Logbook · 8 places

What to see and do in Alpens

What to see and do in Alpens (Lluçanès, Barcelona): 8 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 3 Monuments · 1 Nature · 2 Activities · 1 Historical milestones

How far each place is from the centre of Alpens

Church of Sant Pere de Serrallonga 2.9 km
Mountain range of Milany 19 km

Towns near Alpens

What to see in Les Llosses 3.7 km · 16 places
What to see in Sant Agustí de Lluçanès 4.3 km · 2 places
What to see in Sora 4.9 km · 1 place
What to see in Lluçà 6.1 km · 12 places
What to see in Sant Boi de Lluçanès 7.9 km · 2 places
What to see in Perafita 8.6 km · 8 places
What to see in Borredà 9 km · 2 places
What to see in Montesquiu 9 km · 2 places

Spain › Catalonia › Barcelona › Lluçanès › Alpens

What to see and do in Alpens

Alpens
Village
Alpens is a municipality in the province of Barcelona located in the north of the Lluçanès comarca, with 267 inhabitants (INE 2025), 105 km from Barcelona and 35 km from Vic. It preserves the ruins of a fortified house from 1109, the Casa Forta de Freixenet, listed as Patrimonio Artístico Español (a historic Spanish heritage designation, predecessor of today's Bien de Interés Cultural), and the Romanesque churches of Sant Pau de Colomer and Sant Pere de Serrallonga, the latter from the 10th century. Its coat of arms, approved in 1991, depicts a mountain of rocks alluding to the etymology of the place name, from the Catalan form els pens, the rocks, and recalls the Roca de Pena, a large rock outcrop near the village; the crozier crowning it indicates that Alpens was under the jurisdiction of the abbots of Ripoll.
Church of Sant Pau de Colomer
Monument
The church of Sant Pau de Colomer, or de Terrades, stands about fifty metres from the mas Colomer, preceded by a monumental double stairway; it has a single nave with a semicircular Romanesque apse of the 12th century, of which the nave and apse are preserved intact despite the building's successive transformations. It has been documented since 1190, through some testamentary bequests, and is mentioned again in 1322 and 1437. In 1737 the doorway was rebuilt, moved to the south wall and preceded by a porch on three columns with an octagonal shaft; in 1887 the sacristy was added and the square belfry and the oculus of the west front were modified. After 1939 the nave was renovated and lined inside with stone slabs, and in 1947 Pau Macià i Pons decorated the apse with paintings.
Church of Sant Pere de Serrallonga
Monument
The church of Sant Pere de Serrallonga, or de Vilallonga, stands isolated at 1,041 metres altitude at the north-western end of the municipal district of Alpens; the name Serrallonga, taken from the neighbouring mas of the same name, replaced the original name of Vilallonga around the 13th-14th centuries, that name already documented in 938 and 982. It is a single-nave building with an almost square rectangular presbytery, closed by a horseshoe-profile triumphal arch, with the door opening onto the south wall. The population loss of the 14th century made it lose its status as an independent parish, remaining a subsidiary of Alpens until 1686. It preserves a painted wooden altar from 1627 and a plaster decoration with a mitred shield of the two keys of Saint Peter; reformed in 1724 and 1837, the sacristy, attached to the north side, and the present roof of Arab tiles date from this last year.
Jovent Fair of Alpens
Activity
Traditional fair of Alpens, one of the historic events in the Lluçanès fair calendar.
Alpens Main Festival
Activity
The Festa Major of Alpens is held on the weekend closest to 27 September in honour of Sant Cosme i Sant Damià, patrons of the village, with the characteristic ball de la dansa alpensina in the main square.
Mountain range of Milany
Nature
A mountain range on the northern edge of the Lluçanès, between the Vic plain and the Pre-Pyrenees. It reaches 1,533 metres in altitude and extends between the municipalities of Vidrà, in Osona, and Vallfogona de Ripollès, in the Ripollès.
Town Hall of Alpens
Monument
Historic town hall of Alpens.
Battle of Alpens
Historical milestone
On 9 July 1873, during the Third Carlist War, the forces of Francesc Savalls defeated at Alpens the Republican column of Brigadier José Cabrinetty, who died in the fighting. Some 900 soldiers were taken prisoner after eight hours of night fighting.