Cornel

Cornel is a locality in Central Parish with 357 inhabitants, located on the Cornel Pass. At 1500 meters above sea level, it is the highest populated settlement in Brunant. Cornel has been inhabited since the 14th century, and due to its location on the key land crossing of Brunant over the Central Ranges became an important stop and prosperous settlement. Cornel has a mostly dry, high mountain climate with snow in the winter and is known for its cool weather.

Cornel is located well inland, near the small Aragon Lake, a pond. Cornel is known for its variety in species of flora and fauna, many of which are not found in areas of lower altitude.

The area around Cornel was discovered in the 13th century and settled around 1300. From the 14th century to the early 20th century the town was quite prosperous as the only major stop on the pass. Despite being so high up, the town's strategic location saw it host a number of soldiers during the Brunant's many wars, being occupied as part of military campaigns. Cornel has seen its fortunes decline due to the construction of other crossings of the mountains, such as the Bergen Tunnel. Most of the economy today is centered around farming, along with some tourism.

Etymology
Cornel is named after Pedro (Pere) Cornel, an Aragonese gentleman and knight who was involved in the Conquest of Brunant and a discoverer of the village's area. Cornel was born around 1216 and lived until at least 1262, and was involved in the Conquest of Mallorca and Valencia. In the 19th century there is evidence of the town's name being spelt as Cornell, with an extra "l", though that spelling is no longer in use.

Town symbols
Cornel uses the Cornel family coat of arms as the locality's. The coat of arms features an ermine pattern, with three red circles and a black chevron. Since the 1930s the town has used a wite flag charged with the coat of arms, but it has never been officially adopted.

Early history
The area of Cornel was first discovered in 1244 during the Conquest of Brunant. The Christian army of King James of Aragon was held up at the Red River and instead of having to build a bridge over the river decided to traverse the mountains. This was a fairly perilous crossing, with some 50-100 men dying. A grave marker can be found dating to that period, probably marking the grave of a soldier.

Early settlement
Cornel, or at least the nearby area would have certainly been first settled by 1300, but first confirmation of its settlement dates to around 1310. The oldest document pertaining to Cornel is a deed from the local church, written in Latin and dating to 1317, attesting to the sale of a hanegada of land (about 830m²) for 5 doblas (gold coins). A church (St. Sebastian's) was built around 1315, serving the village for several centuries afterwards.

Most of this area consisted of scattered farms along the road over the pass (the current main street) and by the mid-1300s began to form an actual community. An inn was established around 1340-1350 and became a key stop in the trip across Brunant, and served to bring in money locally. Occasionally a few travelers might have stayed behind to settle, but most passage through the village was temporary.

Growth of Cornel
Cornel was formally grouped as a locality in 1390 under the Venetians, primarily for census-taking. Already by then the region was essentially considered to be a community, having a church for some 80 years. A mayor began to be appointed to oversee local affairs in 1407; prior to then any disputes or issues which could not be resolved by the priest would have had to be taken to Niesburg, to be overseen by the Venetian-appointed mayor.

During the War of Independence in 1427, Venetian soldiers made their way through Cornel, on their war to Donderstad; the soldiers camped out for a few days and enjoyed their share of wine, cheese and local women. The town turned against the Venetians upon them leaving, and it is believed they banished the priest and brought one in from republican-controlled Donderstad.

Republican military commander Hieronymus van der Ecke went to the town in 1428, raised the republican flag and ordered the construction of a defensive tower.

Despite occupying a strategic position in Brunant, Corner never became very big or populous. Firstly, the geography did not allow for much settlement, the winter climate kept away many and its distance from either coast was a further hindrance.

Renaissance
During the Brunanter Civil War in 1663, Cornel was occupied by royalist troops over fears it would fall into rebel hands. The royalists troops were largely supported, but following the royalist defeat at Donderstad, some 10 soldiers stayed behind in the village.

Modern period
Cornel after the war made a turn to leftist politics, backing a succession of leftist mayors from 1949 to 1973, and Social Democratic Party mayors from 1993 to 2009. Politics in the 1950s and 1960s was dominated by longtime mayor John Torres, in office from 1953 to 1969.

Tourism started to become a larger part of Cornel's economy,

Geography
Cornel is found at some 1500 meters above sea level, with the door of the church at 1501 meters. The center of Cornel is fairly small, though the locality includes other farms further from the actual village.

Cornel is one of the coldest locations in Brunant. Average yearly temperatures ranges from -5 to 20 Celsius, with the highest temperatures at under 30 degrees and the lowest at -10 or -12. Snow does fall on Cornel during the year, particularly during January and February. Despite this the locals have little difficulty going about their daily lives.

Most snowfall is not very heavy, but significant snows in 1937 and 2001 had schools and businesses closed and the city blocked off.

Flora and fauna
On the mountain above the church one can find a lot of mountain pine (Pinus mugo uncinata). This is one of the southernmost forests in Europe with this species, and its populations are fairly healthy in the region. Other trees found in the forests include wild pine (Pinus sylvestris), black poplar (Populus nigra) and some quaking aspen (Populus tremula), to the south of Cornel.

Plants and flowers found in the fields include the bistorta (Polygonum bistorta), gentiana (Gentiana acaulis) and Deschampsia setacea.

Animals present in the Cornel area include some mouflon (Ovis orientalis musimon), wild boar (Sus scrofa) and small animals like weasels and martens. Voles and mice are also present.

Birds in Cornel include a few varieties of thrush and citril. The Bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) was present in the area and driven out by the 1600s, but in the late 1990s conservation effors saw a few pairs reintroduced from Italy.

Economy
The local economy is heavily based on agriculture. Most of the local inhabitants either work on farms or run one of the few businesses in town. Eco-tourism, involving nature walks, or by people simply coming to visit in the winter is also important.

In the village one can find a bakery, a small store (which also contains a postal office, two inns and a butcher, which are the big businesses. A lot of business is done directly with the farmers. One of the farmers produces a Witte Vampier-style goat's milk cheese, and another makes a strong brandy from muscat grapes. Cornel has a small school serving local and regional students.

Politics
Cornel has had a mayor since 1407 and has elected a mayor since 1885. Despite the population being largely religious, most of the mayors since the 1950s have been leftist, mostly coming from the Social Democratic Party. The current mayor is Joanna Porter, also the town butcher.

The most recent mayors have included:


 * Francisca Rechel (1997-2005), SDP
 * John Harris (2005-2009), SDP
 * Edwin Grand (2009-2013), CDU
 * Joanna Porter (2013-), independent

Elections
The most recent municipal elections were held in 2013. 254 people voted (a 97.6% turnout) and elected independent Joanna Porter as mayor. 99 votes went to Porter (39%), 72 votes went to Edwin Grand (CDU, 28.3%), 48 votes went to Hannah Brait (SDP), 22 votes went to Albert Cooke (FLP), 7 votes to Jeremy Blount (Ind.) and 6 votes went to John London (SAP)