Santa Pau: Volcanoes, Medieval Heritage and Family Puzzles

History and townscape

The historic-artistic ensemble of Santa Pau is classified as a BCIN (Bien Cultural de Interés Nacional) and entered in the Register of Cultural Assets of National Interest of Catalonia. The medieval ensemble of Santa Pau was created around the castle in the first quarter of the 14th century. The medieval arcaded square Firal dels Bous was begun in the 14th century and preserves elements of early Gothic and Flamboyant Gothic styles, as well as Renaissance windows. The square originated as a livestock market. In 1992, a meeting of artists from Catalonia and Italy took place in Santa Pau; the resulting works of art are distributed throughout the townscape of Santa Pau.

Culture and architecture

The complex is considered to be a work of the 16th century. A building with a square floor plan was constructed in several building phases between the 13th and 18th centuries. La Pedra del Diable is a megalithic monument made from a barely worked basalt block; because of its upright position, it is classified as a menhir. The hermitage of Sant Vicenç del Sallent is a simple Romanesque building from the 12th century. The hermitage of Santa Margarida de la Cot is located in the middle of a volcanic crater.

Nature and volcanic landscape

Santa Pau is part of the Zona Volcànica de la Garrotxa Natural Park. The municipality of Santa Pau contains 13 volcanoes. The landscape around Santa Pau includes forests of holm oaks, oaks and beech trees. On clear days, the Portal del Mar offers a view of the Bay of Roses. The Salt de Can Batlle belongs to the Riera de Sant Martí stream and lies a few metres before it flows into the River Ser.

Routes and activities

The main section of Park Route 3b begins at the Aparcament del Pont in Santa Pau and leads to Can Xel. A variant of Park Route 3b runs along the southern slope of the Santa Margarida volcano. Mountain biking and horse riding are possible along the entire Park Route 3b. At the Espai Museístic dels Volcans, the self-guided activity around Santa Pau follows a route of approximately 6 km, with observation tasks at craters, lava flows and scoria pits.

El Petit Quadern d’en Pau is a family puzzle game for children aged 6 to 12 that leads through the medieval streets of Santa Pau and invites them to solve puzzles and discover the local history, volcanoes, heritage and traditions. A la recerca del fesol amagat is a geocaching activity through the notable places of Santa Pau and the volcanic surroundings.

El Petit Quadern d’en Pau and A la recerca del fesol amagat begin and end at the Oficina de Turisme de Santa Pau, Av. dels volcans 14; A la recerca del fesol amagat covers approximately 5 km.

Tradition

The Fira del Fesol takes place shortly after Sant Antoni.

Other destinations include Torroella De Fluvià, Sant Climent Sescebes, Castellfollit De La Roca, Llampaies, Brunyola, Torroella De Montgri, Vidreres and Mont-Ras.

Transport

The RUMBUS public transport service connects Santa Pau with Les Preses and runs via the centre of Olot, the Fageda d’en Jordà and the Santa Margarida area.

For the overarching travel overview: Girona.