Logbook · 7 places

What to see and do in Centelles

What to see and do in Centelles (Osona, Barcelona): 7 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 3 Monuments · 2 Activities · 1 Food and drink

How far each place is from the centre of Centelles

Towns near Centelles

What to see in Balenyà 1.9 km · 2 places
What to see in Aiguafreda 4.3 km · 3 places
What to see in Sant Martí de Centelles 4.5 km · 3 places
What to see in Collsuspina 4.9 km · 7 places
What to see in Tona 5.7 km · 3 places
What to see in Seva 7 km · 1 place
What to see in Castellcir 7.3 km · 6 places
What to see in el Brull 7.4 km · 5 places

Spain › Catalonia › Barcelona › Osona › Centelles

What to see and do in Centelles

Centelles
Village
Centelles is a town in the southern part of the Osona comarca, in the province of Barcelona, with the Palau Comtal and the Portal Nou, the sole late Gothic remnant of the three gates of the old town wall. Documented since 898, it took its name from the lords of the castle of Sant Martí, who in the 14th century became barons and walled the settlement, then called Santa Coloma de Centelles; a century later the barony became a county. Well connected to Vic and Barcelona, it is today a meeting point for hikers and holds a market on Sundays. Its economy combines dry farming, livestock raising, industry and services. It has 7,864 inhabitants.
The Gate of Centelles
Monument
El Portal de Centelles is the old monumental gateway into the town of Centelles, in Osona, declared Bien Cultural de Interés Nacional (Catalonia's highest level of heritage protection) and part of the walls built in the 16th century. On the outer face it has a round arch with voussoirs, crowned by the coat of arms of the Centelles family, and retains four merlons and two blunderbuss loopholes; on the inner side, with no defensive features, it shows a moulded window, a small coat of arms and a large flat-vaulted arcade. The old sagrera of Santa Coloma, the municipality's original name, already had walls from 1329, but the present walls were raised between 1537 and 1565, under Baron Guillem Ramon II de Centelles, Count of Quirra. The Portal was remodelled and restored in 1919 by the architect Jeroni Martorell i Terrats.
Vinyoles
Monument
The house of Vinyoles is a farmhouse of popular architecture, with remains from the Romanesque and Gothic periods, in the district of Centelles. It was a domus or fortified house that gave its name to the settlement, called Santa Coloma de Vinyoles from the 12th century until the late 15th, and the date 1546 inscribed on the stone arch of the entrance may correspond to a rebuilding of the house; another renovation, in 1746, may have been due to the fire suffered in the assault on Centelles in 1714. Built of stone blocks and rubble masonry, it retains a section formed by three walls that look like old ramparts and enclose a square of about 25 by 25 metres within which the farmhouse stands; in the south-west section survives a pointed Gothic arch with two round-headed doorways.
Comital Palace of Centelles
Monument
The Palau dels Comtes de Centelles, in Centelles (Osona, Barcelona), is a building declared bien cultural de interés nacional (Catalonia's highest level of heritage protection). The first residence was built in 1415 by Baron Gilabert VII; a second house was raised around 1540, already in the 16th century, by Baron Guillem Ramon II. After the War of the Spanish Succession, Count Francesc Xavier de Blanes i Centelles-Carròs rebuilt the palace, which was badly damaged during the Peninsular War. It is a large, square-plan building, with a ground floor and three storeys around a central courtyard, and small watchtowers at the four upper corners. The main door opens beneath a three-sided angular arch with a coat of arms held by angels, and the rest of the openings, lintelled, are arranged symmetrically.
Centelles Main Festival
Activity
The Festa Major of Centelles is celebrated from 26 August to 1 September, closing on the 1st with the feast of Sant Llop, patron of the town.
Festival of el Pi de Centelles
Activity
Documented at least since 1751, it is held on 30 December: the galejadors fell a pine, carry it by cart to the church and there it is hung upside down decorated with apples and neulas. It has been a Festa Patrimonial d'Interès Nacional since 2010.
Black truffle and the Truffle Fair
Food and drink
The black truffle is gathered in the holm oak woods of Osona between November and March. Centelles devotes its Fira de la Tòfona to it, with searching by dog and direct sales, and Vic hosts the Trufforum, one of the great truffle gatherings held in Catalonia.