Montclar d'Urgell
| Montclar d'Urgell | |
|---|---|
| village | |
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 Montclar d'Urgell
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| Coordinates: 41°50′N 1°02′E / 41.833°N 1.033°ECoordinates: 41°50′N 1°02′E / 41.833°N 1.033°E | |
| Country |
 Spain
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| Community |
 Catalonia
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| Province | Lleida |
| Comarca | Urgell |
| Area | |
| • Total | 9.50 km2 (3.67 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 470 m (1,540 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 122 |
| • Density | 13/km2 (33/sq mi) |
| Demonym(s) | Montclarí, montclarina |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
Montclar d'Urgell is a village in the province of Lleida, in Catalonia, Spain. The village and its surrounding area previously formed its own municipality, but it is now (since 1970) an exclave of Agramunt. It is also an exclave of the comarca of Urgell, lying within the comarca of Noguera. The village is located on the crest of the Montclar mountain range, that crosses out from east to west. The Urgell canal passes through crossing the Montclar range through a tunnel. Montclar is linked by road to the local C-14 between Artesa de Segre and Agramunt.
The majestic Montclar Castle presided over the town that bears his name. The castle is built on the remains of an old Roman tower keep. The castle is documented from the year 981, making it the oldest in the area. Inside you can still see part of the wall of the tower from tribute century Roman II. Most of the first floor of the present castle was built in the thirteenth century. And the upper floors were remodeled after the Christian reconquest and currently show an elegant architecture of the Catalan Renaissance, dating from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The castle was restored in 1970, was declared a national Historic Monument in 1979 and is now open to visitors.
Only six families have owned the Montclar castle from the Christian reconquest: the Tost (until 1067), the Cabrera (1067-1179), the Ribelles (1179-1418), the Pons (1418-1689), the Despujol (1689-1986) and Miguel (1986 to present).
The parish church is dedicated to St. James. Built in the seventeenth century Baroque style. The building is of stone, has a six altar and side altars. One feature that makes it unique are the two hearts that unlike all the churches in which they are placed one on each side, they are placed one above the other. The heart only accessible from above the castle and allowed nobles saw mass without mixing with the lower classes. Currently there is still celebrating Mass every Sunday.
At 160 meters deep and close to the vertical village, the canal crosses the Montclar range through an impressive tunnel known as the Montclar Mine. The tunnel is completely straight, with a length of 4,917 m., 5'15 m wide. and a height of 5'47 m. The mine began building in November 1853 and was fully completed in November 1861, thanks to the work load of 150 animals and more than 6,000 people, including architects, masons, laborers and especially to convict forced realized toughest and dangerous jobs. Hundreds of them died during construction and were buried in a mass grave in the cemetery of Montclar, hence we can see that this is unusually large for a town of this size. For your convenience 13 wells were drilled from the surface of the mountain to the appropriate level. All the work was done by force of arms, thus removing debris excavated more than 500 trucks. For nearly a century it was the longest tunnel and hydraulic works in Europe. In 1977 repairs were made in the central part where the water made great caverns in the rock. During the winter organized hike inside the tunnel.
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Wikipedia