Torà Explained

Official Name:Torà
Settlement Type:Municipality
Mapsize:250px
Pushpin Map:Spain
Pushpin Mapsize:250
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of Torà within Spain
Pushpin Mapsize1:250
Coordinates:41.8114°N 1.4039°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Spain
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Type2:Province
Subdivision Name2: Lleida
Subdivision Type3:Region
Subdivision Name3:Central Catalonia
Subdivision Type4:Comarca
Subdivision Name4:Solsonès
Established Title:Founded
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Magí Coscollola Andreu (2015)[1]
Area Footnotes:[2]
Area Total Km2:93.3
Elevation M:448
Population Density Km2:auto
Population Demonym:toranès/toranesa
Timezone:CET
Utc Offset:+1
Timezone Dst:CEST
Utc Offset Dst:+2
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:25750
Area Code:34 (Spain) + 973 (Lleida)

Torà (in Catalan; Valencian pronounced as /toˈɾa/; Spanish; Castilian: Torá) is a town and municipality in the North East of the comarca (county) of Solsonès, in the province of Lleida, Catalonia, Spain. The urban structure of the center has retained most of its original design, with narrow, twisting streets and blocks formed by rows of attached buildings. The Medieval town grew around a castle or fortified place (Thoranum castrum). A particular trait of the fortified origin of the town is the presence of a number of portals to allow several streets their pass through defensive barriers formed by the rows of buildings of the town and its walls. Torà is some 10 kilometers northeast from the more populated Guissona (6,145 inhabitants in 2010), a neighbor town that has experienced an important economic development in the last half century (mainly due to meat production and generation of a meat packing industry) parallel to an unprecedented demographic growth sped up in the recent years (from 3,060 inhabitants in 1998 to 6,145 in 2010).

The municipality stretches along la Vall (valley) de la Riera (creek or brook) de Llanera (the Valley of Llanera's Creek) up to the confluence with the Llobregós River. Its orography is rather uneven with the lowest point at 430m and peaks rising up to 850m above sea level. The North sector features el Tossal (a kind of hill) de l'Aguda (L'Aguda's Hill), el Tossal de Sant Donat (Snat Donat's Hill), and the creek named la Riera de Llanera flowing across. On the other hand, the South sector features the hills el Tossal de Sant Pere and el Tossal de la Pineda, crossed by la Riera de Cellers, one of the Riera de Llaneras tributary brooks merging on its left. The town is settled by the left bank of the creek la Riera de Llanera, near the confluence with the Llobregós River, at the bottom of the mountain range la Serra de l'Aguda.[3]
In 1968, the former municipality of Llanera was integrated to Torà.

Districts and neighbourhoods

These are the populated places present in the municipality of Torà:

History

Battle of Torà

See main article: Battle of Torà. There was a battle of the Reconquista fought between an alliance of Catalan counts and an army of the Caliphate of Córdoba in 1003 AD at Torà.

Culture

Festivals

Main sights

Municipal constructions

Military constructions and buildings

Romanesque architecture

Jewish legacy

Location: Carrer Nou, with access through two portals: Portal Nou at Plaça del Pati (Courtyard's Square), and a portal at Plaça de l'Església (Church's Square)[5]

Other monumental buildings

Communications

Torà is along the county road C-1412. Coming from Balaguer, C-1313 towards La Seu d'Urgell until Ponts and then, the road C-1412 towards Calaf.Coming from Cervera, the national road N-141, then the local road LV-3003.[3]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ajuntament de Torà. Generalitat of Catalonia. 2015-11-13.
  2. Web site: El municipi en xifres: Torà. Statistical Institute of Catalonia. 2015-11-23.
  3. http://cat.lleida.com/municipi/?municipi=2522340003 Lleida.com
  4. http://www.vegueries.com/asp/puebloverENG.asp?ID=784 Vegueries .com Routes: Vallferosa (locality in the municipality of Torà), brief description of Vallferosa (Torà) published in the website of a private society specializing in information of tourist interest about routes and places in Catalonia
  5. http://www.lleidatur.com/cat/culturajueva.html article about Jewish culture at Lleidatur .com, the official website of the Patronat de Turisme de la Diputació de Lleida (the Province's Tourism Administration)