In the late Middle Ages, one of the most important baronial families of the Girona region settled on one of the hills of the Serra de Finestres, within what is now the La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park. Little by little, the population started to grow around it and it became the village of Santa Pau. Today, the village still retains the essence of what was a centre of economic and commercial power.
The appearance of the old city, built mostly in the first half of the 14th century, is typically medieval, surrounded by walls and with narrow and irregular streets. The focal point of the town is the Plaça Major or Firal dels Bous, a triangular arcaded square where the markets and fairs took place. And, since 1297, the town has had the privilege of a protected area for holding markets. In front there is the Castle, which was built on the highest point of the village. Construction started in the 13th century, although it was later given the current appearance of a large stately home.
The square is dominated by the Gothic Church of Santa Maria. This is the current parish church, after the Romanesque Church of Santa Maria dels Arcs, on the outskirts, was badly damaged by the earthquakes in 1427 and 1428.
The rest of the medieval town is structured around Carrer del Pont and Carrer Major. It is from Portal del Mar (Gateway of the Sea) that the best views of the surrounding valleys are to be had and, on a clear day, one can even see the Gulf of Roses.
Little has changed in the urban morphology of Peratallada since medieval times. And not only has it not expanded beyond the city walls, but it has managed to preserve its architectural and urban origins as can be appreciated when walking through its narrow and winding streets. Not for nothing is it one of the most important town centres of Catalonia in terms of medieval architecture.
The fortified town is concentrated on top of a huge natural sandstone rock, artificially carved to give height (hence the name “pedra tallada” or "carved stone"). At the top, we find the Castle (11th century, but with signs that there might have been an earlier structure), with its Keep Tower and Palace.
A wall that formed the first enclosed area extends around the Castle, which was surrounded by two further walls. Of this defensive system, some of the walls, the valleys dug into the rock, towers such as the Torre de les Hores (Clocktower) and the Portal de la Verge (Gateway of the Virgin) still survive. The town was therefore divided into three sections between the walls, which accentuate the network of passageways and alleys.
About 200 metres to the north, outside the walls, is the parish church of Sant Esteve, dating from the late Romanesque period.
The name Pals (derived from the Latin palus, "marshy terrain") perfectly describes the geographic framework of marshes and swamps that existed on this stretch of coast. Therefore, it is not without reason that the town originated at the top of a hill, above the plain. Today, the historic centre of Pals, known as the Pedró Quarter, allows one to make a tour of the medieval past of the village.
Projecting above the roofs of the old town is the
Torre de les Hores (Clock Tower), the only remaining evidence of the old
castle of Pals. It was the Keep Tower, circular and in the Romanesque style, built on a podium of natural rock. Its name comes from the small Gothic bell tower of three pilasters that was added in the 15th century.
The
Church of Sant Pere is a building with a single nave, built in the Gothic style, with some later additions such as the Baroque portal. This replaces an earlier Romanesque building (12th century) of which the remains of the western façade have been preserved, incorporated into the current front façade. In building the nave, they probably made use of the stone from the Castle, which was in ruins.
The
walls of Pals are one of the best preserved in the
Empordà region. The course of the wall remains virtually intact, and only a few sections have been transformed or destroyed, particularly on the eastern and southern sides, which is where the town has been extended. The interior of the old town is a complex of narrow and steep streets, which are centred around the
Carrer Major, which has covered sections. What gives unity to the whole complex is the
yellowish colour of the walls which derives from the sandstone with which they are built.
Given its privileged position, located on a hill in the mountains of the Serra Grossa and on the left bank of the Sénia river, Ulldecona is the perfect example of a frontier castle. During the Arab occupation, between the 8th and 11th centuries, it was an Andalusian fortification. With the conquest of the lands south of the Ebro by the Christians, it passed to the Montcada family of Tortosa in 1148, who gave it over to the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, and it was transformed into a Christian Castle. A village grew up around it, thus being protected from Muslim attacks.
Currently, the fortified complex consists of three buildings - two towers and the old church - and remains of other demolished buildings, all surrounded by a perimeter wall. One of the most emblematic structures is the circular tower from the 12th century, which served as a watchtower. The upper terrace of this latter building, of which the battlements and embrasure have been preserved, offers unparallel views over the surrounding area. It is complemented by the square Keep Tower from the 13th century, which housed the stately rooms.
The Church is the most modern building within the enclosure, dating back to the 16th century. It may have replaced a primitive chapel located in the main tower of the Castle.
Although most visible structures relate to the Christian military fortification, the remains of the first Arabic Castle, such as the remnants of the wall topped by two watch towers, are still preserved today. Also within the enclosure, there are the walls of medieval dwellings and even the remains of an ancient Iberian settlement.
