L'Esquirol

L'Esquirol (Catalan for 'the squirrel', Catalan pronunciation: [ləskiˈɾɔl]) known as Santa Maria de Corcó until 4 June 2014, is a municipality in the comarca of Osona in Catalonia, Spain.

L'Esquirol
Municipality
L'Esquirol
Flag Coat of arms
L'Esquirol Location in the Province of Barcelona Show map of Province of Barcelona L'Esquirol Location in Catalonia Show map of Catalonia L'Esquirol Location in Spain Show map of Spain
Coordinates: 42°2′14″N 2°22′10″E
Country	Spain
Community	Catalonia
Province	Barcelona
Comarca	Osona
Government
• Mayor	Àlex Montanyà i Rifà (2015)[1]
Area [2]
• Total	61.8 km2 (23.9 sq mi)
Elevation [2]	693 m (2,274 ft)
Population  (2018)[3]
• Total	2,141
• Density	35/km2 (90/sq mi)
Website	lesquirol.cat

Etymology

The name l'Esquirol (literally "the squirrel") comes from a former local inn Hostal de l'Esquirol which was recorded in the 17th century, but is thought to be ultimately from the old Catalan "es querol", meaning "the little rock".^[4][5]

"Esquirol" is used as a pejorative term for strikebreakers in Catalan and Spanish,^[6] equivalent to "scab" in English. Legend has it that this meaning originated in the 19th century, when striking workers of a textile factory in the town of Manlleu were replaced by textile workers from the town of Esquirol. The Manlleu workers called the strikebreakers "esquirols" as an insult.^[5]

History

The village dates to the 15th century when it formed along the path from Vic to Olot. The settlement started around an inn called the Hostal de l'Esquirol on a homestead named Parai. The village was popularly known as L'Esquirol. The other name of the village, Santa Maria de Corcó, was added in 1743 when the Corcó parish relocated to Esquirol, and became the official name of the municipality in Francoist Spain. On 4 June 2014 the name was officially changed back to L'Esquirol.^[7]

Villages

• Cantonigròs
• Sant Julià de Cabrera
• Sant Martí Sescorts

References

1. "Ajuntament de l'Esquirol". Generalitat of Catalonia. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
2. "El municipi en xifres: L'Esquirol". Statistical Institute of Catalonia. Retrieved 2015-11-23.
3. Municipal Register of Spain 2018. National Statistics Institute.
4. "Santa Maria de Corcó conserva el nom malgrat la victòria de l'Esquirol en una consulta perquè la participació no ha arribat al 50%". ccma.cat (in Catalan). Corporació Catalana de Mitjans Audiovisuals, SA. 23 February 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
5. "Diccionari català-valencià-balear - "esquirol"". dcvb.iec.cat. Institut d'Estudis Catalans. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
6. esquirol in the Diccionario de la Real Academia Española.
7. "El ple municipal aprova canviar el nom de Santa Maria de Corcó per l'Esquirol". ccma.cat (in Catalan). Corporació Catalana de Mitjans Audiovisuals, SA. Retrieved 13 August 2015.

• Panareda Clopés, Josep Maria; Rios Calvet, Jaume; Rabella Vives, Josep Maria (1989). Guia de Catalunya, Barcelona: Caixa de Catalunya. ISBN 84-87135-01-3 (Spanish). ISBN 84-87135-02-1 (Catalan).

External links

• Pàgina web de l'Ajuntament
• Government data pages (in Catalan)