Meet the eleven towns that will be protagonists in the match against Granada CF at El Madrigal
Eleven localities from the Baix Maestrat region will be protagonists next Saturday in the Villarreal match against Granada at El Madrigal (20:30 CTE) thanks to the project Endavant Província, which was created last season in order to promote the tourism of the Castellón province.
With this purpose, fans can already know a little better the charm of each one of the promoted towns of next fixture.
Sant Mateu
Sant Mateu, historic capital of el Maestrat, is located in a flat of the centre of the region. The topography of its municipal area is soft in its central area and more mountainous in its laterals, with mountains that in some cases surpass the 800 meters of altitude. A central corridor crosses the municipal area from north to south, draining the ravines and streams of Benifarquell, Palacio, Coma, and Piques into the Rambla Cervera. With a walking through Sant Mateu, you can discover the historic importance of this charming town and revive the story of the Orden de Montesa, Papa Luna, cathar Bélibaste, the visits of San Vicent Ferrer (Vincent Ferrer), the Germanies, and much more historical facts.
Càlig
The Town Charter was granted by Hug de Fullalquer in 1234 to Pere de Balaguer and Bernat de Puig in order to populate the place occupied by Càlig. In 1550 it was designated as a Villa (town with privileges), being annexed and settled according to Els Costums de Lleida.Its municipal area is formed by hills, with few flats opened to Cierzo, cold wind coming from Aragón. Its weather involves soft winters and warm summers and presents an altitude of 123 m. above sea level. In its urban tour, visitors can find the Parish Church, the Virgen del Socorro hermitage, the Santísima Trinidad convent, the Virgen de los Desamparados chapel, the Torre, and the natural location of Virgen del Socorro.
Traiguera
This town is placed at the northern area of the province of Castellón, in the heart of the Baix Maestrat region. The town is settled 232 m above sea level, and its municipal area occupy a gently undulating terrain. From the 6th to the 1st century BC, in the Iberian age, it belonged to the Ilercavones. Romanization process met little resistance and the importance of the city did not decline, as demonstrated by the fact that the Via Augusta passed through this location, and reinforced by the discovery of numerous archaeological remains. In its urban itinerary, it can be found the Gothic building of the Town Hall (15th century), and two building with Renaissance-style (17th century). In the church square it is placed the church and the Parish Museum; and in San Blas street, visitors can enjoy San Blas hermitage and San Vicente spring.
Rossell
Rosell is located in the north-east of the Baix Maestrat and it’s the entrance door to the Tinença de Benifassà, set at 505 m of altitude. The town shares boundaries with La Pobla de Benifassà, La Sénia, Canet lo Roig and Vallibona. It forms one of the most unaltered territories of the Valencian Community in terms of environmental aspects. Its settings with a vast biodiversity, both botanical and faunistic, give a great scientific value, and its broken landscapes not much altered by human intervention, constitute a pleasure for contemplation.
The most emblematic spring of the town is the Font de Baix, which can be found near the town, parallel to the riverbed of the ravine of Requena. Another place full of beauty is the Font de l’Argent, full of vegetation and of easy access.
If we take a walk through the centre of the town, we will discover the interesting artistic ensemble of the Church dels Sants Joans. Walking out the Church square, we will find the civic centre “Molí Vell,” which is home to exhibitions, gatherings, and diverse activities. Following with our walk through the centre, in the Mestra Saiz street we will find the Aulario “Lope de Vega,” and if we continue, the square and the building of the Town Hall.
Sant Jordi
Sant Jordi is located in the Baix Maestrat region, in an undulating plain along the road that continues up from Vinaròs, on the coast, towards the Maestrat and Morella. One of its attractions is the presence of a magnificent golf course in the municipal area. Its excellent geographical location allows us to enjoy the quietness of a town in the interior region at only 8 minutes to the beautiful beaches of the Costa de Azahar.
The Arc de Triomphe (a stone monument), created by the Barberà brothers in 1995, greets us in our way into the town. Following with our walk, we reach the old town, where we can contemplate the architectural beauty of ecclesiastical and civil buildings, such as the San Jaime parish church, the former police barracks, or the interior of the old 14th-century church, located in the main square. It also stands out the majestic Casa del Racó, part of which nowadays functions as the rural house “Mas dels Estellers;” in its interior we can find the oil mil, nowadays transformed in a cellar-museum.
