In Corbera d'Ebre one can understand how much the people of the Terra Alta region suffered during the war which was the worst disaster in its history. The former district of a peaceful people like all those of the region situated above the Muntera tower from which could be seen the movement of work in the fields, clusters of neighbours along the roads, the housewives who came and went from the fountain, the market or the wash house or sound of the groups of children playing...

However when war broke out and the Battle of the Ebro (from July 25th to 17th of November 1938) the town remained very close to the border. The walls of the houses were peppered with machine gun fire. Almost all of the town was destroyed by bombs.

After the war, for a variety of reasons families moved to the lower part on both sides until a new town was built.

Now only the hillock of Muntera remains where the ruins, ever more eroded, remain. This is where the old Church of Sant Pere (a big baroque building dating from the end of the 18th century) is situated which, although damaged, remains nonetheless emblematic.

All of the above was declared worthy of cultural interest, as a Historical Site (20-07-92). It has also become a Monument of Peace and one of the sites that must be visited as a testament to the destruction which took place during the war.

This site ranks as one most worthy of funds from the «Llei del Patrimoni Cultural Català» organization coming under the protection plan «u per cent cultural» and also under the law relating to the historical Spanish patrimony to bring about official public visits to the monument.

Now the «Associació del Poble Vell», an organization set up by a group of neighbours with the help of the Council with the clear objective of preserving and restoring the site

«A lot of people visit the site and it concerns our own history. A history testified in the stones which we wish to restore and preserve, to leave in better condition for the younger generation. We don't wish the site to be lost or to deteriorate more. It is for this reason that we are looking for help urgently from public administration.»

In the short term we have another more ambitious objective:

«To preserve the Poble Vell de Corbera d'Ebre as a Monument to Peace easily accessible and linked to other monuments around the world.»

Joan Antonio Montaña
Associació del Poble Vell de Corbera d'Ebre