Villarroya de los Pinares Facts for Kids

This page is about the locality and municipality of Villarroya de los Pinares in the Maestrazgo region of the province of Teruel, in the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. For other uses, see Villarroya de los Pinares (disambiguation).

Quick facts for kids Villarroya de los Pinares, Spain
municipality

Nickname(s): Villarroya
Villarroya de los Pinares Location in Spain
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Aragon
Province	Teruel
Region	Maestrazgo
Area
• Total	66.41 km² (25.64 sq mi)
Elevation	1,337 m (4,386 ft)
Population (2018)
• Total	160
• Density	2.41/km² (6.24/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
Website	http://www.villarroyadelospinares.es

Villarroya de los Pinares is a small town in Spain. It is located in the Maestrazgo region, which is part of the province of Teruel in Aragon. A municipality is like a local government area.

This town is found in the northern part of the Gúdar mountain range. It sits right next to the Guadalope River. Villarroya de los Pinares is quite high up, at 1,337 meters (about 4,386 feet) above sea level. It is about 51 kilometers (31 miles) from Teruel, the main city of the province.

Local Government
Population Changes
What People Do
Amazing Buildings
Fun Festivals
Famous People
Images for kids
See also

Local Government

Villarroya de los Pinares has its own local government. The people of the town elect a mayor to lead them. For example, from 2011 to 2015, Arturo Martín Calvo was the mayor.

Population Changes

Like many small towns in the province of Teruel, Villarroya de los Pinares has a small population. It has about 3 people living in each square kilometer. Over many years, the number of people living here has slowly gone down. This is common in places that mostly rely on farming and raising animals. Many young people move to bigger cities for work or school.

In the early 1900s, over 1,000 people lived in Villarroya de los Pinares. By 2018, the population was about 160 people. This shows a big change over time.

What People Do

For a long time, the people of Villarroya de los Pinares made their living from farming and raising animals. This was the main way to earn money.

More recently, people have started to visit the town for rural tourism. This means visitors come to enjoy the countryside and quiet life. There are also ski slopes nearby in the Sierra de Gúdar mountains. If you like outdoor activities, you can also find good hunting and fishing spots.

Amazing Buildings

Villarroya de los Pinares is a very old town. In 1982, it was named a Historic-artistic Site. This means it has many important old buildings and a special history. You can see old shields and writings on many buildings in the town.

The town has a beautiful Gothic church. It was built a very long time ago, in 1459. The church is dedicated to the Virgin of the Assumption. It has a unique rounded back part and a covered walkway. The church has been fixed up many times over the years. A famous person named Cardinal Francisco Peña is buried there. He always dreamed of making it a cathedral.

Near the town, there is a small church called a hermitage. It was built to honor the town's special saint, San Benón. Also close by are the ruins of an old castle. This castle once belonged to James I of Aragón, who was a king of Aragon.

Fun Festivals

The town celebrates two main festivals each year. These are special days to honor their patron saints.

One festival is on June 16th, for San Benón.
The other festival is on July 25th, for St. James the Apostle.

Famous People

Some interesting people have connections to Villarroya de los Pinares:

Cardinal Francisco Peña was a very important person from the town. He lived in a grand house there, built a long time ago.
Commander Don Narciso Alegre was another person from Villarroya de los Pinares. He was a Carlist leader during a time of conflict in Spain.
Narciso Alegre y Pellicer was the son of Narciso Alegre. He and his younger brother, Francisco, had to leave Spain and go to the Philippines after a war.
Telesforo Julve was a luthier, which means he made stringed musical instruments like guitars. He was based in Valencia.