Catalonia Pyrenees. Beginning on
the Coast, where the cliffs drop to
the waters of the Old Mediterranean,
we leisurely move toward the Catalan
Pyrenees.
Beautiful clusters of lakes and the
headwater valleys of Catalonia's
chief rivers nestle between towering
peaks. This mountainous area, made
up of the regions of the
Cerdanya, La
Garrotxa and the
Ripolles, is the
southernmost part of the Pyrenees.
The Catalan Pyrenees has all the
attractions that are characteristic
of the area, to which we should add
its weather, milder than in the
rest of the Pyrenees due to the
influence of the Mediterranean,
which gives it good temperatures and
more light.
In addition to the natural resources
that are characteristic of the area,
such as the vegetation an the
landscape, it is particularly
noteworthy for the Garrotxa
Natural Park, unique in the
European continent, as it has a rich
and extensive natural and monumental
heritage that gives a character of
its own to its numerous
municipalities.
Examples of this personality with
regard to architecture are, amongst
others, Besalu,
Santa Pau or the
city of Olot, near
which the beech forest known as La
Fageda d’en Jorda is found, a
genuine explosion of nature that
brings together a great diversity of
native flora and fauna, similar to
that which is found in La Vall d’en
Bas, also in the region of the
Garrotxa. In addition, the
geographical relief of this area
offers visitors a broad range of
possibilities with regard to
practising mountain sports, from
skiing and hiking to the mot modern
ones that are classified as
adventure sports.
Leaving to one side the beauty of
the landscape and the great variety
of possibilities it offers, the
Pirineu de Girona is characterised
by its Romanesque route, which
brings together a whole set of
medieval constructions, mainly
churches and monasteries, which,
over time, have become emblematic
features of villages such as Beget,
Ripoll,
Camprodon, Sant
Joan de les Abadesses monastery,
Mollo and
Queralbs in the Ripolles
region, where architecture and
nature come together as a single
element,
Another significant place in this
setting is the valley of Nuria, in
the municipality of Queralbs in the
Ripolles region, which is
characterised by its monastery and
the ski resort that has been built
around it, which can only be reached
by means of a mountain railway which
crosses the area following a
picturesque twelve-kilometre route.
As far as the ski resorts are
concerned, La Molina,
in the municipality of Alp,
in the Cerdanya region, is one of
the most important ones in Catalonia,
where in 1948, the first chairlift
in Spain was installed. Other ski
resorts that are notable for the
quality of their slopes and the
services they offer to visitors are
Vallter 2000,
Masella and Guils
Fontanera for cross-country skiing.
Rivers such as the Ter, the Freser
or the source of the Segre; lakes
such as that of Puigcerda
or the small lakes of La Pera, which
suddenly appear amongst the
vegetation, are some of the samples
of the rich landscape of the Pireneu
de Girona. However, the greatest
example of Pyrenean nature is
probably found in the Cadi
Moixero Natural Park, in
the Cerdanya. To get to know the
cultural roots of the Pirineu de
Girona, you cannot miss a visit to
Llivia, in the
Cerdanya, the municipality where
there is one of the oldest chemists
in Europe. Puigcerda,
a habitual summer destination for
the Catalan bourgeois during the
19th Century, Camprodon,
or any of the municipalities that
have managed to preserve over time
all the traditions and
characteristics of a setting that is
unique in the world.
Further west is the Noguera
Pallaresa, the most
powerful river in the Spanish
Pyrenees. Its headwaters are are in
Pla de Beret, in the Val d'Aran,
barely a hundred meters from those
of the Garona. Cut off from the
outside for centuries, the
Val D'Aran has evolved its
own language, the Aranes, which is
only spoken in the valley. It is
based on elements of Gascon and
Catalan, plus a generous sprinkling
of Basque vocabulary.
Water is the salient feature of the
Aigues Tortes National Park ,
a region of flashing streams and
waterfalls, nearly 400 lakes
reflecting harsh granite peaks, and
reed-fringed upland marshes. Rain or
snow falls on these mountains - some
reaching 3000 metres - almost half
the days of the year. The park is
bounded by the Val D'Aran,
the Noguera Pallaresa and the
Noguera Ribagorzana rivers.
Aragon Pyrenees
The northern province of
Huesca, is the Aragon
Pyrenees area and one of the most
valuable assets of Aragon. The
variety of geological formations and
the climatic constrasts that are
registered between the wet valleys
of the north and the dry lands of
the foothhills in the south give
rise to a great diversity of animal
and vegetable species. The
National Park of Ordesa and
Monte Perdido,
protected since 1918, is also a
Biosphere Reserve and has been
declared Unesco World Heritage Site.
In the most norhtern part we can
locate the large massifs and valleys.
The impressive granite ridges of the
Maladetas and Balaitus, the deep
valleys and limestone canyons of
Monte Perdido, the extensive woods
of Anso,
Echo and Aragues, the
enormous number of small lakes or
the amplitude of the high mountain
meadows are just a few touches of
this singular painting.
