The Natural Park Network The Network ensures a territorial and environmental balance for the hundred municipalities in the geographical area. The Barcelona Provincial Council’s Natural Park Network contains a dozen protected natural areas of great scenic, ecological and cultural value. It covers 102,587 hectares and 100 municipalities. The municipalities represent 22% of the Barcelona region and 70% of Catalonia’s population. The Network plans and manages natural and agricultural areas through special schemes devised with the participation of everyone involved. It protects every park’s natural, agricultural, forest, cultural and scenic values. © Xevi Vilaregut It seeks to strike a balance between the parks’ preservation and the economic development of the local population. A lush landscape beneath the cliffs The extensive forests and cliffs around the Sau Reservoir are It promotes environmental education and public use some of the landscapes that visitors most admire. of natural and cultural heritage. The Les Guilleries-Savassona Natural Area covers an area of 8,376 hectares and is located to the east of the Osona region. It connects with Collsacabra to the north, the Plain of Vic to © Ricard Badia the west, the foothills of El Montseny to the south and the This paper comes from environmentally responsible sources © XPN region of Selva to the east. The two natural areas included in the Plan for Spaces of Espai Natural de les Guilleries-Savassona Natural Interest (PEIN) that make up the Natural Area – Les Les Guilleries- Guilleries and Savassona – are exceptional in that they are Guilleries- located in the transition zone between two regions: the Savassona parcs.diba.cat/web/guilleries guilleries @enguilleries Park App Savassona Transversal Range and the Mediterranean. The landscape, which is dominated by Central European and Mediterranean forests and cliffs featuring bare rock, gives the location its Parks of Catalonia Natural Area Press and Communications Office. DL B 9963-2020 Press and Communications Office. The Barcelona Provincial Council’s Natural Park Network personality. Castell de Montesquiu Park, Les Guilleries-Savassona Natural Area, El Montseny Natural Park, Sant Llorenç del Munt i l'Obac Natural Park, El Montnegre i el Corredor Park, Serralada Litoral Park, Past human activity can be seen in the valuable historical Serralada de Marina Park, Serra de Collserola Natural Park, El Baix Llobregat Agrarian Park, El Garraf Park, Olèrdola Park, El Foix Park. and architectural heritage, the many traditional activities that still thrive today and the ever-present reservoir that flooded the village of Sant Romà de Sau and changed the landscape forever. The Les Guilleries-Savassona Natural Area Consortium includes Services Management for Natural Areas Comte d’Urgell, 187. 08036 Barcelona the Osona municipalities of Folgueroles, Sant Julià de Vilatorta, Sant Sadurní de Osormort, Tavèrnoles and Vilanova de Sau. [email protected] · parcs.diba.cat A land of biodiversity Get the most out of your visit The biological wealth of the Natural Area is a result of the It’s easy to do, whether it's an impromptu stroll or an activity- varied terrain and the legacy of age-old human activity. packed stay. It boasts a wide variety of forests where Mediterranean and The Natural Area has readily accessible facilities and Euro-Siberian vegetation coexist. The wildlife in each is programmes for you to get to know the place better and enjoy equally rich and specific. everything on offer. Although animals are difficult to spot, they often leave traces of their The Les Guilleries-Savassona Natural Area has presence. If you listen carefully, you’re sure to hear the call of the great several centres and an information point, numerous tit, the warbler, the jay and the hoopoe. You should also be able to recreational areas, environmental education facilities hear the European Green Woodpecker and see the holes it makes in and signposted trails, such as the Carboneres trail, the dead trees. Domus del Pi trail (in Vilanova de Sau) and the Font de la Riera trail (in Sant Julià de Vilatorta). It also boasts There’s no shortage of diurnal and nocturnal birds of prey in the several permanent exhibitions and general interest Natural Area. Notable among them are the Eurasian eagle-owl, the publications. tawny owl and the falcon, and it’s easy to catch sight of the griffon All year round, there are activity programmes, vulture and the Egyptian vulture from the cliff tops. © ERomán Hereter © XPN environmental education workshops and talks, leisure and cultural events, such as “Viu el Parc” (Live the © Iñaki Relanzón Park) and “Poesia als Parcs. Lletres i Paisatges” (Poetry Farmhouses, castles and hermitages Agricultural, livestock and forestry in the Parks. Literature and Landscapes), and the school The built heritage of the Natural Area includes numerous activities programme “Coneguem els Nostres Parcs” (Discover legacies from times gone by that capture the interest of