La Fatarella () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in northern Terra Alta, within the region of

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 ...

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 ...

History

One of the oldest buildings in La Fatarella was a Muslim watchtower in the site where the chapel of ''Mare de Déu of the Misericòrdia'' stands today. The name of the population is derived from the Arab name for "tower", although there are other etymological theories. They are no visible remains of the tower. From the point where it stood there is a commanding view of the Terra Alta and a magnificent panoramic view. The Fatarella has irregular and winding streets that present an architectonic element locally known as ''perxes'', which are sections of a street being covered by ''envigats'', or stone arcs, that unite several houses. The origins of the Fatarella present town is

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

, as the facades of many houses show, having porticoes of stone with thresholds carved with different symbols and inscriptions. During the Middle Ages the town was walled to offer protection for its inhabitants, mainly from brigands and wolves. The walls are between in width. This defensive system continued until well into the 17th century, when the a population boom forced the city to expand beyond the walls. Nowadays, vestiges of these walls can still be seen, from which access doors on the enclosure can be deduced. La Fatarella, especially neighboring Serra de la Fatarella mountain range, was one of the main locations of 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 ...

in 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 ...

. A monument to commemorate the victims was erected in 2010.

References

* Varios (1989), ''Guía de Catalunya. Todos los pueblos y todas las comarcas''. .

External links

Pàgina web de l'Ajuntament

Government data pages

Tourism - La Fatarella
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fatarella, La Municipalities in Terra Alta (comarca)