Last modified: 2019-10-07 by ivan sache
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The municipality of Montalbo (626 inhabitants in 2018; 7,372 ha; municipal website) is
located 60 km south-west of Cuenca.
Montalbo, probably settled by the Romans, was named for its topography
("White Mount"; Latin, alba, "white"). The Visigoths built there a
basilica, of which a column has been preserved.
The domain of Montalbo was erected in 1370 for Egas Coello.
Ivan Sache, 29 June 2019
The flag of Montalbo is prescribed by an Order issued on 4 September
1995 by the Government of Castilla-La Mancha and published on 15
September 1995 in the official gazette of Castilla-La Mancha, No. 46,
pp. 4,999-5,000 (text).
The flag is described as follows:
Flag: Rectangular, in proportions 2:3, horizontally divided in the middle, the upper part, yellow, and the lower part, red. A right-angled triangle running from the hoist to the line of horizontal division.
The flag in use (photo) appears to be charged with elements of the municipal coat of arms.
The coat of arms of Montalbo is prescribed by an Order issued on 4
September 1995 by the Government of Castilla-La Mancha and published on
15 September 1995 in the official gazette of Castilla-La Mancha, No. 46,
p. 4,999 (text).
The coat of arms is described as follows:
Coat of arms: Gules a mount argent charged with a roundel wavy and surmounted by a castle or port and windows azure. The shield surmounted by a Spanish Royal crown.
The Royal Academy of History validated the proposed symbols.
The coat of arms "perfectly expresses" the name of the place and the
existence of remains of a castle and of a lake, represented "in the best
style".
[Boletín de la Real Academia de la Historia 194:1, 198. 1997]
Lake El Hito, equally shared by the municipalities of El Hito and Montalbo, is a wet area stretching over 291 ha; water height, usually
10-15 cm, hardly reached 1 m after rainy events.
The lake is endorrheic, that is, only filled by rain water. Annual rain
never exceeds 400 mm, with a long dry period; accordingly, the lake
might dry out in summertime, while salty crusts are formed at its surface.
Lake El Hito is a main shelter for the avifauna, especially cranes
during their winter migration. The lake harbors other, less visible,
rare organisms, such as the halophyt (salt-thriving) herb Limonium
soboliferum Erben, which is endemic to Lake El Hito (found nowhere
else), and Brachinecta orientalis G.O. Sars, a brachiopod crustacean.
[Montalbo municipal website]
Ivan Sache, 29 June 2019
