Within the framework of the twinning between La Vall de Gallinera, municipality of Marina Alta, and Puigpunyent, a Majorcan town, a series of actions have been initiated to strengthen ties and promote cultural exchanges between both communities.
The twinning process began in November 2019 at the initiative of the La Vall de Gallinera City Council, culminating in the signing of a collaboration agreement between said municipality and the Baleària Foundation within the framework of the Terra de Retrobament Project. This cultural and heritage project seeks to link municipalities of the Marina Alta and the Balearic Islands with a shared historical past.
The official twinning ceremony took place in October 2022 as part of the III Days of the Mallorcan Repopulation in southern Valencia, commemorating the 412th anniversary of the arrival of the first Mallorcan families to La Vall de Gallinera in October 1610. Subsequently, In March 2023, the twinning ceremony was held in the Plaça Major of Puigpunyent, thus marking the beginning of cultural exchanges between both municipalities with the support of the Baleària Foundation.
The first specific cultural action has been the school visit of the students from the Joanot Martorell School in La Vall de Gallinera to the Puig de na Fàtima educational center in Puigpunyent. During their stay in Mallorca, the students were able to learn more about their roots around the repopulation of 1611.
For the year 2024, new cultural exchange actions are planned, such as the performance of the Grup de Danses Mallorquines de Puigpunyent at the XXI Festa de la Cirera in La Vall de Gallinera on June 8, as well as the school visit of Puigpunyent students to La Vall de Gallinera at the end of October.
In addition, the participation of the Batucada Benibatuka of La Vall de Gallinera in events in Puigpunyent is planned for the coming years, as well as cultural exchanges between older people from both municipalities.
These actions, led by both city councils in collaboration with the Baleària Foundation, seek to highlight the historical heritage shared between the islands and the Marina Alta, while promoting community development and strengthening sociocultural ties between both regions separated by the Mediterranean Sea.
