The entire area of the Park and its surroundings is a traditional settlement of people who have fought daily against the rigors of nature, using a form as rational and respectful as the natural environment, which has made possible its conservation until today.

The Cultural Environment

The Sobrarbe

The culture and traditions of the Park are intimately linked to those of the Sobrarbe Region.

Land full of charm, where the medieval history of the Reconquista to the south is engraved in the remains of castles, fortresses, hermitages, etc.

Ainsa, historic-artistic complex, strategically located in the confluence of the Cinca and Ara rivers, is a compulsory passage between France and Spain through Bielsa and a meeting place between the people of the mountain and those of the lowland.

Boltaña, on the banks of the Ara, is currently the functional center of the region, head of the judicial district. Like Ainsa, it houses magnificent motifs of popular architecture.

The Sobrarbe was together with the Jacetania, a region greatly linked to the gestation of what would be the Kingdom of Aragon.

The peoples and their people

Around the National Park there is a whole - humanized Pyrenean landscape-.
The towns appear as a challenge to the natural forces that surround them.

Houses with slab roof and stone walls, large chimneys with "espantabrujas", kitchen-hearths with cadieras (wooden benches around a central fire).

The hand of man has been modeling the landscape. Terraces and belts where we can cultivate and collect the grass, small dams to take advantage of the strength of the water, mallatas for the cattle to spend the night.

The people of the mountain have had to organize themselves to reach a balance with Nature: Mancomunidades, fraternities, regulations, hunting methods, treaties on pastures (patzerias). Life depends here on respect for the environment.

The holidays and pilgrimages

A large number of festivals and pilgrimages, in which ancient traditions are still preserved, give color to the calendar of these valleys.

Romerias in Spring, patronal celebrations in summer and autumn, and only the carnivals in winter.

It is necessary to forget for a few days the work, the distance of the relatives, the cold winter sunrises, the fears and the silence.

Other interesting information about the Ordesa y Monte Perdido Park

• Index about the Park.
• Description of the Park.
• Natural values of the Park.
• The Landscape of the Park.
• The Climate in the Park.
• The Waters of the Park.
• The Animals of the Park.
• The Plants of the Park.
• The Human environment of the Park.
• Useful recommendations for visiting the Park.
• Behavior in the Park.
• How to go to the park

Also Aragon enjoys a diverse and varied Nature where passing by plants, animals, Geology, or landscapes we can arrive at a fantastic bestiary that lives in its monuments.

The information will not be complete without a stroll by its three provinces, with shutdown in some of its spectacular landscapes like Ordesa, the Moncayo, Monegros or by opposition the Ebro.

Also you can dedicarte to the intangible ones: from the legend compilation that also does to universal Aragon.