L'Espluga de Francolí

Surrounded by the Francolí River and the Prades Mountains is l' Espluga de Francolí, a town in the Conca de Barberà region located in the interior of the province of Tarragona.

Its name comes from the Latin word " spelunca," meaning cave. This meaning is entirely fitting, as the Font Major cave was discovered in this area in 1853. This cave has been classified as a "large cavity," with over 3,590 meters of galleries. Furthermore, an underground river flows through it, emerging at the Font Major spring. This spring is considered the source of the Francolí River. Additionally, since the cave's discovery, an archaeological site has been found within it, demonstrating human presence inside.

The town boasts several museums and places to visit, such as the Caves of l'Espluga, where you can take a guided tour inside these caves; the Museu Terra, to learn about the past, present and future of the rural world; the Fassina Balanyà, an old brandy factory, and the Templar and Hospitaller Route through the old town.

Also noteworthy is the old hospital of the Order of St. John, created by the Knights Hospitaller between the 15th and 16th centuries.

Delving into history, it is said that in 1837 the remains of the Catalan kings were hidden under the stairs of the old church of San Miguel, as they had been desecrated at the Monastery of Poblet. The church was burned down during the Third Carlist War in 1873.

The proximity of the Poblet Monastery and its great importance have led to the addition of various services in the town to complement it. However, traditionally, the economy of this municipality was based on agriculture.

Regarding the natural surroundings of this town, we can observe that, on one side, the forest predominates to the south, and on the other, the mountains, fields, and ravines. Hidden amidst this landscape is the hermitage of the Holy Trinity.

Attractive

The Caves of l'Espluga. This extensive cave runs beneath the current town of l'Espluga de Francolí. Speleological explorations, which began in 1956, have allowed for the exploration and mapping of 3,600 meters of galleries to date, making it one of the longest caves formed in conglomerate rock in the world.

Archaeological findings inside these caves demonstrate that they have been occupied since the Paleolithic era and throughout history. The most recent discovery took place on October 30, 2019, when a team from IPHES (Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution) found a Paleolithic sanctuary consisting of more than 280 engravings, the oldest dating back more than 37,000 years.

This sanctuary is the oldest discovered to date in Catalonia, making this find a landmark in the history of Catalan archaeology. Currently, the site is not open to the public, but it can be explored and viewed through an audiovisual presentation.

Visits to the caves are always guided and include a tour through the different stages of prehistory in which human presence has been confirmed, as well as an explanation of the geological formation of the cave.

The Museu Terra, with over 5,000 square meters, is one of the country's leading ethnological museums. It boasts an extensive permanent exhibition that explores what life was like in rural Catalonia—and, by extension, the Mediterranean—before the Industrial Revolution, what it is like today, and what it might be like in the future. In addition, it features a large ethnobotanical garden, a magnificent recreational and educational space dedicated to preserving ancestral knowledge about plants and garden produce.

The museum acts as a cultural center, with a wide program of activities for all audiences, temporary exhibitions and major events.

The Modernist Winery was designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner and built by his son Pere Domènech i Roura in 1913. Due to its majesty, it is known as the "cathedral of wine".

Fassina Balanyà in l'Espluga de Francolí was a family-run business dedicated to producing alcohol from grape pomace. The factory, which dates back to the mid-19th century, remained in operation until the 1950s and closed due to various circumstances, including the need for extensive renovations that its owners were unable to undertake.

The former alcohol factory—the "pomace factory," as the workers called it—reopened in 2009 with a very different purpose. It is one of the 25 industrial museums in the National Museum of Science and Technology of Catalonia system, showcasing the workings of the distillery during the years following the Spanish Civil War. Visitors can learn about the production processes for obtaining alcohol and its derivatives from pomace, the tools that were used, and the community formed by the people involved in this activity. They can also understand its importance during the Industrial Revolution in Catalonia, which enabled the rapid development of the industrial sector.

Hiking trails. From l' Espluga de Francolí, you can take several hiking routes through the Prades mountains. One of them leads to Santísima Trinidad, a leisure and recreation area.

Gastronomy. We can't forget the delicious sweets of l' Espluga: the famous carquiñolis, vanos, and barquillos. And don't miss the Siurana PDO olive oil and the Conca de Barberà PDO wines.

Other places to visit

Les Masies and the International Brigades

The memorial space. Since 2022, the memorial space for Les Masies and the International Brigades, located in the L'Espluga de Francolí Xanascat Hostel building, has been part of the Democratic Memorial Network of Memorial Spaces, under the ownership of the l'Espluga de Francolí Town Council. The building is open to the public, and in the courtyard, several panels are displayed as an exhibition about the farewell to the International Brigades and the period of the Spanish Civil War in Les Masies. This is an educational tool promoted by the Els Monestirs del Cister Learning Center.

Outside the building is a mural dedicated to the International Brigades, created by graphic artist Roc BlackBlock. The mural is part of the Murs de Bitàcola project, a collective memory initiative that uses mural art to illustrate episodes from the history of the International Brigades worldwide. This initiative links urban art with historical heritage as a pedagogical and visual tool that brings to light, makes visible, and highlights the unique memories of each community.

The proposal reproduces one of the images of the farewell of the International Brigades in Les Masies, a work by photographer Robert Capa, through a large format intervention that shows a group of brigadistas.

Old Church of l'Espluga de Francolí

The old church of San Miguel is an early Gothic work, with notable Cistercian influences in both its structure and its few, austere decorative elements. In this respect, the geographical proximity of the Cistercian monasteries of Poblet, Santes Creus, and Vallbona de les Monges is noteworthy.

In 1837, the remains of the kings of the Crown of Aragon, buried in the Monastery of Poblet, which had been abandoned two years earlier during the revolutionary outbreak and the expulsion of the monks, were hidden there.

In 1923, the church was declared a State Historical-Artistic Monument and a Cultural Asset of National Interest. In 1997, to commemorate the 700th anniversary of its construction, the bell tower was restored. Currently, visitors can freely climb the tower, which has been the site of various battles and sieges. An exhibition space allows visitors to learn about the building's history, hear historic bell ringing, and admire the town from one of its main vantage points.

Free visits with access to the bell tower: Saturdays, from 10:00 to 19:00, with access to the bell tower until 18:30; and Sundays and holidays, from 10:00 to 13:30, with access to the bell tower until 12:00.

Guided tours on demand at 616 620 006.

Stolpersteine cobblestones

Memory at street level in l'Espluga de Francolí

In l'Espluga de Francolí, historical memory is also found in its streets. The Stolpersteine —literally, "stumbling stones"— are small cobblestones placed in the pavement that commemorate people deported to Nazi concentration camps.

This project, created by German artist Gunter Demnig, transforms public space into a memorial. Each cobblestone incorporates a brass plaque with the name and essential story of the victim and is installed in front of their last known residence.

With over 75,000 cobblestones scattered across Europe, the Stolpersteine form the world's largest decentralized memorial network. L'Espluga de Francolí joins this network to preserve the memory of its residents who suffered Nazi deportation.