La Baronia de Rialb
# La Baronia de Rialb

La Baronia de Rialb (Catalan pronunciation:) is a municipality in the comarca (county) of the Noguera in Catalonia, Spain. The territory is crossed by the river Rialb and the river Segre. The capital city is Gualter; before it had been La Torre de Rialb.

The municipality is formed by the union of old and tiny hamlets and parishes, which in total accounts for twenty-three Romanesque churches, which is the largest number of such churches in Catalonia.

## Demography

| 1787 | 1857 | 1877 | 1887 | 1900 | 1920 | 1940 | 1960 | 1981 | 1998 | 2004 | 2009 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 514 | 1,665 | 1,243 | 1,250 | 1,244 | 1,066 | 839 | 655 | 298 | 247 | 279 | 276 |

## Government

### List of mayors of La Baronia de Rialb

| Period | Mayor | Party |
| - | - | - |
| 1979-1983 | Josep Serra i Bosch | UCD |
| 1983-1987 | Josep Serra i Bosch | CiU |
| 1987-1991 | Josep Serra i Bosch | CiU |
| 1991-1995 | Miquel Gabernet i Bernaus (1991-1992) Pere Prat i Torra (1992-1995) | CiU |
| 1995-1999 | Pere Prat i Torra | CiU |
| 1999-2003 | Pere Prat i Torra | CiU |
| 2003-2007 | Pere Prat i Torra | CiU |
| 2007-2011 | Pere Prat i Torra | CiU |
| 2011- | Pere Prat i Torra | CiU |

## Economy

The agricultural sector is still what draws the most numbers of jobs in La Baronia. A country with blueprints irrigated, highly arable lands, with a level of approximately 400 m to over 800 m altitude of usable land is suitable for a wide variety of crops. However, since a few years ago, the tourism sector is becoming the economic boost that the valley needed. In fact, there are currently available a two dozen agritourist establishments.

## Main sights

### Nature and sport

* Rialb reservoir – the biggest dam in Catalonia.
* Forat de Bulí – a unique ravine in the river Rialb. It is suitable for extreme sports like canyoning.
* Alzinera de Cal Penjat – a hundred-year-old oak in El Puig de Rialb.
* GR 1 – a long-distance footpath that crosses the north of La Baronia.
* Pallerols-Andorra Way – a route suitable for hiking that starts in La Baronia and finishes in Andorra.

### Architecture

* Santa Maria de Gualter – a former Benedictine monastery in Gualter.
* Santa Maria de Palau de Rialb – a Romanesque church built between the 11th and 13th centuries.
* Dolmen of Sols de Riu – a megalithic tomb located near the Rialb reservoir, in La Torre de Rialb.