Rafael d'Amat i de Cortada (1746-1819), Baron of Maldà, is one of the most significant figures in Catalan culture of the 18th century and the greatest exponent of memoiristic and autobiographical prose of the age. This is because, for 50 years, he wrote a diary in which he described, in detail, everything that was happening around him, the Calaix de sastre (Miscellany), which has become one of the most important historical documents.
The Baron of Maldà belonged to the minor nobility of Barcelona and, as such, he was a deeply religious and conservative man, in addition to being avowedly anti-French. He had no great love of reading and never displayed any great cultural education. Even so, he had a vocation as a chronicler. From 10th July, 1796 until a few days before his death, he filled more than seventy volumes on various topics, from personal facts and facts about his everyday life to social, political and cultural events.
He used a popular and colloquial language, even careless at times. It is significant that it was written in Catalan as, in the 18th century, Spanish was the language of prestige. The reason for this was that the Calaix de sastre was never published at the time, but rather its purpose was to be read at social gatherings with circles of friends and acquaintances.
This extensive diary offers an unprecedented approach to a fledgling journalism and enables one to see at first hand what life was like in 18th century Catalonia and, in particular, Barcelona. At the same time, Calaix de sastre was considered one of the most important examples of Catalan Rococo. In addition to the diary, other manuscripts from the Baron have been preserved, such as L'explicació de la ciutat de Barcelona (An Explanation of the City of Barcelona) and Successos de Barcelona des de lo any 1750 fins al de 1769 (Events in Barcelona from 1750 to 1769).
El castell-monestir d'Escornalbou a Riudecanyes és una peculiar mansió senyorial de principis del segle XX. Es va formar a partir de les restes de dos edificis medievals: el Monestir de Sant Miquel , fundat el 1153; i un castell , construït sobre les restes d'una fortalesa romana. El seu propietari, el diplomàtic, egiptòleg i filantrop Eduard Toda, va seguir la moda de l’època per convertir els edificis històrics en residències burgeses.
Durant més de sis segles, el complex va constituir la Baronia d'Escornalbou. Després de les desamortitzacions de Mendizábal (1835) va estar gairebé en ruïnes, fins a adquirir Toda el 1911. La restauració seguí una interpretació molt personal. Toda fins i tot va decidir ignorar les recomanacions i consells de Puig i Cadafalch. Així, es van enderrocar edificis, es van aixecar torres d’estil exòtic i medieval i es van convertir zones per satisfer les necessitats i gustos del propietari.
Els resultats encara són visibles avui: de l’ antic monestir , només es conserven l’església romànica, algunes restes de la Casa Capitular i l’estructura del claustre, que esdevingué un punt d’observació / jardí amb vistes al Camp de Tarragona. El castell va ser convertit en una casa senyorial i escenari de reunions de les figures més importants de la Renaixença catalana. Destaquen la biblioteca i la rica col·lecció d’estampes, ceràmiques, mobles i peces de la col·lecció que Toda havia recuperat dels seus viatges.
El poblat ibèric dels Ilergets , al municipi de Tornabous, al comtat d'Urgell, ofereix una de les principals demostracions del seu potencial polític, econòmic i comercial abans de l'arribada dels romans.
Tot i que els orígens de l’assentament són de finals de la primera edat del ferro, les restes arqueològiques del Molí d’Espígol demostren el nivell avançat de desenvolupament urbanístic que aquesta comunitat havia assolit en el moment del seu punt àlgid, entre els segles IV i III. BC
Va ser en aquest moment quan Molí d’Espígol va passar de ser un assentament a una ciutatamb una economia basada en l’agricultura i la ramaderia. La complexitat de les cases i les innovacions, com la canalització sota el paviment, demostren el progrés de l’assentament. I, sobretot, el traçat urbà, que ha perdurat fins als nostres dies.
Les excavacions, iniciades el 1970 pel Museu Diocesà de Solsona (Museu Diocesà de Solsona) i gestionades pel Museu d’Arqueologia de Catalunya des del 2000, han deixat entreveure dues àrees arqueològiques ben definides : la zona urbana , amb restes visibles i visitables; i una zona suburbana al nord, fora de les muralles de l’ oppidum , com a resultat del creixement de la ciutat. També s’ha identificat la font que va subministrar aigua a la comunitat: anantiga piscina , avui dia assecada, situada fora de la vila emmurallada.
Al voltant del 200 aC es va encaminar la gent d’Ilergetes ibèrics i el lloc va ser abandonat. Es va produir una reocupació posterior fins al seu total abandonament a mitjan segle I aC.