Just 700 m outside the town, between thickets and pines, we can enjoy a pleasant walk along the paths of the Bovalar Natural Park and Future Sculpture Park, while contemplating the magnificent views from the “casetas-merenderos” (snack areas in the huts), located at the entrance to the pine grove.
However, the main tourist attraction, both nationally and internationally, is the Nova Panorámica golf course. The interesting round of this course and its spectacular setting gives it the consideration of one of the most attractive golf courses in Europe.
Xert
Core of the jurisdiction of the castle of Cervera, the Master of the Hospital granted its Town Charter in 1235. The town of Xert comprehends from the high part where the castle was placed and the old church was built, to the flat through which it has grown in the modern era.
Xert landscape corresponds to the typical one of the Maestrat lands, with wide fields of rainfed crop lands, reaching in some cases the terraced hillsides by the Molas, or flat-topped mountains formed by de succession of layers of distinct resistance, among which stands out the Mola Murada.
In the lower part of the town, there are notable mansions from the 15th to the 18th century. During the last years, the old town shows a tendency to its recovery, thanks to restoration and rehabilitation of several ruined houses by many locals. In the higher part, we can find the primitive Asunción de Nuestra Señora parish church from the late 18th century. The new church is placed in the plain and modern part of the town.
Canet lo Roig
Canet lo Roig has its roots in the Iberian age, as proved by remains found in its municipal area. It was a former subject of the castle of Cervera and the Orders of the Hospital (also known as order of Malta) and Montesa. It was designated a Villa in 1540, by the Master Francesc Llansòl. It will be interesting to visit its old town: here you will find the Parish Church, the area of Montjetades street, as well as Gothic houses and a series of picturesque squares. It is surrounded by high buttes and mountains; its terrain is also scored with rivers and ravines.
La Jana
The village of La Jana is located under the remains of a Roman villa, in the rallying point of Via Augusta and Via Hercúlea. Its architectural patrimony stands out particularly. In the tour through its urban area, we can find Manor houses, with noble coats of arms regarding important families of the past as the “Palau Borrull,” the “Palau dels Jovaní,” the “ Casa de Pere Pasqual,” or “Els Llavaderos,” the later ones formed by a historic spring of Roman origins restored in 1371, with pipes and deposit of Arabic origin, among others.
Cervera del Maestre
The typical rainfed land scenery found in the Baix Maestrat region is the one surrounding Cervera del Maestre, mountainous terrain with an altitude of 316 m. Its highest peaks include Revoltons (635 m), Perdiguera (516 m), and Mola (481 m). The terrain is from rocky and clay soil nature.
A huge number of archaeological settlements are the prove of Cervera’s long history. It stands out the Mas d’Aragó, a roman agricultural villa, which was founded by the Phocaean Greeks in 331 A.D.
A walk through the typical medieval village, shows us the uneven streets, perfectly adapted to the village’s mountainside location and containing interesting samples of Medieval architecture. The castle ruins, the Molí de l’Oli (oil mill museum), the church and bell tower, and the panoramic views from “Colomé” and “Coroneta del Calvo”, these are the places with special interest.
Sant Rafel del Riu
Its history is extremely recent, since prior to 1927, the village did not exist as such. This was the year in which it became independent from Traiguera, after years of struggle over the distribution of the municipal area. Its landscape is the typical Mediterranean landscape, with its typical vegetation (olives, pine trees, etc.). It has an altitude of approximately 300m above sea level. Climate is Mediterranean. The municipality is totally flat, with no significant variations in altitude across the terrain.
Parallel to the Sénia river and being used as boundary in the south area, it can be found the ravine of the Barbiguera. The spring of the Drapé supplies the necessary water to the population. Nowadays, several old mills are preserved – Canet, Castell, De Roca, Bordales, and Molí l’Om.
Despite being a young village, in its surrounding it has been found remains of what could have been some kind of village or or lodge, built near the old Roman road.
La Pobla de Benifassà
The landscape of La Pobla de Benifassà is very rugged and mountainous, with a great botanical value, with plants that are unique to these parts and are home to a rich fauna, such as the Spanish ibex, vultures, hawks, robins, etc. It can be also enjoyed the trout fishing in the Sénia river, whose water, alongside that of the river Verde and the ravine of Tenalla, is stored in the reservoir of Ulldecona. The altitude ranges from 411 m. at its lowest point to 1,345 m. at its peak, so its climate is very distinct. The most emblematic places of the village are its churches and the stone-made houses.
