A National park
of incomparable beauty
It is located in the central Pyrenees
of Huesca, to the north of Broto and Torla furrowed
by the Arazas river . Faced in direction East-west, it has
a length of approximately 15 km and a width of approximately 3 km
in its final part, which comes down to 1 km at the bottom of the vale;
its altitude ranges from 1.090 m. in its mouth in the Ara river,
to 2.000 m. in the area of the Clavijas de Soaso.
The whole vale is dominated by the
impressives sheer cliffs, with differences that go from 400 to 1.000
m. These walls are in some sectors subdivided by small cornices that
give landings of scarce largeness, after outcroping harder calcareous
banks . The vale is excavated in the North flank of a big calcareous
anticline located towards the South, which axis is situited in the
mountain range of the Cutas.
As a whole is shaped by the glaciers
that occupied in the Quaternary, with a circus in the head of the
vale, that of Soaso, with a series of landings and steps, named
grandstand locally and occupied by cascades, which make lower the
level gradually up to its mouth, and also a trough profile of whole
vale. Its big beauty has turned it into National Park from 1918.
It was created by Royal decree of 16-VIII-1918,
declaring itself then 2.066 hectares. Later, by Law 52/1982 it is
re-qualified and extends, with what the park has 15.608 hectares and
a peripheral area of protection about 19.679 hectares. The included
municipalities are: Bielsa, Fanlo, Puértolas, Tella-Sin, Torla
and Broto. All of them belonging to the region of the Sobrarbe
in the province of Huesca. The altitude is between 700 meters
of the Bellós river and 3.355 m. of the top of the Monte
Perdido. Out-standing peaks are: Monte Perdido (3.3.48
m.), Cilindro de Marboré (3.328 m.),Taillón (3.144 m.),
Brecha de Rolando (2.804 m.), ....
One gains access to the Ordesa
vale for the highway CN-260 (Pyrenees route) from Jaca-Sabiñánigo
to Biescas and Broto across the Cotefablo port.
To Añisclo, Escuaín and Pineta goes over to local
highways from the A-138 Barbastro-Aínsa (where it connects
with the yrenees route); from Aínsa a regional highway goes
to the French border for Bielsa that comes for the entry to
the Vale of Pineta, belonging also to the park.
It is provided with a Center of Interpretation
in the entry to the park for Torla (western area) located in
the ancient state-run hotel of tourism. Two Centers of Information
and general attention that work, also, like thematic museums, are
located in Tella; one dedicated to the witchcraft and other
to ethnological topics. There is in project for next opening a Center
of Interpretation in Bielsa (oriental part of the Park) and
two Centers of Information, one in Fanlo and other in Escalona.
Also it is next to being inaugurated inside the park, in collaboration
with the O.N.C.E., an innovative Center of Interpretation faced towards
handicapped persons and blind persons.
From ancient, this massif has been an
object of the attention of geologists, botanists, zoologists, speleologists
and mountaineers for the numerous incentives that offers the singular
nature of its geology, the variety of its flora and the peculiarities
of its fauna. The Monte Perdido, maximum altitude with its
(3.348 m). of the massif of Las Tres Sorores, dominates four
principal vales: Vale of the Arazas (Ordesa), Cannon
of Añisclo, Gorge of Escuaín and vale of Pineta.
|
From the geologic point of view it
is necessary to emphasize the massif of Gavarnie-Monte Perdido
that has been qualified like «an immense geologic poem». So was defining
by the French geologist L. Ramond of Carbonnièrsit that reached its
summit in 1802, discovering in the surroundings of the lake of Tucarroya
quantity of marine fossils that were confirming that the Monte Perdido
was an ancient ocean floor during the Secondary Age. The water, due
to its erosive power and force has shaped beautiful cracked and deep
cavities. The park receives annually like rain or snow between 900
and 2.000 mm. of water. It is necessary to emphasize the big changes
of temperature and moisture, so much seasonal as between the day and
the night, thermal investments that are reflected in the distribution
of the land level of vegetation. The ice has its maximum exponent
in two places: the glacier of Monte Perdido and the frozen
cave of Casteret.
The vegetation is very varied, due to
the difference of altitudes and orientation; the Edelweis (flower
of snow, species protected for being in extinction danger) or rhododendron
are very appreciated by the botanists. The forest overcomes 18 % of
the entire surface and upholsters the low slopes of the vales coming
up to 1.500 meters, at the time that the species are distributed according
to the orientation of every vale. So, in Ordesa, of cold and
humid climate, dominate the beeches, while in Pineta, more
arid, emphasize the pine forests of wild pines. In Añisclo
and Escuaín the forest is subMediterranean and is dominated
by holm oaks and gall-oaks in the highest parts and bank forest near
the river beds. Unlike the stock farm, the forest one is prohibited
inside the Park. The flowers present a big variety of species that
grow for all the corners of the Park, in the highest tops, between
the fissures of the rock, in the shade of the beech grooves. These
plants bloom in the spring and summer epoch, as the snow is melting;
of between big variety, the primulas, gentians, irises, siemprevivas,
sexigrafas, potentillas, merenderas, are some of the most singular
species.
The fauna also is very varied, having
had here its last refuge a species already extinguished (in 2000)
like the Bucardo (Capra P. Pyrenaica), considered like
the emblematic species of the Park. Between other species also very
typical, emphasize; Quebrantahuesos, Buitre Leonado,,l Águila Real,
Chova Pitirroja, Tritón Pirenaico, Nutria, Marmota, Sarrio, .........
§§§§§§§§§§----------------
|