• A FORGOTTEN REPUBLIC
  

• ITS BORDERING SETTING AND THE MIXED TOWNS

• THE TERRITORY'S LENGHT

• ARCHITECTURE

• COMMUNICATION

• THE PRIVILEGED WAY

• REVIVAL OF THE PRIVILEGED WAY

• RECONSTRUCTION

A FORGOTTEN REPUBLIC [go back]

The mixed reserve was an almost unknown and forgotten Republic. Luis Manuel García Mañá, who wrote “Menino Morreu”, “As Plumas do Moucho”, “Couto Mixto: unha República esquecida”, etc…, and looked through the Galician files until he found historic bits of this territory.

There are similar origins in the mixed reserve and Andorra. Andorra is a state within the International Community that began to form part of the United Nations. The historic luck of the mixed is not the same as that of the Andorran because a Boundary Law abolished the mixed reserve in 1864.

Today, in these three mixed towns (Meaus, Santiago and Rubías) people are very proud of belonging to towns of such exceptional origins to declare this study as a monograph of historical, cultural and social interest.

There is an Association of Friends of the Mixed Reserve made up by the neighbours of these lands and a group of outstanding personalities of Galician Culture. Domingo do Campo and Xosé Manuel Cid, vice-chancellor and Pro-vice-chancellor of the University of Vigo, respectively, have been a great support to restore the historic memory of such an exceptional town and thanks to the merits of García Mañá, the community can restore its lost or at least forgotten identity. From now on, the present neighbours of Santiago, Rubías and Meaus will have their houses in this land deeply marked by History.

ITS BORDERING SETTING AND THE MIXED TOWNS [go back]

These bordering territories are settled in Galicia and Portugal respectively and considered as mountain areas in both countries because almost all towns are located between the 850 and 1000 m high. It is known that mountain climates do not facilitate the existence of abundant vegetation. They comprise poor soils, most of the times with slopes that make the development of agroforestry works difficult although there are high-quality zones that once cultivated tobacco, forage, cereals, etc.

Today they are also associated with low levels of human settlement.

These mountain zones are distant from the market circuits; that’s why they offer isolation problems and are considered less favourable for developing industrial, commercial and service activities.

Knowing the climatology, population and other circumstances, knowing the past and taking the present as a referent, and even taking into account the lack of population in these territories, we hope the present century will bring back in the future the lost self-esteem in the past.

We want to improve the precarious economical situation, recover the active population, promote traditional richness as much as possible, and develop actions and activities that can improve the social welfare.

THE TERRITORY'S LENGHT [go back]

The Spanish territory is situated on the South of Ourense, bordering on the Portuguese Montalegre.

It comprises Meaus (this town belongs to Baltar), Santiago and Rubías that belong to Calvos de Randín. These towns formed in the past the ancient republic of the Mixed Reserve. They are about 27 km² large:

ARCHITECTURE [go back]

Granite stone and wood were the construction materials used in that zone.

The stone of the walls has a very irregular cut, sometimes binding stone, whereas beams are usually made of oak.

The ground floor was a dirt floor, whereas the upper ones were made of chestnut wood.

Nowadays, the roof is made of red tile; in the past the roof was covered by straw, similar to the ancient Celtic huts (pallozas).

The kitchen was a sort of lareira or parrugueira, where peasants developed most part of their daily activities.

There were ovens to bake bread; washing places and stables with a barn for oxen, (today they are no longer used).

There are many churches and chapels as well as traditional cruceiros and petos de ánimas. The churches’ altarpieces are all Neoclassic, Baroque, policromated and with a simple rural carving.

On the rivers and streams of this zone, there are usually bridges so that carts can cross. There are also footbridges and plenty of water mills for cereals.

To sum up, we can say that the urban whole of the towns is in a natural landscape motivating Rural Tourism.

The bordering situation is an absolute freedom because we border on Portugal and there is in the visitor a sort of international sensation very favourable for tourism.

COMMUNICATION [ga back]

Until the second half of the 20th century, bordering territories, both Galician and the Portuguese ones, were practically uncommunicated by road.

The only road links with the outside were not asphalt roads; one communicated Xinzo de Limia with Calvos de Randín and another one Xinzo de Limia with Baltar going across Laroá.

Owing to the impulse of the first Spanish development plans during the 70’s, both roads were asphalted.

Some years later, between the 80’s and the 90’s, the old ways got modestly extended: from Randín to Tourém, from Randín to Vilariño crossing Vilar, Meaus dos Mixtos towards Tosende from Sampaio de Abades to San Martiño crossing Sabucedo.

Today, communications among these towns are excellent.

THE PRIVILEGED WAY [go back]

It is difficult to determine the date since people have been passing along this way. It must exist since the very moment the Mixed Reserve was created, mainly if we take into account that it goes along the Outeiro da Picoña, which stands where the governor of the Portuguese kings lived.

The way lengthened between the Mixed Reserve, crossing Randín up to Outeiro da Picoña to go into the Portuguese lands and end up in Tourém. The journey came closer about 6 km and showed a curve to the south, being signposted in some points with crosses marked in rocks.

The privileged way goes along beautiful places of the River Salas valley, crossing bridges, streams, woods, and exceptional ways. Its extraordinary value established that along the route, nobody could be caught nor the goods he carried, even smuggling, which prevented the Spanish and the Portuguese border guards from acting against the walkers who used it. The privileged way lasted as much as the mixed reserve and was deprived of its singularity from the Lisbon Treaty in 1864.

REVIVAL OF THE PRIVILEGED WAY [go back]

It started to be restored in 2007, thanks to Aquilino Valencia Salgado, Mayor of Calvos de Randín, and ‘Couto Mixto’ Vocational Training Centre.

It began in Santiago, going on Rubiás and ending up in Tourém (Portugal).

RECONSTRUCTION [go back]

They cleaned the ways preserving the stones on them, modified fountains with stone and made wooden bridges with bars on both sides. All the points of the way were signposted with wooden informative signs.

This revival was the best to be done, something historic of the past decades so that the people who live today in this town can be proud of remembering something of history although they cannot enjoy the ancient privileges, as it is not an Independent Republic.