy is traditionally based on

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

spinning and

textile Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

manufacture, although tourism is now more important: the

company town A company town is a place where practically all stores and housing are owned by the one company that is also the main employer. Company towns are often planned with a suite of amenities such as stores, houses of worship, schools, markets and re ...

s or "colonies" of workers houses surround the cotton mills are of historical interest. The town is served by the C-16 road to Berga and the Cadí tunnel. Gironella, which has numerous stores, bars, and schools, is an important economic center for the smaller towns around it, such as

Olvan Olvan is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the Comarques of Catalonia, comarca of Berguedà, Catalonia. It is made up of the town of Olvan and part of the former industrial colony of Cal Rosal, on the Llobregat river. Economy The most imp ...

Sagàs Sagàs is a small town and municipality located in Catalonia, in the comarca of Berguedà. It is located in the geographical area of the pre-Pyrenees. Population Sagàs is essentially a collection of farmhouses, or masia, masies, separated by low ...

Casserres Casserres is a town and municipality in the comarca of Berguedà, Catalonia, a part of the ''Baix Berguedà'' region. The town is named after the medieval castle, named ''Castrum Serris''. Geography The town is situated 12 kilometers from the com ...

. The town is mentioned in a well-known traditional Catalan song, ''A Gironella'' or ''Cançó de Gironella'', in which a young man laments being rejected by his beloved and being forced to leave the town behind.

History

Prehistory and ancient history

No prehistoric archeological sites have been found in the municipality of Gironella therefore no traceability to ancient times has been possible. However, Rosa Serra states that the situation of the inhabitants of Gironella should have been the same as the people living in the area of Baix Berguedà. Human habitats have been found in the region from Neolithic and there are several Iberian sites (

Puig-reig Puig-reig () is a municipality and town in the comarca of Berguedà, Catalonia. As of 2009, the town had a population of 4,403. Atop a hill overlooking the Llobregat River, its name means 'royal hill' in old Catalan. The town includes two medieval ...

Santa Maria de Merlès Santa Maria de Merlès (Officially and in Catalan; es, Santa María de Marlés) is a municipality in Catalonia. It is officially within the comarca of Berguedà, but traditionally, it is a part of the natural comarca of Lluçanès. The municipa ...

, Montclar,

L'Espunyola L'Espunyola is a municipality located in the southwest of the comarca of Berguedà, Catalonia. Prior to 1983 it was known simply as "Espunyola," without an article. The municipality includes a small exclave An enclave is a territory (or a smal ...

etc.). During the restoration of the old church of Santa Eulàlia of Gironella, pottery remains belonging to different times were found. Among them, there was a local Iberian piece of ceramic and another belonging to Roses workshop, both dating from before the third century BC. This finding shows the settlement in the area from the protohistoric times. The present municipality of Gironella was crossed by a salt path which connected the salt mountain of Cardona (a deposit of rock salt, where the salt forms a mountain mass) with the eastern part of Catalonia.

Medieval history

In the

High Middle Ages The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the periodization, period of European history that lasted from AD 1000 to 1300. The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and were followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended ...

the population of El Berguedà was relatively stable, especially in the mountain areas and the Germanic and

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

invasions did not leave a strong mark.

Modern history

Gironella in the war of Spanish Succession

Gironella had fallen into the hands of the Bourbon army, but on 11 March 1714 the village was released during the seizure of Gironella Castle by the troops of the Marquis of Poal and Colonel Ermengol Amill. The Bourbon garrison, consisting of 30 soldiers, 2 captains and 2 lieutenants, among others, were imprisoned in Cardona.

Demography

Notable inhabitants

* Vicenç Navarro * Rossend Perelló (1912—1976), Catalan writer

References

* Panareda Clopés, Josep Maria; Rios Calvet, Jaume; Rabella Vives, Josep Maria (1989). ''Guia de Catalunya'', Barcelona: Caixa de Catalunya. (Spanish). (Catalan).

External links

*
Government data pages
Municipalities in Berguedà {{Barcelona-geo-stub