When the paleontologist Miquel Crusafont died, his children gave their father’s fossil collection to the Provincial Institute of Palaeontology, with the condition that it would not leave Sabadell.
This Institute later became the Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (Catalan Institute of Palaeontology Miquel Crusafont) and today it is a reference centre for the research, conservation and promotion of palaeontology in Catalonia (the science that studies living organisms of the past through fossils). Since its creation, the collection has increased to 200,000 registered fossils, obtained from different sites, making it one of the most important in Europe.
Among the best-known finds held in the ICP are Jordi and Montse (hispanopithecus laietanus) and Pau (pierolapithecus catalaunicus). They are all primates dating back more than 12 million years and have enabled us to explain more clearly the period between hominids and their primate ancestors.
Since 2010, the museum has become the main outreach area of the ICP. Through interactive tours, the visitor learns about the palaeontology research process, discovers what a laboratory for the restoration of fossils is like, sees fossils in 3D and the recreation of landscapes 66 million years old, when the Pyrenees of the present day was an area inhabited by dinosaurs.
For centuries, Els Vilars (or Vilasos), a small cave to the West of Os de Balaguer, was used as a shelter by shepherds, evidence of which can be seen on the walls and blackened ceilings. However, it was not until the 1970s that 4,000-year-old old cave paintings were discovered behind the smoke marks. Currently they form part of the collection of Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula.
Despite its small size -no more than 60 m2- the cave is richly decorated: up to 28 figures or tracings have been identified. Altogether there are three groups of figures that are particularly significant due to their content. The first consists of a dance scene, in which a man has his arms around the waists of two women dressed in skirts that are typical in Levantine cave painting. The three figures are painted in a deep red.
Another of the groups comprises four concentric circles and is believed to be a heliolithic representation, a tribute to the Sun. Finally, at the back of the cave, there is a hunting scene, where goats, wolves, foxes, and even a doe are all depicted.
The location of the cave is excellent.Thanks to its position, it receives the first ray of sunlight and, at the same time, it provides a wide view of the Valley of the River Farfanya.
