Aragón

Huesca and Ribagorza

Ski are of Cerler

Aragón is one of the 17 Spanish districts and consists of 3 provinces: Huesca, Zaragoza and Teruel.  Aragón has an area of 47669 km² with only 1,21 million populations. 800.000 people live in and around the captal Zaragoza. There are nearly 650 deserted villages where half of those in the Pyrenees.

The province Huesca is the northernmost province and borders on Pyrenees. Here you can see the highest tops of Pyrenees at the southernmost glaciers of Europe. The history of Aragón reminds back to the earliest prehistory. In Huesca you can find the predominated Romanesque style, in contract to Zaragoza and Teruel and the rest of Spain, where you can recognize a clear influence of the Moslem culture (mudéjar building style). It is because of the forming of the Ebro and the Moslem part of Spain in the northeast border until late middle Ages.

The area (historical county) Benasque-Graus-Vielha is named RIBAGORZA.  In fact it is formed by basin of small mountain rivers 'Rio Esera' (Graus), Isábena and the 'río Noguera Ribagorzana'.  The Isábena flows into the Esera in Graus. Ribagorza has an area of 2362 km², with only 11731 populations (4,9 populations per km²). The most of the populations live in Benasque, Graus and Benabarre. Water has an important role in Ribagorza. On the 3 mountain rivers, few extended lakes has been realized. This mountain water is used as drink water, to irrigate downstream and to generate electricity. At Esera lies the lake LAGO DE BARASONA in Graus.   Ribagorza has 3 important spring waters, namely in Graus, Bisaurri and Vilas del Turbón.  It is also an important prehistorical and geological place to discover. Therefore people recently can still discover a Roman city: Labitolosa near La Puebla de Castro, at 1 km away from the holiday residence. In Benasque, you can find a health resort with natural hot spring waters. Ribagorza has a Spanish continental climate except the high mountains (Alta Ribagorza). It has Mediterranean vegetation: oaks, thyme, rosemary, vineyards and valleys of olive and almond orchards.

People name the area around Benasque as Alta (high) Ribagorza. It is high mountains with preserve national natural park 'Posets-Maladeta'. Posets and Maladeta are the names of the 2 highest mountain massifs of the Pyrenees. These have the biggest number of mountain peaks above the 3000 m. From the far distance you can see the highest summit, the Pico de Aneto (3404 m), but also Posets (3377 m) and Maladeta (3308 m). Posets-Maladeta contains such as 13 glaciers, 95 little mountain lakes (ibones) and few magnificent waterfalls, with an exceptional flora and fauna (such as boars, eagles, lammergeyers or bearded vultures, vultures,...). Certain places in the Pyrenees have once witnessed a volcano activity. Therefore, there is a health resort in Benasque with natural hot spring water (also near Andorra). Benasque can be reached only from Spain, upstream through the valley of Rio Esera (Graus). The road leads until the inclining of the massive of Maladeta. A little bit upper the Benasque, you can find winter sport places Cerler at1505 m high with a well-known ski area.