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Creation of the Aigüestortes National Park

Espot, Pallars Sobirà, Lleida

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Creation of the Aigüestortes National Park

Historical milestone · Espot, Pallars Sobirà, Lleida

Image of Espot, not of the place itself.

On 21 October 1955 the Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park was declared, the second in the Pyrenees after Ordesa and the only one in Catalonia, spread across the comarques of l'Alta Ribagorça, Pallars Sobirà —where Espot is located, one of its gateways—, the Vall d'Aran and Pallars Jussà. With 41,852 hectares it is today the third-largest protected area in Catalonia and the fifth national park in Spain; its rugged relief, with U-shaped valleys, glacial cirques and lakes, is the legacy of the erosion of the Quaternary glaciers. The declaration halted new hydroelectric developments in valleys that had already been heavily transformed. It is home to threatened species such as the bearded vulture and the capercaillie, and is visited every year by several hundred thousand people.

1955

Photo: Viquipèdia (CC BY-SA 2.5)

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