News

Successful 4th Nature and Culture walk reveals unknown heritage in Les Pedreres district

The walk organised by Les Pedreres - Fora Muralla Residents' Association with the support of Girona City Council on Sunday 20 November revealed hidden corners of great beauty in Les Pedreres district, unfamiliar despite their proximity to the city.

Girona City History Museum has collaborated with a community initiative that dovetails with our aim of seeking enjoyable ways to bring the public closer to the history and rich heritage of Girona, many hidden spaces of which remain unexplored. The walk, which will be offered among the Museum's proposed itineraries for next year, enabled some two hundred people to discover the forts and strongholds of Les Pedreres district, dating from the second half of the 17th century and the last defence works built in Girona. Paradoxically, this itinerary is one of the least familiar to the inhabitants of the city.
The four forts and two strongholds, of different sizes and irregular layouts and built according to the conventional Vauban defence method of their era, overlooked Girona, Sant Daniel Valley and the start of the Gavarres Mountains, thus protecting the eastern and southeastern flanks of the city.
Walking up to the foot of the huge telecommunications tower, we find the ruins of a powder magazine, built in 1924 on the site of the former magazine of the Capuchin fort dating from 1707, the name of which recalls a community of Capuchin friars living here from 1581. Inside the magazine, there is a remarkable old water cistern comprising three large spaces separated by impressive columns supporting ogive arches. Those who climbed up to the top of the communications tower were rewarded with a magnificent 360º panoramic view.