La fundació del Monestir o la Casa dels Cànons de Santa Maria de Vilabertran és un símbol del moviment de reforma de finals del segle XI que lluitava contra les imposicions de la noblesa en cites eclesiàstiques.
Amb aquesta postura, el clergue Pere Rigau pot reunir una comunitat de sacerdots que viuen a la casa annexa a l'Església de Santa Maria de Vilabertran. El 1080, el monestir, que segueix la regla de Sant Agustí, és fundar en terrenys donats per famílies de la zona. Avui és considerat una de les primeres comunitats d'oficines a Catalunya que, a més, va deixar el llegat als exemples més ben conservats d' arquitectura canònica medieval .
El complex arquitectònic, construït entre els segles XII i XIII, tenia un format inicial per a una claustre central que dona a les habitacions del monestir ia l’Església. L’església és l’element més destacable del complex, especialment la creu processional del seu interior, considerada la peça més gran d'obra eclesiàstica gòtica de Catalunya.
El posteriors és ampliar la casa canònica amb la capella funerària del Rocabertí (segle XIV), el palau abacial (segle XV) i el pati emmurallat (segle XVIII) que van portar els edificis exteriors dins del recinte.
Baetulo was founded ex novo around 100 BC as one of the first colonies of Hispania Tarraconensis. But it was largely in the time of Augustus that it became a prosperous city on the Mediterranean coast, famous for its production and exportation of wine, as evidenced by the wine amphorae from Baetulo found throughout the Empire. Today, the remains on display of this Roman colony, which gave rise to the current Badalona, are some of the best preserved of Catalonia.
With the first official excavations, in the first third of the 20th century, the first finds began to appear. However, the museumisation of the city’s Roman heritage began in 1955, when the baths of Baetulo were discovered in a wonderfully preserved state. The Museum of Badalona was built on top of these baths and was opened in 1966.
After the reforms carried out in 2010, this premises displayed, in a circular route of over 3,000 m2, the baths (preserved in their entirety), the decumanus and cardo maximus, with a complex of houses (insulae) and shops (tabernae), as well as the remains of the sewers. The route takes in the permanent exhibition, which includes pieces such as the Tabula Hospitalis. The jewel of the Museum, however, measures just 28 cm high: it is the Venus de Badalona, one of the most important female representations from Catalonia. The sound effects, the lighting and the elements of historical reconstruction complete the space allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the world of ancient Baetulo.
Other elements from Roman Badalona that can be visited are the House of the Dolphins (with high-quality mosaics and remains of the original wall paintings), the Garden of Quintus Licinius (with the remains of a Roman swimming pool) and a stretch of 38 metres of water conduit with a barrel vault, which provided drinking water to the houses, the fountains and the baths. These demonstrate the heights of splendour the city had reached.
"Iulia Augusta Faventia Paterna Barcino”. This inscription on a tombstone in the Museu d'Història de Barcelona (Barcelona City History Museum) shows the full name the Romans gave the city when they founded it in the years 15-13 BC during the time of the Emperor Augustus and which would become what is now Barcelona. For centuries it was an important colony of the Laietània, who went on to play a more important role in the final period of antiquity.
Although much of Roman city remains hidden, numerous archaeological excavations continue to provide information about what life was like in Barcino. Nowadays, the various remains can been seen in museums.
A significant part of the colony is visible in the archaeological subsoil of the Museu d'Història de Barcelona, where evidence of its monuments and the everyday life of its inhabitants have also been preserved. It is complemented by the Domus Avinyó and Domus Sant Honorat, residential houses that belonged to important personages of Barcino.
In the central area of the Forum there was an imposing temple dedicated to Augustus, of which three columns are preserved in situ within the premises of the Centre Excursionista de Catalunya. Not very far away, in the current Pati Llimona, we find the monumental remains of the Porta de Mar (Door of the Sea) and the baths that were located on the outside of the maritime entrance.
Also significant are the necropolis such as that on the Plaça de la Vila de Madrid, which displays 85 funeral items, and the Drassanes Reials, where a mausoleum has been preserved. Both are found next to the roads that left Barcino.
Other remains of Roman Barcelona that can be seen are the fragments of the wall (both the original from the 1st century BC and those built over them in the 3rd century AD), some defensive towers, the remains of the cemetery that was used as a sewer and which surrounded the perimeter of the wall and some arches and arcades from one of the two aqueducts that supplied water to the city.
Outside the walls, Barcino had an extensive ager (farmlands) where various villas have been identified.
