Old Town of Mequinenza

About this heritage

The old Mequinenza, now known as the Old Town of Mequinenza, was located next to the Ebro and at the confluence of it with the Segre and the Cinca, under the watchful eye of its Castle.

In the mid-20th century it was demolished and buried under the waters of the river that had seen it born due to the construction of the Ribarroja reservoir. The streets and houses of that millenary Mequinenza have been recovered and now you can relive the collective memory of all those who inhabited it.

To learn more

Mequinenza has a long history dating back to Roman times, when it was an important enclave due to its strategic location at the confluence of the Ebro, Segre, and Cinca rivers. During the Middle Ages, the town was an important defensive and commercial center, especially under Muslim influence and later under Christian control after the Reconquista.

In the 20th century, Mequinenza had developed as an important mining center, with an economy based on lignite extraction and agriculture. However, in the 1960s, the Spanish government approved the construction of the Riba-roja reservoir, which implied flooding the valley where the town was located.

In 1966, the inhabitants of old Mequinenza were relocated to a new site, known today as New Mequinenza, built in a higher and safer location. The Old Town was abandoned and gradually submerged under the reservoir waters.

To know it better

In the memory and heart of the people of Mequinenza, the bond with 'lo poble' still lives on, the place that until the construction of the Riba Roja reservoir was their home, and which they had to leave to move to the new town, which until today and in the future will be the new shelter of their history. Part of their cultural heritage, the old town is one of the identity elements of Mequinenza, a town marked by changes like the waters of the rivers to which it is tied.