Home » Destinations in the Catalan Pyrenees
Destinations in the Catalan Pyrenees
Destinations in the Catalan Pyrenees
Besalu
Cloister at Sant Joan de les Abadesses Monastery
La Garrotxa
La Garrotxa, one of Girona's most verdant regions, features an exceptional Volcanic Area, with 30 craters and a protected space of over 12,000 hectares. A land of myths and bandits, the Garrotxa region constitutes a stimulating proposal for those avid to discover singular locations.
We highly recommend a visit to the municipality of Oix situated in the higher reaches of the region, with exuberant vistas and numerous mountain enclaves dispersed throughout lush forests. In the lower Garrotxa, don't pass up such characteristic places as Santa Pau or Besalu, the region's most spectacular towns.
The capital of the region is Olot, located on a plain between the Montolivet, Montsacopa and Garrinada volcanoes. This is bustling town has a significant architectural heritage, despite the powerful earthquake that shook the area in 1447, destroying all the monuments built until that time. The town's major landmarks include the church of Sant Esteve, restored in the 18th century, which, among other treasures, houses a painting by El Greco called Christ Bearing the Cross; the Hospital Sant Jaume founded in the 16th century, of which the church, the cloister and a Baroque doorway remain; the Carmelite convent, which dates from the 17th century and features a cloister with a double archway; and the church of Mare de Deu del Tura, the town's matron saint. The town is also home to the prestigious Olot School, which has nurtured such renowned painters as the Vayreda brothers.
Olot is also the site of the region's most important museums. Such is the case of Garrotxa Regional Museum, which features the area's most representative trades from the 13th century up to modern times, and which pays special attention to the works produced by the Olot School. Another interesting museum is the Volcano Museum, where visitors can view a wealth of ecological and geological information about the volcanic area.
A large area of the region is situated within the perimeter of the Garrotxa Volcanic Area. The most interesting attractions are located within the volcanic area as well, including the Croscat and Santa Margarida forest volcanoes and the beech forest known as Fageda d'en Jorda The best way to discover this area is to follow one of the many marked trails that will allow you to learn more about the unique ecological and scenic richness of this part of the Pirineu de Girona.
Romanesque architecture finds its main exponent here in the monastery of Sant Joan les Fonts, a building with a basilica floor plan made of a singular reddish stone and organised around three naves and a sanctuary with three apses.
The Garrotxa region also features two medieval towns of great architectural beauty. The first of them, the village of Besalu, is a latticework of medieval streets and is where one can get a glimpse of how the Catholic and Jewish communities has lived together, the latter having settled in the region in the Middle Ages. Examples of this mix are the churches of Sant Pere, Sant Vicenç, Santa Maria and Sant Marti, together with the Jewish Baths or micqwe. This town also has a magnificent I 12th -century bridge presiding over the entrance to the municipality. The second medieval site that is worth y of note given its uniqueness is the town of Santa Pau, snuggled in the volcanic area. Its old section is built around the square castle and the town's main square, which has an irregular layout and is surrounded by archways of different sizes/ forming a medieval meeting point of great beauty.
Fascinating scenery can be found in the landscape surrounding the townships of Les Preses and La Vall den Bas, the latter formed by seven hamlets that preserve their rural appearance and a special charm that invites one to stroll through its narrow cobblestone streets. Of these villages, all of them surrounded by exuberant nature, the hamlet of Hostalets is particularly enchanting.
If we leave behind the Volcanic Area and penetrate the higher Garrotxa region, we will discover the village of Tortella, surrounded by a mountainous country, with awesome crags and gullies and unique, untamed foliage. A good sample of this rugged country is the steep 9-km rise separating the towns of Oix, with its Sant Llorenç church and medieval castle ruins and Castellfollit de la Roca which startles the visitor with its old quarter perched on the edge of a spectacular cliff.
Ripolles
A profound, mysterious region boasting a large number of Romanesque monuments, whose virtue made it the repository of Catalonia's spiritual soul in the Santa Maria de Ripoll monastery.
Equally moving is a visit to the valley and shrine of Nuria, located at the base of the Vall de Nuria ski resort, after a breathtaking trip up the rack railway that runs through narrow passes and craggy mountain peaks, offering a spectacular view of the Ribes valley. Camprodon valley, which is more easily accessed, reveals tiny mountain hamlets of incomparable beauty and offer up the traditional cooking that distinguishes the entire region.
The geographical features of the region make it an ideal place to practise all types of mountain sporting activities throughout the year. Its wide range of sports is augmented in the winter months by the modern Vallter 2000 and Vall de Nuria ski resorts, characterised by the quality of their ski runs and the services they offer visitors.
With a surface area of nearly 12,500 hectares, the Freser-Setcases preserve and the Nuria valley form a high-mountain region that is typical of the landscapes of the Pyrenees of Girona. This natural preserve includes the towns of Queralbs, Ribes de Freser, Setcases, Toses and Vilallonga de Ter and is basically characterised by the high alpine meadows in the upper reaches of the mountains. One of the most frequently visited destinations is Nuria valley, in the beautiful municipality of Queralbs, which boasts a monastery and a man-made lake. Access to the valley can be gained only on foot or 6 rack railway, which is the only one of its kind currently operating in Spain, and which covers a route where breathtaking vistas unfold around each bend.
