Mount Picossa () is a mountain in

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. It is located within the

Móra d'Ebre Móra d'Ebre () is the capital of the ''comarca'' of the Ribera d'Ebre in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated on the right bank of the Ebre river in the Móra Hollow, and is served by the N-420 road to Reus and Gandesa, the N-230 road to Lleida ...

municipal limits,

Ribera d'Ebre Ribera d'Ebre () is a comarca (county) in Catalonia, Spain. It extends to both sides of the Ebre river between the reservoir of Riba-roja and Miravet. It belongs to the Terres de l'Ebre Terres de l'Ebre (, in English 'Ebro, Ebre Lands') is t ...

. The summit used to be a breeding ground for the

Bonelli's eagle Bonelli's eagle (''Aquila fasciata'') is a large bird of prey. The common name of the bird commemorates the Italian ornithologist and collector Franco Andrea Bonelli. Bonelli is credited with gathering the type specimen, most likely from an expl ...

, but in the last few years the birds have failed to reproduce. Human disturbance has been deemed to be the cause and the access to the mountain has been restricted.

Geography

Mount Picossa is an isolated hill of the

Catalan Central Depression The Catalan Central Depression () is a natural depression between the Pre-Pyrenees and the Catalan Pre-Coastal Range in Spain. It widens towards the west, linking with the Ebro Depression, , of which it could be considered an eastern extension ...

. There is a

triangulation station A triangulation station, also known as a trigonometrical point, and sometimes informally as a trig, is a fixed surveying station, used in geodetic surveying and other surveying projects in its vicinity. The station is usually set up by a map ...

at the top marked "251139001". The Serra de Cavalls can be seen in the horizon looking south.

History

During the

Battle of the Ebro The Battle of the Ebro (, ) was the longest and largest battle of the Spanish Civil War and the greatest, in terms of manpower, logistics and material ever fought on Spanish soil. It took place between July and November 1938, with fighting mainly ...

of the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

there was an observation point of the Republican Military on top of the hill which was bombed by the Francoist faction before the collapsing of the front. The 42nd Division camped at the hill on 8 November 1938 during its withdrawal, having lost many of its troops and its pace being hampered by the many wounded. By 10 November the Francoists had occupied Mount Picossa.

References

External links

La Picossa hiking routes
{{Catalonia-geo-stub Picossa Ribera d'Ebre