Queralbs () is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the

Ripollès Ripollès (; es, link=no, Ripollés) is a comarca (county) in Catalonia, Spain. It is located in the Ribes and Camprodon river valleys. In 2001, its population was 25,744, about 40% of whom lived in the capital, Ripoll. Ripollès borders the c ...

in the

province of Girona Girona (; es, Gerona ; french: Gérone) is a province of Spain, in the northeastern part of the autonomous community of Catalonia. It is bordered on the northwest by the province of Lleida, on the southwest by the province of Barcelona, on the ...

, Catalonia, Spain. It is situated in the Pyrenees to the north of

Ribes de Freser Ribes de Freser () is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Ripollès Ripollès (; es, link=no, Ripollés) is a comarca (county) in Catalonia, Spain. It is located in the Ribes and Camprodon river valleys. In 2001, its population was 2 ...

, near the peaks of

Puigmal The Peak of Puigmal (), also called Puigmal d'Er, is a mountain in the Pyrenees, in the Spanish-French border, within the limits of the municipality of Queralbs and the commune of Err. Its summit is above sea level, one of the highest peaks in ...

(2909 m), Infern (2896 m) and Noufonts (2864 m). Tourism and hydroelectricity are the bases of the local economy. The

Virgin of Nuria The Virgin of Nuria (Catalan ''Mare de Déu de Núria'') is a popular Roman Catholic shrine in the Valley of Nuria. The Catalan girls' name Núria ( es, Nuria) derives from the shrine.Marc Dubin The Rough Guide to the Pyrenees - Page 176 2004 - ...

shrine is situated in the municipality, to the north of the village in

Vall de Núria ''La Vall de Núria'' (, "The Valley of Núria") is a south-opening valley coming down from the crest of the Pyrenees within the municipality of Queralbs, province of Girona, community of Catalonia, Spain. The floor of the valley lies about abo ...

: it houses a romanesque mural image of ''la Mare de Déu de Núria''. The shrine is reached by

Vall de Núria Rack Railway The Vall de Núria Rack Railway ( ca, Cremallera de Núria, ) is a mountain railway in the Pyrenees mountains in the north of the Catalonia region of Spain. The line connects Ribes de Freser with Queralbs and Vall de Núria in Ripollès, Giron ...

from Ribes de Freser, which also serves the village. There is also a local road to Ribes de Freser (), which serves the ski resort. The first historical mention of Queralbs is in the consecration act of the church of the

Urgell Diocese Modern-day Urgell (), also known as ''Baix Urgell'' (''baix'' meaning "lower", by contrast with Alt Urgell "Higher Urgell"), is a ''comarca'' (county) in Catalonia, Spain, forming only a borderland portion of the region historically known as Ur ...

in 836—thus the town's motto, ''poble mil·lenari'' (millennial town)—and its Romanesque church, dedicated to

Saint James Saint James or St. James may refer to: People Saints *James, brother of Jesus (died 62 or 69), also known as James the Just *James the Great (died 44), Apostle, also known as James, son of Zebedee, or Saint James the Greater **Saint James Matamoro ...

, dates to the late tenth century.

Earthquakes

Queralbs is located to the north-west of the active Amer- Brugent fault system. Queralbs was entirely destroyed in the Catalan earthquake of 1428 whose epicentre was in nearby Camprodon.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, Jordi Pujol.

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 website

Government data pages
{{Authority control Municipalities in Ripollès Populated places in Ripollès

Earthquakes

Demography

Notable people

See also

References

External links