The Ripolles region has three Romanesque temples of major historic importance. The Santa Maria de Ripoll monastery, founded in the year 880 A.D. by Count Wifred of Barcelona and promoted by Abbot Oliba during the 11th century, constitutes the clearest example of the Romanesque art of Girona in its purest essence. The monastery of Ripoll played a crucial role in the process of building Catalonia, from a political and social perspective as well as on a cultural plane. The only original elements of the building that remain are the main doorway, the cloister, the main walls and many of the counts' tombs, most notably the tombs of Ramon Berenguer III and of Wifred of Barcelona. Count Wifred of Barcelona also founded the Sant Joan de les Abadesses monastery in 887, in order to provide a home for his daughter Emma and for the community of Benedictine nuns of which she was the abbess. The most important works of art preserved in this monastery to this day are the Descent, composed of seven and almost real-life-size polychrome wooden figures which date from the 12th century, and the Gothic alabaster altarpiece of the White Madonna from the 14th century. Finally, another site that is well worth the visit is the church of Sant Cristofor in Beget, a 10th -12th century Romanesque temple which houses in its interior the renowned Majesty of Beget, a beautiful polychrome carving measuring 2 metres tall dating from the 12th century. The shrines mentioned above constitute clear examples of the so-called Romanesque Route, an itinerary that allows the visitor to discover all of the region's hidden and not-so-hidden treasures.
Our visit will lead us to the fascinating Camprodon valley, which is sprinkled with mountain hamlets like Llanars, Mollo or Setcases that appear along the way. The biggest town in the valley is Camprodon, also known as "the emerald of the Pyrenees". In winter the snow blankets its main square and the bridge over the Ter river, which dates from the 11th century. The spring thaws feed the fountains and streams, and tinges green the surrounding countryside. Camprodon is a town that invites one to take long, restful strolls, and your footsteps will likely be drawn to the monastery of Sant Pere, consecrated in the year 905 and declared an Artistic-Historic Monument in 1933.
The region's most important museums are the Ripoll Ethnographic Museum, which features a collection of iron works (an activity closely linked to the area's history) and the Sant Joan de les Abadesses monastery Museum, which provides a glimpse of the social and cultural life of the monastery throughout its long history, and where visitors can contemplate pieces from the 12th through the 15th centuries.
Cerdanya
Cerdanya region is synonymous with snow. The impressive La Molina and Masella ski resorts clearly determine its character and focus the interest of droves of ski lovers from the nearby regions. Cerdanya is Girona province westernmost region and, at the same time, its most decidedly mountainous one. Hermitages and tiny Romanesque churches offer you a chance to follow different routes throughout the area which comprises part of the Cadi Moixero Natural Park.
The capital of this region is Puigcerda, a town founded in 1117 which has become the area's main commercial hub and which boasts a wide array of services and facilities. Puigcerda's pond was one of the first sites in Catalonia and Spain where ice-skating became a truly popular pastime, and the town's Ice Palace hosts figure skating and ice hockey events. The pond is a true engineering masterpiece dating, from the early 14th century. Built originally to bring water to the area's farmland, has for over a century delighted visitors with the beauty of its scenery.
In the 19th century, the Cerdanya had become a favorite summer holiday retreat for the Catalan bourgeoisie, which sought out the peacefulness of its natural charm. Among its major landmarks, one of the most singular is the parish church, built in 1288 and reconstructed in the mid-20th century after a major fire ravaged the building in 1938. Fortunately, its marble entranceway and 15th-century Gothic frescoes depicting the Crucifixion of Christ were preserved intact. The old parish church of Santa Maria and the Town Hall, which safeguards parchments from the 12th, 13th and 14h centuries, are doubtless points of historic interest.
Cerdanya's biggest draw in terms of tourism, however, is its two topflight ski areas, located in the township of Alp. La Molina was the first ski resort in Spain to install a mechanical lift. The adjacent resort of Masella, thanks to its special northward-facing situation on La Tossa massif, favours excellent snow accumulations throughout the entire ski season. Plans call for joining the two ski areas in the 1999-2000 season, creating a mammoth complex that, with the name of Alp 2500, will be the biggest ski area in the Pyrenees. Cross-country ski buffs will find in Guils Fontanera a refreshing, well prepared area for the practice of this sport.
Cerdanya shares the Cadi Moixero Natural Park with the regions of Bergueda and Alt Urgell, located in Barcelona and Lleida provinces, respectively. Characterised by its calcareous, craggy terrain, this is Catalonia's biggest park, comprising the Cadi and Moixero mountain ranges, the Pedraforca massif and a large part of La Tossa and Puigllançada massifs. The Tancalaporta pass, which joins the Cadi and Moixero ranges, constitutes a massive mountainous barrier whose sides form sheer crags and almost vertical cliff walls that plunge down into deep, boxed-in valleys.
