Vall De Bianya Country: Spain

Site: Vall de Bianya Country: Spain

C ON TE N TS OF TH E F I L E

Synthesis Architectural typologies present Country’s accepted sites

History and general information Current state of vitality and preservation Transformation process Interventions and rehabilitation programmes Bibliography Lexicon

SYNTHESIS

The municipality of Vall de Bianya (in the comarca or county of La Garrotxa) includes almost all the valley through which the Riera de Bianya watercourse runs and the valley of the Riera d’en Bac. It comprises small scattered centres which used to be attached to monasteries and parishes. This context is marked by the need to combine farming with leisure and holiday activities; some ma s i e s or farmhouses have been converted into rural holiday homes or with a view to combining farm work with spaces for school and holiday Countr map y activities, etc.

Mas Sobeies. Palless es V all de Bianya (La Garrotxa). Photograph: Arxiu del Servei de Patri moni Arquitec tònic. Generalit at de Catalunya

Aerial phot ograph of t he Vall de Biany a. Sourc e: Departament de Polí tica Territorial i O bres Públiques

ARCHITEC TURAL TYPOLOGIES PRESENT

Scattered compact / complex habitat Mas Serrat. Veïnat or hamlet of C aps ec. V all de Bi any a (La Garrotx a). Masia wit h gl azed COUNTRY’S ACCEPTED SIGNIFICANT SITES double balcony in the south-f acing fac ade, though the doorway is i n t he east fac ade. O n the ground floor are the c owsheds with Salàs Vall de Bianya Torroella de Montgrí Vilassar de Mar entrance vi a the s emicylindrical arch whic h Montuï ri Ibiza Puertomingalvo Aledo can be s een in t he phot ograph. Photograph: Arxiu del Servei de Patri moni Arquit ectònic Cazorla Osuna Guadix Capilerilla Casares

T his project is financed by the MEDA programme of the European Union. The opinions expressed in this document do not necessarily reflect the position of the European Union or of its member States. 1/3 Vall de Bi anya

HISTORY AND GENERAL INFOR MATION

The comarca of La Garrotxa has been populated continuously since the medieval period, though there is also proof of a stable population prior to this date. In the Vall de Bianya, most of the settlements are scattered (ma s o s ) or concentrated in small clusters of houses forming the veïnats around a church or chapel which in some cases has become a parish church. The ma s o s are situated in placed with access to fields and woods, sectors in contact with the hills or the plain, along the mountainous strip which borders the plain up to 500 metres, as the traditional farming economy required this duality. Most of today’s existing ma s o s date from the 14th century and were consolidated in the 16th, when the Catalan countryside was in rapid expansion and the consolidation of the pairalisme system ensured the perpetuation of family property from generation to generation. This socio- economic and family relation has defined the face of rural Catalonia since the Middle Ages, maintaining a stable system of f arming and farms up until the present day.

2  Surface ar ea of the site 94 Km  Geographical co-ordinates Lat. 42º 14’ N, long. 2º 24’ E

 Height above sea l evel This zone is crossed by mountains, the main ranges in the area being, to the south, the Coll de Caubet, Puigsespunya (1,024 m) and the Sant Miquel del Mont range (790 m); between the valleys of Bianya and Bac, the Malforat range (914 m); to the north, on the border of the comarca of El Ripollès, Puig Sou (1,306 m).

 Lithology

 Population In 1960, it numbered 1,394 inhabitants, in 1981, 1,121, and in 1991, 1,051, though in the nineties the population has grown: the 1998 census recorded 1,129 inhabitants. 2  Population densit y 12.01 inhab./km in 1998.

 Average annual maximum temperatures 19 ºC 30 15 0 25 12 5  Average annual minimum temperatures 6 ºC 20 10 0  33 ºC 15 75 Averag e of maximum temp eratures (ºC) (mm) during the hottest month for 10 year s 10 50 5 25  Averag e of minimum temperatur es during -8.9 ºC the coldest month for 10 years 0 0 -5 -25  Averag e of minimum temperatur es during 600-900 mm the coldest month for 10 years

 Averag e number of days of rain p er year 90-120 days Graph of average temperat ure and precipit ation

 Specifi c ch aracteri stics

 Traditional economic activities There is a predominance of dry farming (900 hectares of mainly cereals, potato fields and legumes); irrigation farming is limited to small vegetable-growing sectors. Cattle farming is important for meat and milk production.