Huesca was the birthplace
of the old kingdom of Aragon, and as
such, has a an important cultural
heritage, filled with Palaeolithic
constructions, cave paintings, Roman
remains, Romanesque churches and
towns.
Huesca, Aragon Pyrenees
The founding times of Huesca,
capital of the Aragonese Pyrenees,
are lost in the mists of prehistory.
It stands on a hill overlooking the
rich orchard lands of the river
Isuela. Next to old buildings, there
are other of modern construction,
which were built following the
example of civil Aragonese
renaissance architecture. As a
result the urban picture as a whole
is nicely balanced.
Among the most important sights
there are San Pedro El Viejo, with a
lovely Romanesque cloister, a Gothic
retable and the sepulchres of King
Ramiro II of Aragon and Alfonso I El
Batallador; the 13 century cathedral,
with an interesting main portal, a
Gothic cloister and the main retable
by Damian Forment; San Miguel's and
San Lorenzo's; the Romanesque Salas
sanctuary; the Renaissance Town Hall,
with an interesting hall and
staircase; the old University,
reformed in the 17C; and the house
of the Climent family. A visit of
the sights must include the
Provincial Archaeological Museum
with exceptionally interesting
Romanesque and Gothic retables and a
collection of sculptures and
paintings, not forgetting the
archaeological remains. The museum
of the cathedral is also interesting.
Ordesa
National Park, Aragon Pyrenees
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Ordesa and Monte Perdido National
Park is the enchanted mother of the
Spanish national park system. Set
aside in 1918 by royal decree, the
park has been progressivly expanded
to include more than 16,000 hectares
of lush valley forests and meadows,
steep limestone slopes and delicate
alpine reaches. Located in the
Aragon Pyrenees near the National
Park of the French Pyrenees, the
Ordesa National Park constitutes a
perfectly preserved natural enclave
and is home to the only herd of
Pyrenees mountain goats in existence.
The Ordesa
valley is a spectacular cannon
created for centuries for the
Arazas River (It has been compared
with the Colororado one). This is
one of the most visited areas of
the Pyrenees because of its
diversity. There are wonderful
climbing areas too, like the
Gallinero or the Tozal del Mallo,
with levels from beginner to
expert. The Ordesa & Monte Perdido
National Park was declared World
Biosphere Reserve in 1977 and in
1988 Special protected area for
the birds. In 1997 was declared
World humanity heritage by the
UNESCO together with the French
glaciar side.
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Its influence area goes from
Bielsa,
Broto, Fanlo, Puertolas,
Tella, Sin to Torla.
The nacional park is domained by
the Monte Perdido
(Lost Mountain) of 3.355 meters,
which is the biggest Western
European Calcarean mass, with its
peaks: Tres Sopores or Treserols,
where Stara the Anisclo,
Escuain, Ordesa and
Pineta valleys,
digged by the Bellos, Yaga, Arazas
and Cinca rivers. The rigorous
weather and morphology, together
with the tradicional respect of
the poblators with the environment
has allowed the good conservation
of the area. The landscape is full
of contrasts, the extreme karstic
deserts dryness with, the falls
and exuberant wet forest of the
valleys. Discover the big
variations between the humidity
and temperatura between day and
night.
Anso
Once a more prosperous village than
Echo, Anso fell upon hard times
during the 1950s and 1960s
depopulation of rural Aragon.Today,
however, there are signs of a small
but definite revival, with
professionals from Jaca and
Pamplona keeping second homes here,
plus a growing stream of tourists
sampling the village’s attractions.
It’s certainly a congenial weekend
base, with a little river beach
below for splashing around in the
Veral river. The ancient church is
extraordinarily rich inside and
houses an interesting ecclesiastical,
craft and ethnological museum.
Echo
The
Anso and
Echo Valleys can be
accessed from Huesca,
either through Ayerbe, Riglos and
the port of Santa Barbara or around
the Arguis reservoir, through the
port of Monrepos and
Sabinanigo. Both lead to
Puente la Reina and enter the Valley
of Echo that saw the start of the
county and later Kingdom, of Aragon.
By going up the river Aragon-Subordan,
Aragues del Puerto and Jasa are
reached, starting points for the
valley of Aragues and the
cross-country skiing slopes of
Lizara. The road straight ahead
leads to Echo, a town noteworthy for
the beauty of its local architecture
and the open-air contemporary
sculpture exhibition. On one of the
paths of the Route to Santiago is
the 11th Century Romanesque
monastery of San Pedro de Siresa and,
ultimately, landscapes as attractive
as the Boca del Infierno, la Selva
de Oza, the valley of Aguas Tuertas
and the Pyrenean lakes of Acherito
and Estanes. Along a winding road
from Echo is Anso, a typical town
that celebrates the traditional
fiesta of the "old Anso Valley dress
exaltation". Following the road is
the gentle valley of Zuriza, from
where the area of Roncal in Navarra
can be reached. Trips around this
area allow for the enjoyment of
extremely beautiful nature, mountain
sports, hunting and fishing,
climbing the peaks of Peña Forca and
Bisaurin and cross country skiing on
the slopes of Lizara, Linza and
Gabardito..
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