visitors. our Parks). A wide range of options which allow visitors The way people feel connected to the land and their to discover and enjoy nature in a respectful way. Many of the historical sites are located in elevated areas and environmental awareness are key to preserving the © Ricard Badia offer extraordinary panoramic views. countryside. The oldest traces of human existence in the Natural The Natural Area promotes and is committed to traditional Area can be found on the engraved stones and in the activity, and encourages those who work with local products area around Sant Feliuet de Savassona (Tavèrnoles), as to foster sustainable economic development. well as in the Iberian Ausetani settlement of Casol de Agricultural, livestock and forestry activities remain Puigcastellet (Folgueroles). some of the richest assets of the Les Guilleries- Constructions such as the Malafogassa Bridge, Bellpuig Savassona Natural Area. The Natural Area strives Castle, Sant Llorenç Castle, Sant Feliuet de Savassona, to ensure that these activities are compatible with Sant Andreu de Bancells, Sant Romà de Sau and Santa ecological conservation. Maria de Vallclara are fine examples of Romanesque Adaptation of forests to the effects of climate change and pre-Romanesque architecture. The Baroque and is a future project that is just getting under way and neoclassical periods are both represented in the Puig- will prove key to mitigating the impact on natural l’agulla Sanctuary. ecosystems. Don’t miss the rich popular architectural heritage of the However, the gradual downturn in these activities numerous farmhouses scattered throughout the Natural underscores the current interest in boosting the Area, including Ca l’Arumí, Cal Guàrdia, Can Garbells, flow of tourists to the area and establishing it as an Can Tramuntana and Mas d’en Coll. important tourist centre. 1 Sant Feliuet 5 Font Trobada 7 Malafogassa 9 Sau de Savassona Recreational Area Bridge Reservoir One of the most distinctive archaeological heritage sites An iconic part of Folgueroles, the perfect spot for leisure, A beautiful, narrow bridge that passes over the Riera Major The creation of this reservoir changed the appearance in Tavèrnoles and Osona. recreation and relaxation. in Vilanova de Sau. of the Natural Area forever. © Museu Verdaguer © Iñaki Relanzón © XPN © XPN NOTES: The hermitage (10th-11th centuries) is an example NOTES: To mark the centenary of Jacint Verdaguer’s death, NOTES: This Romanesque bridge has two different-sized NOTES: In 1963, when the floodgates closed for good, the The hermitage at Sant of pre-Romanesque architecture. The surroundings The location has a Perejaume created a land art piece that reproduces The Riera Major is home to arches, one of which is very wide. If you follow From the Sau Reservoir reservoir submerged 17 kilometres of the Ter val- Feliuet is located on parking area, picnic some spectacular hidden recreational area, follow a private estate. It is are home to Neolithic remains such as excavations tables, a drinking water the poet’s signature and follows the course of the spots. It supplies the Sau the signs for the SL-C 121 El Pont de Malafo- the signs for the SL-C 94 ley and wiped out the village of Sant Romà de Sau important to respect the to store water and anthropomorphic tombs. The fountain and an open stream. It forms the starting point for the Torrent del Reservoir with most of its gassa trail, you’ll cross several watercourses, Ruta de les Carboneras and buildings such as the Romanesque bridge, the environment and follow Savassona plain features large blocks of rock, such area to enjoy nature. Lledoner trail, the SL-C 123 El Casol de Puigcastellet water and is one of the where you’ll have the chance to take in aquatic trail and you’ll come to the Sau flour mill and the Sant Romà church. It forms both the rules concerning as the Pedra del Sacrifici, the Dau, the Pedra de les trail and the GR 151 Camins del Bisbe i Abat Oliba most important water- environments and admire common oaks, holm Domus del Pi site. part of the Les Guilleries reservoir system along behaviour and the signs. Bruixes and the Pedra de l’Home. trail from Folgueroles to Sant Pere de Casserres. courses in the Natural Area. oaks, alders, ash trees, chestnuts and poplars. with the Pasteral and Susqueda reservoirs. Sant Martí Sescorts Puig de la Guardiola 1030 2 a Torelló a l’Esquirol a l’Esquirol 10 Casol de Puigcastellet T Monastery of Sant Pere t B-522 . Legend d e l Manlleu T Puig del Pi ’A key point Iberian settlement o v de Casserres r 950 e motorway ls r ll of interest C-153 Sant Pere de Casserres al e a V n s n e t l o road Puig de les Baumes s 10 e a park office d d a Rupit BV e 935 t n l -5222 a main track e Puig Segaler This Iberian settlement from the 3rd-century BC One of the most impressive examples of Catalan r r B Tavertet information o a -5207 1025 T u BV railway belonged to the Ausetani people and was used for m Roca dels Ferros e petrol station Romanesque architecture.