 New economic activities There is very little industrial activity, limited to small firms in the textile and foodstuffs sector, and laboratories which manufacture veterinary products.  Site’s communications with its terr itor y It is situated approximately 60 km from Girona, by the regional C-66, the national N-260 and the regional C-26 roads.

CURRENT STATE OF VI TALI TY AND PRESERVATION

The municipality comprises small scattered nucleuses which used to be associated with monasteries and parishes: Capsec, Santa Margarida de Bianya, Sant Pere Espuig, Sant Martí de Bianya, Sant Martí del Clot and Sant Salvador de Bianya in the Bianya valley; Porreres, Llongarriu, Sant Feliu del Bac, Sant Miquel de la Torre and Santa Magdalena del Coll in the Bac valley; the village and castle of Castellar de la Muntanya in the Castellar valley, and the separate municipal area of Canya. In this valley, the ma s i a is set in a context marked by the need to combine farming Casa del Coll. Old village in the Vall del Bac, (La Garrotxa). This complex comprises a with leisure and holiday activities; some ma s i e s or farmhouses have been chapel, the family home and many pens and converted into rural holiday homes or with a view to combining farm work with stables , as show n in t he phot ograph. This spaces for school and holiday activities, etc. far mhous e has a rect angular plan and a ridge roof with beams, raft ers and l aths . The front door f aces south. Inside, the struct ure TRANSFOR MATION PR OCESS comprises pillars which support the roof.

The masia is very much linked to the history of a single family, which means that it remains almost unchanged for centuries. This tradition and culture mean that the ty pology is not particularly v ulnerable to major changes, and transformations have alway s been specific and gradual. The changes which take place today are due to the gradual moving away from f arm work, as the least accessible fields which are hardest to work are given up and some masies are losing the economic relation on which they have been based since their origins. Some masies are turned into second homes or rural tourist accommodation. These respond to an economic model linked to the countryside and to tourism which allows the family to combine agrarian or stock-keeping activities with tourist accommodation. Various examples are Molí d’en Solà, El Callís, Can Solà, La Torre de Santa Margarida, Mas Cabrafiga, Mas de l’Om, Mas el Guitart, Mas el Llach, etc. Some outbuildings such as stables and cabanyes or stock pens have been turned into tourist accommodation. Masia Llongariu. V all del Bac ( La G arrotxa). The front door of this masia is on the east side and the fac ade f aces s outh. T his INTERVEN TIONS AND REHABILI TATION PROGRAMMES solution, which does not maintain the main axis of front door and balc ony, occurs when At present, the Council of Vall de Bianya is revising urban planning regulations with the l ocation det er mines acc ess, w hile the a view to introducing measures to protect architectural heritage. To date, a facade is f aced sout h catalogue of the most noteworthy masies has been drawn up and approved by the Urban Planning Commission of the province of Girona. As well as identifying and describing the most important elements of each farmhouse, this catalogue lists the initial measures required to guarantee their protection. It stipulates that any kind of work involving renovation, consolidation, restoration or demolition requires an adv isory report from the association of “Amics de la Vall de Bianya” or another, appointed by the council. In addition, any work carried out within 100 metres of the listed building also requires a report by the advisory body. Most of the masies are included on an inventory of the Architectural Heritage Serv ice of the Department of Culture of the Generalitat de Catalunya regional gov ernment.

Contacts Casal dels Llopariu in the Vall del Bac (La Garrotxa). Masi a with a rect angular plan and ridge pole parallel to the fac ade. The c omplex comprises a her mitage, the tenant f ar mers’ hous e, t he cabanyes or stock pens, spacious stables and t he mai n hous e. Photograph: Arxiu del Servei de Patri moni Arquit ectònic. Generalitat de C atal uny a

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• FEDUCHI, Luis M. Itinerarios de arquitectura popular española. Editorial Blume. Barcelona: 1974-1984. (Volumes III and IV). • FLORES, Carlos. Arquitectura popular española. Aguilar. Madrid, 1973-1977.(Volumes IV and V).

File created: 23/02/01 File last modified: 03/05/01