Logbook · 6 places

What to see and do in Oliana

What to see and do in Oliana (Alt Urgell, Lleida): 6 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 2 Monuments · 1 Nature · 2 Activities

How far each place is from the centre of Oliana

Castle of Oliana 3.8 km

Towns near Oliana

What to see in Peramola 4 km · 5 places
What to see in Bassella 7 km · 8 places
What to see in Castellar de la Ribera 9.7 km · 5 places
What to see in Tiurana 11 km · 2 places
What to see in Coll de Nargó 12 km · 10 places
What to see in Odèn 14 km · 6 places
What to see in Fígols i Alinyà 15 km · 3 places
What to see in Pinell de Solsonès 16 km · 4 places

Spain › Catalonia › Lleida › Alt Urgell › Oliana

What to see and do in Oliana

Oliana
Village
Oliana is a municipality in the Alt Urgell, in the province of Lérida, which includes, besides the town of the same name, the settlements of El Castell and Les Anoves; with 1,874 inhabitants it is the second most populous in the district. Of Roman origin, it grew around its castle, of which few remains survive, and it retains its walled enclosure. The old castle chapel, dedicated to Sant Andreu, is an 11th-century Romanesque church, with a barrel-vaulted nave and an apse decorated with blind arcading. On the outskirts stands an ice well 5.45 m in diameter, which can be visited along with an exhibition on similar wells. The municipality also holds the Oliana reservoir, on the River Segre. The main festival is celebrated in August.
Castle of Oliana
Monument
Castle documented since 919-920 as "Castro Uliana", under the dominion of the counts of Urgell; its church of Sant Andreu was consecrated between 1037 and 1040. It belonged to the viscounty of Cardona and later, from 1453, to the chapter of the cathedral of Urgell; the castle's settlement was abandoned before the 16th century. A Bien Cultural de Interés Nacional (Catalonia's top heritage-protection category).
Walls of Oliana
Monument
The old core of Oliana climbs a hill where the walled town was concentrated, whose walls partly coincided with those of the castle; stretches of wall and entrance arches survive, such as the Portalet, a former covered entrance, and the Plaça del Lledoner, resting on the wall itself.
Oliana Reservoir
Nature
The Oliana reservoir, a large dam on the river Segre at the foot of Oliana castle, came into operation in 1958. At its tail, where the dammed waters form a large meander and receive those of the río de Perles, lies a wetland of about 49 hectares with well-preserved white willow groves and isolated specimens of poplar and ash. There was historically established the first breeding colony of the yellow-legged gull in the western comarques, and downstream of the dam stable otter populations are maintained. The reservoir suffers, however, from sudden changes in water level and gravel extraction that have degraded part of the riverside woodland at the tail.
Oliana Main Festival
Activity
The fiesta mayor of Oliana is celebrated in a town with a castle and walls next to the reservoir that bears its name; in early November it also hosts the Fira de Tots Sants, the leading commercial and agri-food event in the southern part of the region.
Fair of Tots Sants d'Oliana
Activity
Fair at the beginning of November that is the benchmark commercial and agri-food event in the south of the comarca. It brings together stalls of farm produce, cured meats, Pyrenean cheeses and seasonal sweets, besides agricultural machinery and livestock.