AN 'EXAMPLE' of anti-Covid management that has made it to the cover of The New York Times, but not through confining its inhabitants or any other restrictions – a municipality in Catalunya has suddenly leapt onto the global media stage.
A panoramic view over Gósol, Lleida province (photo: Wikimedia Commons)
But how did Gósol do it?
And how did this Lleida-province village manage to save itself from extinction at the same time?
By asking people to go and live there.
'Empty Spain'
If you've explored the country beyond its high-profile resort areas, you'll know Spain isn't just coast, swimming pools, palm trees and whitewashed villas. It's not even just about huge, attractive cities with classical architecture, pastel-coloured mansions and cast-iron balconies, museums, art galleries, restaurants and nightlife.
Gósol's town hall square, featured on the cover of The New York Times
Of course, it has all that, too, but massive chunks of Spain are completely rural – in fact, it's the second-most mountainous country in Europe after Switzerland, which effectively makes it the most hilly nation in the EU. It's also very green, in parts, with regions compared favourably to Ireland and Scotland, and its scenery – vastly different from province to province and even within the same provinces – is dramatic, superlative, overpoweringly-beautiful; you'll never get bored with it however long you spend gazing at it from your window.
But the downside of all this rural Eden is a crippling population decline. Not in Spain as a country – only in its inland countryside parts, where villages can be over 20 kilometres apart, the nearest decent-sized town with a decent-sized supermarket over an hour's drive away, and commuting impossible unless you want to spend most of your wages on fuel and more of your time driving to and from than actually at the office.
'Empty Spain', therefore, suffers from being impractical for the working age, who are also the childbearing age, meaning there's little call for schools, and low demand for internet and phone connections; indeed, those few left behind, mostly retired, are not enough of a customer base to make it worthwhile for operators to set up networks.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com