Article author:
Reuters
Susanabella and Emmapined
Pitarque — A small village at the foot of the mountains of Aragon in eastern Spain Pitarque has survived for over 1300 years, but at its current rate when depopulated. Residents have warned that it will continue and will be abandoned by 2046.
Due to the closure of a local school at the end of last month, two out of four students may not return to the established village of 69 residents as they moved with their parents. .. A century ago there were more than 1,000 inhabitants by the Islamic conquerors of the 8th century and its heyday.
Many retire and spend months in the cold winter in Pitalke. Pitalke sits on a small valley in a steep mountain range, 340 km (340 km) where the local road ends. 211 miles east of Madrid).
Depopulation is a major challenge for Spain, with a population of 47 million, 80% of the urban area, compared to 68% of France and 60% of Germany, and its territory. It accounts for only 13% of the total.
Villages at risk of depopulation account for 42% of the European Union's average of 10%. Teruel, including Pitarque, is one of the least populated areas in the EU.
A 42-year-old local teacher, Alberto Toro, when he first arrived 14 years ago, fell in love with picturesque villages, nearby rivers, dramatic canyons and mountaineering routes. ..
With less than 10 students at a time, he tailors his teachings to each child and explains how the blood circulation system works. We used fun and innovative methods such as.
"Schools are the driving force of change and development. When they close, they stagnate," said Toro, who still decides where to go, but he calls Pitalke a "microparadise." I will continue to visit.
He doesn't want to think about what he's leaving, but his colleague compared him to Robinson Crusoe, who is about to leave the island.
Eloy, a 12-year-old who goes to school in another village a few miles away, says she misses Toro the most and explains that she resembles her second father who taught her about the human body. did. She uses Lego blocks.
On the final day of school, several ex-students attended an art workshop with Toro and his school children and hugged in a group.
The Spanish government has promised € 4.3 billion in EU funding to expand the coverage of public services to combat depopulation, but locals may be too late for Pitarque I am concerned that there is.
"School closure means the end of the village itself. It could be a dead weekend village from Monday to Friday." (Report by Emma Pinedo, edited by Andrei Khalip and Raissa Kasolowsky)
