Valencian Language Academy adds Barraix to its toponymy register, sparking local debate
The new Nomenclàtor Toponímic Valencià — a register of over 125,000 place names published by the Valencian Language Academy (AVL) — has assigned the Barraix spring to both Estivella and Serra, reigniting the village's historical claim to the site.
A local chronicler from Estivella uses the new online toponymy register as the starting point for a reflection on Barraix, a medicinal spring historically tied to Estivella in the Camp de Morvedre comarca. The Alcover-Moll dictionary defines it as a medicinal spring in the municipality of Estivella, while municipal archive records from the 1930s show the village council requesting funds to repair the road to Barraix.
Centuries ago, the neighbouring municipality of Serra attempted to claim ownership of the spring's water supply, but Estivella — a small municipality of about 1,710 residents — has long treated Barraix as part of its collective identity: the village anthem even references its waters.
The author invites residents and local historians to engage with the Nomenclàtor as a living tool for refining and expanding the toponymic heritage of the comarca. The Valencian Language Academy (AVL), created in 1998 and established as a statutory institution with binding authority over the Valencian language in 2006, holds more than 125,000 geographical terms in its register, according to elperiodicodeaqui.com.