The natural volcanic park Garrotxa is the largest volcanic formation in the Iberian Peninsula. We will look into the valley of volcanoes that operated many centuries ago and left a magnificent natural landscape - a forest of beech trees with long extinct volcanic craters.
Life is like on a volcano … For the inhabitants of the Catalan town of Olot, this expression sounds not in a figurative, but in the most literal sense. They live in a city surrounded by volcanoes. There are four of them only within the city limits: Montacopa, Garrinada, Montoleti and Biserkes. In the immediate vicinity - more than twenty.
Including the most famous one - Santa Margarita (Volc Santa Margarida).
The province of Garrotcha has long been famous for its volcanoes. Now they are quiet - overgrown with grass, trees and shrubs, but several centuries ago … In the province there are still houses - witnesses of volcanic activity in the region. They always built seriously here - buildings made of cobblestones, most of which survived more than one generation of their owners. The buildings in Garoccia, like the landscapes, are very different from what tourists are used to seeing on the Spanish Mediterranean coast.
What sensations do a person have when trapped in a volcano crater? Several million years ago, the land we walk on was fire. Along with Santa Margarita, Montacopa is the most visited volcano in the Garrotcha National Park. This is a favorite walking place for the residents of Olot; a wonderful view of the city opens from the top. The ground here is part red, as in many parts of the region, part black, made up of pumice-like stones. Once these stones were lava flowing along the slopes of Montakop. The stones are very light, collecting them and taking them home as free volcanic souvenirs is strictly prohibited. The region received the status of a natural park in 1982. Now it is a state-protected territory, and some half a century ago, “explosive” works were carried out on the slopes of volcanoes.
But for the time being, the region lives not only on volcanoes, but also due to volcanoes. Here is fertile land - the consequences of volcanic activity. There are many tourists who come not only to look into the crater, but also to see the sights, buy handicrafts, taste the famous sausages and cheeses. "Volcanic cuisine" with dishes typical of the region is advertised in all guidebooks. There is a volcano museum in Olot. Souvenirs with their images are sold on the streets. The region, with a population of about forty thousand people, is quite rich. As they say, there would be no happiness, but misfortune helped …
Promotional video:
More than forty of the best preserved volcanoes on the Iberian Peninsula sleep in the Garocci Natural Park. In general, life on volcanoes does not cause inconvenience to the inhabitants of Garrochi. Of course, from time to time a thought arises: what if the volcanoes wake up … According to scientists, most of these "time bombs" are not forever extinct, but simply dormant. That is why churches were often built next to volcanoes or in the craters themselves. Churches served as a symbol of protection for people against possible repetitions of volcanic eruptions.
It is such a volcano Santa Margarita, a high, high mountain, overgrown with a century-old forest, and inside the mountain is a depression with a small church in the middle. It is a church of Roman origin dedicated to Saint Margaret, built around the 1st century AD.
La Garrotxa is a zone of extinct volcanoes, of which there are about seventy, forty of which are still considered active. And, although the last volcanic eruption was recorded 11 thousand years ago, the territory of the park still remains a seismically active zone. But you shouldn't take La Garrotxa as a “burning hell” in reality, in addition to sharp fluctuations in temperature and frightening eruptions from the earth's crust. Walking in the protected area is absolutely safe. Moreover, it is the excursions to La Garrotxa that are considered a "highlight" for tourists who prefer an active and rich vacation. You won't see boiling lava and burning ash here, but absolutely everyone can have a picnic in the mouth of the volcano!
The main area of the reserve lies in an ancient volcanic plateau, densely overgrown with forest. Within its limits there are 26 protected areas, three of which have preserved the craters of the oldest volcanoes: Croscat, Montsacop and Santa Margarita. Volcanic hills up and down are entangled in tourist trekking routes, on which villages and towns are located. Surprisingly, the La Garrotxa park is 98% private property, so we can assume that the park, as strange as it may seem, has a population of 40 thousand people.
The architecture of the houses in the protected area is clearly different from the usual buildings on the Spanish coast. The houses in La Garrotxa were built taking into account local cataclysms, increased fire resistance and resistance to soil vibrations. Built from cobblestones of various sizes, such structures are very reliable and have been preserved for centuries. Many of the houses were built on basalt rocks and lava formations and impress with their "lightness" and steadfastness to the frightening appearance of bottomless abysses.
One of the local villages - Castellfollit de la Roca - has completely "hung" on the frozen lava flow, which formed a rock 50 meters high after the volcanic eruption. An unforgettable sight! The rock is located between two rivers, and the houses built in two rows on it seem to be about to collapse from the cliff! About 1000 people live here, who are already accustomed to the exciting landscapes. And it is difficult for travelers to understand such "feats" of local residents, and with bated breath they gaze at the line of the town for an infinitely long time, imagining life on the edge of the cliff …
Cypress trees are interspersed with spruce and beech trees, grown in places where lava once flowed from local volcanoes. A cool twilight reigns in the forest, the trees grow so close to each other that their trunks are overgrown with moss, and the roots are intertwined … Step by step, and in front of you is the largest volcano Croskat, 160 meters high. The crater of the volcano has been cleared, so you can even safely look into it. And from the top of Croscat opens the very exciting forest landscape described in the poem by Juan Maragal, the lines of which can be read on the sign at the entrance to the park.
Another famous volcano in La Garrotxa is Santa Margarita. It surprises with the fact that in its crater the eponymous church of the Romanesque period is conveniently located, lonely and a little dull from this.
By the way, the flora of this volcanic zone is very unusual. Those travelers who are not afraid to climb volcanoes will surely be surprised to see birch trees there. 65% of the park's territory is covered with oak, beech and alder forests, therefore white-trunk birches are a kind of natural know-how of this area. The fertile land here glorifies the park far beyond the boundaries of Catalonia, and the locals are pleased with the high harvest. It is here that the Spanish hard cheese "Garrocha" is produced, which is made from goat's milk - a favorite delicacy of the Spaniards and visiting tourists!
La Garrotxa Volcanic Park is a great place to spend a relaxing day without worries and fuss. Exotic walks on the craters of volcanoes today are equated with the most unusual types of recreation in Spain. But, despite the fact that the park has been under state protection since 1982, 12 thousand hectares of protected area, filled with lava, are of particular interest for those who like to carry out excavations in the wrong places. Therefore, the Spanish authorities are faced with a difficult task: to organize the economy and economic activities of the local residents of the park so as not to harm the protected area. Old residents of local villages, in turn, also help the authorities: they are very friendly and always ready to help tourists.
The building was destroyed in 1428 by the Catalan earthquake and rebuilt in 1865. Located in the center of an extinct volcano in Catalonia, the crater opens to reveal a tiny stone shack. There is not a single building in the economic disaster zone, only a hermit's hut. Covered with dense vegetation on all sides, the shack is fancifully set on flat, barren land.