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Ribes de Freser
Ribes de Freser
Ribes de Freser, (912 m), a town of 2300 inhabitants, is the administrative and economical centre of the Valley that gives its name (formerly called Valle Petrariense). It is placed in the confluence of three rivers: River Rigard, River Segadell and River Freser, which give to the town its Y-design. This town is situated at the bottom of the Valley and it is protected by high mountains. Ribes was born under the protection of Castell de Sant Pere and around the church devoted to Holy Mary. The name of the place appears for the first time during the tenth century.
In the Middle Ages Ribes de Freser was a royal village that belonged to Cerdanya County and this village formed the subjurisdiction of Cerdanya Veguer. Nowadays, this valley has its own idiosyncrasy in the Ripolles area. Like any other mountain town, Ribes traditionally lived on the peasantry and the minning exploitation, but at the end of the XIX century, with the appearance of paper mills (Can Saus) and textile industrial suburbs (Can Recolons), it fully came into the Industrial Revolution. The 70s crisis, made Vall de Ribes to choose for a tourist reconversion but without leaving its traditional peasantry activity.
The fresh climate and pleasant summers, the beauty of its surroundings, the mineral water streams and the closeness to ski resorts have changed Vall de Ribes into a privileged town for summer holidays and mountain tourism.