Banyoles
The capital of the area with 15,000 inhabitants,
Banyoles is famous for its lake and the enormous
carp that live in it. Previously undeveloped,
the rowing championships in the 1991 Olympic
games were held on the lake and consequently
there was much development in the town. The
lakeside closest to the town has been heavily
redeveloped with hotels, restaurants and tourist
boats. The old town, however, escaped much of
the redevelopment and the lake continues to
be a big attraction.
The town itself originally developed around
the site of a 9th century monastery that can
still be seen in the eastern side of town. There
are medieval streets and other old buildings
that lead from the monastery back into the centre
of town. The Placa Major is a beautiful, tree
lined and arcaded square in the centre of town.
There are lots of cafés, bars and restaurants
in the town as well as shops and supermarkets.
The market is held in the square each Wednesday
and has been since the 11th century.
The lake, Estany de Banyoles,
is fifteen minutes walk from the town centre
and it is possible to hire rowing boats, pedalos
or go for short cruises on the lake.
Banyoles is 17km from Girona on the C-66 dual
carriageway.
Porqueres
On the southern edge of the lake, the water
of the lake is deepest here at 63m. In Porqueres
(population 3500) there is an elegant 12th century
Romanesque church, the interior of which has
some unusual carvings.
Camós
A few kilometres south of Banyoles, the village
of Camós has a population of 600 and
is surrounded by scattered farmhouses and hamlets.
The Romanesque church of Santa Magdalena stands
in the village.
Southeast of Camós, the village of
Palol de Revardit with 400 inhabitants
also has a Romanesque church as well as an ancient
fortified castle.
East of Palol is the small town of Cornellá
del Terri with 1800 residents. Nearby
are a number of scattered hamlets with several
Romanesque churches and notable ancient castles.
Northwest of Banyoles, Sant Miguel
de Campmajor is a small village in
the Pla de l’Estany countryside with a
population of 200, a medieval church and a castle.
Sant Miguel is 5km from Banyoles.
Fontcoberta with a population
of 1000 is 4km north of Banyoles. It is surrounded
by the typical farmhouses and hamlets of the
region and there is a Romanesque church in the
village.
Serinyà
Serinyà is known for the large group
of prehistoric caves around the village where
archaeological finds of the remains of Paleolithic
Man have been found. Replicas of these finds
can be seen in the museum at Banyoles. Serinyà
is a pretty village with a Romanesque church
and a population of 800 people.
Serinyà is 6km north of Banyoles on the
C-66 road which runs towards Besalú and
Olot.
Esponellà
East of Serinyà is the village of Esponellà
with a population of 400. It is a medieval village
with some outstanding characteristics such as
the church, which has Romanesque and Gothic
features, the 15th century bridge with gothic
arches that spans the Fluvià river and
a ruined castle.
Esponellà is 8km from Banyoles.
North of Esponellà is the village of
Crespià with 200 inhabitants.
Crespià has a church of Romanesque origin
and is involved in the production of honey.
In February, a honey fair takes place in the
village.
West of Esponellà is the village of Vilademuls
(750 people) surrounded by scattered hamlets
and farmhouses.
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