Romanesque art here, too, constitutes one of the region's main architectural assets. The style's most indelible marks were left in the form of churches, chapels and over 50 hermitages that can be visited by following one of the seven routes laid out from the towns of Guils de Cerdanya, Bolvir, Das and Alp. The Cerdanya's Romanesque style is rich in polychrome woodcarvings.
La Seu d'Urgell is one of the most historically important towns in the Catalan Pyrenees, and the capital of Alt Urgell. It has always been the episcopal seat and a commercial and agricultural center. The city was named after the impressive cathedral (La Seu), a lovely Romanesque building of the 11th and 12th centuries at the of Major street. Also outstanding are the churches of Sant Miquel and La Sagrada Familia, the 15th century Casa de la Ciudad and the Diocesian Museum. Since 1278 the Bishops of Urgell have been joint-rulers of Andorra, first with the Counts of Foix and now with the President of France, and are the only remaining prelates with temporal authority.
Val d'Aran
Val D'Aran is a valley in the Pyrenees lying at the north-western tip of Catalonia, along the border with Aragon and France. It is the headwater vallery of the river garonne, which winds its way through Aquitaine before flowing into the Atlantic near Bordeaux.
Thus the Val D'Aran is located in the Atlantic side of the Pyrenees, unlike other Catalan Pyrenean valleys which are on the Mediterranean side of the range and face southwards. Its orientation makes it a valley with a difference that is revealed, not only in its climate and wildlife, but in its history, languaje and culture, which have clear Occitanian roots. Nowadays Aranese enjoys official language status in the valley (alongside Spanish and Catalan). As a result it is one of the most living and dynamic of the dialectal variants of Occitanian, despite the increasing numbers of inhabitants of other origins who have been attracted there by the flourishing tourist industry.
Vielha, with its 2.046 inhabitants is the capital of Val D'Aran, seat of the Conselh Generau d'Aran and centre of a large county, known as Vielha e Mijaran, which embraces the villages of Escunhau (notable Romanesque church), Betren, Casarilh, Gausac, Casau, Vilac, Betlan, Aubert, Mont, Montcorbau, Arros and Vila and the sanctuary of Santa María de Mijaran.
Founded in 1964 by Spanish champion ski racer Luis Arias, Baqueira Beret has grown to become Spain's largest resort. The modern lift infrastructure serves terrain generally regarded as some of the most challenging in the Pyrenees mountains, and most of it is above the treeline. The resort is purpose built but done tastefully using wood and stone rather than concrete. Baqueira's southerly latitude gives an hour more daylight for skiing than in the Alps, and it's warmer too.
Noguera Pallaresa
The Noguera Pallaresa is a river in the Catalan Pyrenees. Its source is at Era Font d'era Noguereta in the municipality of Naut Aran (Val D'Aran) at an elevation of about 2000 m and barely a hundred meters from those of the Garona. While the Garona flows toward the Atlantic Ocean, the Noguera Pallaresa flows to the Segre, and enters that river from the right just before the reservoir of Camarasa: its waters then flow to the Mediterranean.
The Noguera Pallaresa is dammed at several points, including Talarn Dam, and the largest reservoirs are La Torassa (between Esterri d'Àneu and La Guingueta d'Aneu in the Pallars Sobira), Sant Antoni (above Talarn in the Pallars Jussà), Terradets (in the municipality of Ager in the Noguera) and Camarasa (just above the confluence with the Segre.
Aigues Tortes National Park lies between the rivers Noguera Pallaresa and Noguera Ribagorzana in the Catalonia Pyrenees. It has a surface area of 10,500 hectares belonging to the nature regions called the valleys of Espot and Boi Valley. Its maximum height is the Comaloforno peak (3,030m). The scenery is full of strong contrasts because the suddenly appearing grandeur of hard, breathtaking rock faces is set off by peaceful places full of gentle beauty.
The has been classified by Unesco as being part of the World Heritage Sites of Humanity, and is situated in the heart of the Pyrenees, on the road which connects the Val D'Aran with Lleida. The most interesting paintings being those of Tahull (Churches of Saint Climent and Santa Maria). While other fine ones are to be found in the church of Saint Joan di Boi.
Lleida and around
Located in the Catalan Pyrenees, Lleida City is the capital of the province of the same name.
It has got all the appeals of a modern city looking towards the future but at the same time maintaining its links with the past through its rich artistic heritage that is well worth knowing.
Lleida stands in the fertile river valley of the Segre. New avenues with modern buildings encircle the old quarter. On a hill in the centre of the city center, there are the old Seo (cathedral) and the ruins of La Zuda, the palace of the kings of Aragon. Both are officially protected as sights of national heritage importance and are reminiscent of the long history of the capital.
Along the left bank of the river Segre and spreading by the West to the Northern foothills of the Montsant mountain range, the region of Les Garrigues offers the visitor the quietness and beauty of the inland countryside.
Cervera, capital of La Segarra region, is a town full of history since the early 12th century. It reached its greatest period of splendour in the early 18th, century when, among many privileges, held the only Catalan University of the time. Balaguer, on the banks of the Segre river, is crossed by a bridge with seven arches makes a beautiful sight, with Santa Marta's at the top.