Vallibona () is a small town and

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' ...

located in the Ports comarca, province of Castelló, part of the

autonomous community of Valencia The Valencian Community is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid with more than five million inhabitants.Instituto Nacional de Estadí ...

, Spain. According to the 2009 census, it has a total population of 90 inhabitants. It is located in the upper valley of the Cérvol River, between the

Serra del Turmell Serra del Turmell, also known as Serra del Mont Turmell, () is an over long mountain range in the Baix Maestrat comarca, Valencian Community, Spain. These mountains and their neighboring ranges are a desolate place with little human habitation. ...

and the

Ports de Beseit Ports de Tortosa-Beseit (), also known as Ports de Beseit, or simply as Els Ports or Lo Port by locals, is a limestone mountain massif located at the north-eastern end of the Sistema Ibérico, a complex system of mountain ranges and massifs in ...

mountain ranges, in a very lonely area, relatively far from other towns. Vallibona is part of the

Taula del Sénia The Taula del Sénia () or Mancomunitat de la Taula del Sénia is a commonwealth or free association of municipalities made up of 22 towns, totalling up to 100,000 people, of some of the comarcas that make up the center of the historical region ...

free association of municipalities. Vallibona has a

special relationship The Special Relationship is an unofficial term for relations between the United Kingdom and the United States. Special Relationship also may refer to: * Special relationship (international relations), other exceptionally strong ties between nat ...

with the town of Pena-roja (Peñarroya de Tastavins) over the hills in Matarranya. It has been recorded that festivities have been celebrated together with that town at least since the 14th century. Sant Domènec de Vallibona is a small settlement with a church founded in 1237 located 12 km to the east, close to the road leading to Rossell. Vallibona is the birthplace of Florencio Pla Meseguer (born Teresa Pla Meseguer, 1917–2004), a legendary

intersex Intersex people are those born with any of several sex characteristics, including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical binar ...

Maquis fighter, nicknamed "La Pastora" by the Civil Guard and the press. This municipality should not be confused with

Vallivana Vallivana is a small settlement belonging to Morella, Castellón, Morella, Ports (comarca). Description Vallivana is an almost deserted cluster of houses southeast of Morella. It is located at the eastern end of the Dena (land area), Dena de Co ...

, a small settlement depending from Morella further SW.

History

Vallibona was a Muslim town until nearby Morella was conquered by

James I of Aragon James I the Conqueror ( Catalan/Valencian: ''Jaume I or Jaume el Conqueridor''; Aragonese: ''Chaime I'' ''o Conqueridor''; ; 2 February 1208 – 27 July 1276) was King of Aragon, Count of Barcelona, and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1 ...

in the 13th century. The town has lost much population in the last 100 years; it had 1,808 inhabitants in 1900 and 1,133 in 1950. After

General Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (born Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general and dictator who led the Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republ ...

's '' Plan de Estabilización'' in 1959 the population declined steeply as people emigrated towards the industrial areas of

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

and coastal Castelló Province. Other causes of the strong emigration have been the abandonment of traditional agricultural practices by the local youth, such as

sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...

and

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the ...

rearing, as well as the lifestyle changes that swept over rural Spain during the second half of the 20th century. By 1994 Vallibona had only a residual population of 104 inhabitants, mostly in their old age. Nowadays the town derives some income from

rural tourism Rural tourism is a form of tourism that focuses on actively participating in a rural lifestyle. It can be a variant of ecotourism, emphasizing sustainable practices and community involvement. Many villages can facilitate tourism because of the ho ...

. Vallibona revives during the summer season when many former residents return to the town to spend the holidays.

Bibliography

*Teofil Pitarch i Vives, ''Fraternitas Saecularis: Vallibona/Pena-roja de Tastavins'', Diputació de Castelló. 2005,

References

External links

Associació cultural Amics de Vallibona

Associació cultural Col·lectiu Avinsilona

de Paco González Ramírez, d'on se n'ha tret informació amb el seu consentiment.
Institut Valencià d'Estadística

{{authority control Municipalities in the Province of Castellón Ports (comarca)

History

See also

Bibliography

References

External links