Valley of Aran

See also: Aran

The Aran or the valley of Aran (in Gascon Occitan : Aran/Vath d' Aran/will era Val of Aran , in Catalan the Valley of Aran , in Spanish el Valle de Arán ) is a valley of language Occitan E, located in Spain, in the the Pyrenees. The the Garonne has its source there (before being prolonged in France by the Comminges). It is officially a Comarque of the area Catalogne which received a statute of semi-autononomie in 1990. Aran is since this date the only territory of Occitanie where the Occitan is official language (jointly with the Catalan and the Spanish ).

The name Val of Aran would be a pleonasm: it means " Valley of the vallée" ( vath in Gascon and aran of the Basque haran - the Basque was still spoken about the year Millet in the area).

An enclave between several borders

The valley is at the border of two States: the France and the Spain, but also of several historical areas: Gascogne, Languedoc, Catalonia and Aragon.

These nuances are visible in the geography, the language, the administrative organization. It was included/understood, reality aranaise is thus at the same time rich and complex.

Geography and Access

The valley of Aran corresponds to the higher valley of the the Garonne.

According to Norbert Casteret, this one takes its principal source in the Massif of Maladeta, in Aragon, where it is engulfed with the Trou of Tòro to join the Valley of Aran by the Résurgence of the Uelhs de Joeu . For Aranais, the true source, the Uelh will dera Garona , is at the Plã de Beret near the port of Bonaigua. This branch would be indeed longer than the official course and its more important flow.

Geographically, the valley thus forms part of the basin of the the Garonne, which flows in the Atlantic Ocean, since the northern slope of the the Pyrenees. The Valley of Aran is thus clearly northern side of the watershed.

The Valley of Aran was an enclave a long time the winter. The valley was without direct communication with Spain by the high collar of Bonaigua, a long time impracticable in winter, until the boring of the tunnel of in 1948. In the same way, with north, the tightening of the prolongation of the valley with Happy Saint, ( " Passus Lupi" - or " passage just sufficient for the loups" , according to the Romans) circulation less easy French side returned.

The area is characterized by an Atlantic climate, which had with its particular orientation, different from that of the other valleys of the zone.

In 2003, one hour of road is necessary starting from the exit of highway of Montréjeau, that is to say two hours since Toulouse. A new strap must still improve the service road of it. The Spanish highway network was also renovated recently.

In the south of the valley of Aran one finds the very beautiful solid mass of the Encantats (of “Magic”), high place of the hiking (with ski the winter).

  • the Lakes of the Valley of Aran

Language

Linguistically, the inhabitants speak the Aranais, a variety of the dialect Gascon, which belongs to the language Occitan E. Aranais is strongly influenced by the Catalan and the Castillan.

In the past, the Aranais was always traditionally the spoken language. The Catalan was always also very present in the official old writings.

Since 1990, the law on the special diet of the Valley of Aran ( General information of Catalonia , self government of Spanish Catalonia) declares explicitly that the Aranais is a variety of the language Occitan E, and a statute of official language gives him, as well as the Catalan and the Castillan.

During the pro-Franco mode, the Castillan was the only official language, and the use of the regional languages was prohibited. Like other minority languages of Europe, the Aranais knows a rebirth. The inhabitants usually speak Catalan, Castillan and Aranais, but also regularly French.

Aranais is written by means of the traditional orthography occitane (which is thus that of the official form of the local toponyms). He is regularly taught at the school since 1984.

Aranais is distinguished from the standard Gascon by the maintenance of Latin plural in - I (as in Italian):

“Benvengudi entà Aran”
" (be) welcome in Aran"

The definite articles aranais are: eth/er, be, will era, are .

Garona (" Garonne") draw its name of a common word meaning “river”.

Administrative organization

The Valley of Aran is today a comarca of the North-West of the autonomous community of Catalogne in the Province of LLeida located on the northern slope of the the Pyrenees.

It is bordered by the France (the Midday-Pyrenees) in north, the Aragon in the west and the Catalogne (comarques of Alta Ribagorça in the south and Pallars Sobirà in the east).

The valley almost always belonged to the Catalogne, (with curiously, often in the past, of the Aragonese administrators).

From a religious point of view, the area was dependant on the authority of the bishop of Saint-Bertrand-with-Comminges, and refused a long time that of the bishop of Urgell. Curiously, it is the French revolution which cut this bond with France, while reorganizing évêchés according to the French departments.

Very early, the valley profited besides from a mode of autonomy, of " marche" independent defending its own habits, which made that certain authors were until speaking about Pyrenean République (not far from an other curiosity; the Principality of Andorra).

From a legal point of view, one claimed oneself besides, clearly according to opportunities, either of the Toulouse capitouls, or of the Intendance of Auch, or of the Catalan corts of Barcelona.

The capital of the comarca is Vielha E Mijaran, with 5.239 inhabitants (2006). The population of the valley is approximately 7130 inhabitants (1996).

The principal communes are:

  • Vielha E Mijaran

  • Bossòst
  • the

The territory is organized in six administrative divisions, called plow for the third time (meaning “third”, because they were three in the past: Naut-Aran, Mij-Aran (Mijaran) and Baish-Aran, i.e. “High, Means and Low Aran”). The current arrangement of divisions dates from the 15th century.

Communes

Economy

The principal income comes from the stations of Ski in winter and from the Tourisme in summer. The station of Baqueira-Beret offers one of the greatest skiables fields of the Pyrenees.

The other principal sectors of the economy include the forest products, the breeding and the bee-keeping, which lost in importance since the development of the ski.

High valley of the Catalan Pyrenees, the Valley of Aran, in spite of the installation of ski stations, still preserves the rate/rhythm of the pastoral life. The grass for fodder there is cut to the hand and is transported towards the barns on wood sledges.

History

See also: History of the Valley of Aran

The valley knew a complex history, that of an area of isolated mountain but also very influenced by its two large neighbors; the France and the Spain. During centuries, the Valley of Aran succeeded in playing a risky and opportunist game of alliance, to make balance the appetites of the principal regional powers: Gascogne, Languedoc, Catalonia and Aragon.

Tourism

The Valley of Aran has on its territory the ski station of Baqueira-Beret, one of the most important ski stations of Spain.

See too

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