Olot

The municipality of Olot is the capital of the Garrotxa region and lies within the Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park. Four volcanoes are located within its municipal boundaries: Montolivet, Montsacopa (or Sant Francisco), Garrinada, and Bisaroques. Garrotxa is the most important volcanic zone on the Iberian Peninsula.

Olot is bordered by the Bianya Valley to the north, Sant Joan les Fonts to the northeast, Les Preses to the south, Santa Pau to the southeast, and Riudaura and Vall d'en Bas to the west.

The entire municipality and its surroundings are of great tourist interest thanks to the Natural Park, the Fageda d'en Jordà or the Aiguamolls de la Deu and the Moixina.

Olot has a long history; we find references to Olot for the first time in 872, with the reorganization of the territory after the Frankish reconquest of Girona. The town was located around the church of Santa Maria del Tura. Despite this long history, few buildings remain from before the 15th century, since during 1427 and 1428 the area suffered a series of earthquakes that destroyed the old town of Olot and forced the construction of a new one around the church of Sant Esteve, located on the edge of the old town, which had survived. From then on, the town experienced significant growth in population and buildings, such as the 16th-century Convent del Carme, which consists of a late Gothic church and a Renaissance cloister.

Wandering through the streets of Olot, you'll discover a rich historical and artistic heritage, featuring Modernist buildings and Renaissance ensembles. Nearly a hundred sculptures in various styles are scattered throughout the squares and streets.

You cannot miss the Blay promenade, dedicated to Miquel Blay and one of the busiest places in the city; the Carme square where the Carmen Convent is located; the church of Santa Maria del Tura, documented in the year 872; or Montsacopa, a 94-meter volcano in whose crater is the hermitage of San Francisco (1812).

At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, Modernism had a great influence on the architecture of Olot, and important architects and sculptors such as Lluís Domènech i Montaner, Josep Azemar, Alfred Paluzie or Miquel Blay left their mark.

Some of the most interesting modernist buildings to visit are the Casa Mas Collellmir by Alfred Paluzie, the Pastelería Ferrer, Can Noguer, Casa Pujador (1911-1912), Casa Escubós (1906), Casa Gaietà Vila (1901), Casa Solà Morales renovated by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, Casa Gassiot (1911-1912), among others.

Museums

Olot also has very interesting museums to learn about the town and the volcanic area of La Garrotxa:

Garrotxa Regional Museum

The Garrotxa Museum is located in the center of Olot, arranged around a large central courtyard, in the historic Hospicio building, an 18th-century construction by Ventura Rodríguez.

The central focus of the Museum's collection is the Olot Landscape School, a landscape movement promoted especially by the brothers Joaquim and Marian Vayreda and by Josep Berga i Boix from the second half of the 19th century, which became a reference point throughout Catalonia and attracted and significantly influenced several generations of painters.

Can Trincheria House-Museum

A stately home built in the 18th century with later additions. The house takes its name from the Trincheria lineage, a family that historically distinguished itself in the military and political spheres. The house boasts a monumental nativity scene with figures by Ramon Amadeu, period furniture including beds from Olot, and wall decorations featuring landscapes and mythological scenes.

The Crater Space

Structured around various themes, the Espai Cràter exhibition explains the volcanoes of La Garrotxa and the world, as well as the unique relationship between volcanoes and their environment. It does so in a fully interactive way, using diverse exhibition methods: audiovisuals, immersive experiences, photographs, and video mapping.

It features a 15 m2 model, which explains the formation of the Garrotxa, gamification proposals and a large clay slope, which allows us to see the inside and verify that we are inside the Puig del Roser volcano.

Museum of Saints

Olot has a long tradition of crafting religious imagery. Today, the epicenter of this artisanal industry is located in one of the most unique museums in all of Catalonia: the Museum of Saints of Olot.

Entering the Museum of Saints is like stepping into a bustling workshop. You can see the workers modeling, polishing, painting, and decorating the statuettes just as they do in their daily work.

The Museum aims to showcase the industrial activity of religious image production in Olot. The visit allows visitors to observe a workshop in operation, follow the production process, and learn about the history of this craft. It also houses a collection of images of saints, processional floats for Holy Week, nativity scene figures, decorative figures, costume jewelry, and emblematic pieces from former workshops.

More information at: Discover Olot!