Village
Banyeres de Mariola is a municipality of 7,347 inhabitants in the Hoya de Alcoy comarca, in the north of Alicante, situated in the Benejama valley between the sierras of la Solana and Mariola, the highest-altitude town in the province. The Vinalopó river rises in its territory and historically powered its paper mills, today a testament to a craft-industrial past recalled by the Valencian Paper Museum, in the Villa Rosario park. The village was also crossed by the Chicharra, the narrow-gauge train that linked the comarca with the plateau between 1884 and 1969. The origin of the town, like that of its castle, is Muslim, and its name is already documented in 1249 as Bigneres.
Monument
12th-century castle in Banyeres de Mariola, one of the main features of the town's historic heritage.
Nature
Gateway to the Sierra de Mariola Natural Park from Banyeres de Mariola, declared a protected area on 8 January 2002 and covering 17,257 hectares across seven municipalities of Alicante and Valencia. From Banyeres a classic route sets out -Pla Roig, the Coveta spring, the dels Brulls spring, the Mariola spring and Montcabrer- through forests of Aleppo pine, rosemary and rockrose, with around 1,200 plant species, many of them endemic, including numerous aromatic and medicinal plants. Eagles, owls, falcons, rabbits, badgers, foxes and wild boar live on its mountains.
Nature
The Vinalopó river crosses Banyeres de Mariola near its source, at the Rincón de Bodí, in the sierra de Mariola, within the boundaries of Bocairente. It is the most important river of those born in the province of Alicante, with a total length of 96.5 kilometres to its mouth in the Mediterranean, next to the Salinas de Santa Pola. Near Banyeres it receives the contribution of a small tributary, the río Marchal. Its waters historically powered the municipality's paper mills.
Curiosity
The waters of the río Vinalopó historically drove the paper mills of Banyeres de Mariola, a reflection of its artisanal industrial heritage. By around 1780 at least two old flour mills had been converted into paper factories, and the Diccionario de Madoz, in the mid-19th century, counted five flour mills and one paper mill in the municipality. Until the early 20th century the force and the drop in level of the river were harnessed as motive power; the paper sector entered a crisis in the 1970s, which led to converting part of the production to cardboard. The buildings of the old mills, some already in ruins, still line the course of the river.
Activity
The Moors and Christians festivities of Banyeres de Mariola, in the comarca of l'Alcoià, recall the medieval clashes between the Islamic and Christian sides and are held between 22 and 25 April, declared Interés Turístico Nacional (Spain's national tourist-interest festival designation) since 1988. Their origin is not known precisely, although the first documentary reference dates from 1708, when Philip V granted the town the privilege of celebrating them with an armed militia of harquebusiers; in 1747 a festival of Sant Jordi, patron of the town, is already mentioned. The calendar starts on 22 April with parades and offerings, and the Entrada of all the filaes; on the 23rd the religious acts are held, and on the 24th, Day of the Embassies, the conquest of the castle by the Moorish side and the Christian reconquest are re-enacted.
Historical milestone
The narrow-gauge line known as the Chicharra began running in 1884 and crossed Banyeres to link the textile industry of the mountains with the meseta. The service was closed in 1969 and a good part of its route has been converted into a greenway for walkers and cyclists.
Food and drink
A traditional digestive liqueur from the comarcas of the Comtat, l'Alcoià and la Vall d'Albaida, around the Serra de Mariola, made by macerating in semi-dry spirit -nowadays cassalla is usually used- at least four of some twenty wild herbs of the sierra: sage, chamomile, white pennyroyal or mint, lemon verbena, panical root, peppermint, betony, fennel, anise, lemon balm, hierba de la sangre, savory, royal thyme, thyme and rosemary. Its production is regulated under the Denominación Geográfica Herbero de la Serra de Mariola, overseen by the Regulatory Council of Traditional Spirit Drinks of Alicante together with anís paloma, cantueso and Alcoy coffee. Notable commercial brands include Licors Sinc and Pastor, from Alcoi, l'Herberet de Beneixama and Herbero Rufo from Banyeres de Mariola. Harvesting is regulated within the natural park to prevent depletion of the plants.