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Balenyà register

Date
1756
Archive
County Archives of Osona
Document type
Textual
Reference code
CAT-ACOS80-182-T-243
Link to the online document
Description

The Cadastre de Balenyà from 1756, the oldest preserved document of the municipal fund of this municipality of Osona, is a jewel of the local administration of the Old Regime. Each record includes a small sketch of the corresponding rustic estate, which turns it into a graphic and written testimony of the territorial and fiscal management of the time. This document reflects the rationalizing spirit of the 18th century, in which the authorities sought to better understand and control the territory in order to optimize tax collection. In this context, Catalonia aligns itself with other European regions that, under the impetus of modern states, developed increasingly precise cadastral systems. The Balenyà cadastre tells us of a Europe that is measured, drawn and administered, and of a Catalonia that is an active part of this process of institutional and territorial modernization.