Palamós, Girona counties, Catalonia, Spain
Palamos is a municipality in the district of Lower Emporda. Its port, due to the existence of the municipality, has had times of great splendor, especially at the beginning of the twentieth century, with the cork industry. Now, the port complex brings together three important sectors: fishing, commercial and tourism.
Palamós is located at the northern end of a large bay, which is popular for sailing, swimming and windsurfing. The town is by-passed by the C31 which connects the coastal towns of the central Costa Brava with Girona. Palafrugell lies 8.5 km to the north and Castell-Platja d’Aro 7 km to the south. It borders the Mediterranean Sea and the municipalities of Calonge, Vall-llobrega, Mont-ras and Forallac. Its geographical location, right in the middle of the Costa Brava, has made it a tourist center of the first magnitude.
The town is a major port (with the closure of Sant Feliu the only commercial harbour in the Province of Girona) with one of the last remaining fishing fleets on this part of the Mediterranean coast. It is famous for the locally caught prawns from Palamós.
The town’s major economic activities until the second half of the 20th century were fishing and cork manufacturing. In the sixties, however, the town saw a rapid growth of tourism. The architecture of Palamos itself remained relatively unchanged with most development focused to the south at Sant Antoni de Calonge which now merges with Palamos. The town’s nightlife is focused on the old port which is surrounded by bars and restaurants.
History
The town of Palamós, in the heart of the Costa Brava, is a municipality that has a very specific date of its foundation and this article describes the most important events in its history. The Montagut dolmen at the northern end of the municipality of Palamós is evidence of the Neolithic past of these areas and the remains of the Iberian village at the eastern end of Castell beach are evidence of the indigenous presence, among the sixth centuries BC. and I BC. There are also Roman remains in different parts of the town, such as Palau (Mas Salvà), the castle of Sant Esteve a la Fosca, Mas Guàrdies and in different places within the town.
In 1277, King Peter II the Great bought the castle of Sant Esteve de Mar, in La Fosca. Within its territory was a sheltered road where he wanted to build a port to cover the growing trade with Italy and especially with Sicily, of which his wife Constance was a princess. The town of Palamors – this is how it was called until the beginning of the 15th century – was founded on December 3, 1279 by the mayor general of Catalonia Astruc Ravaia precisely to maintain and defend that incipient port. In the Carta-pobla the king offers the new settlers space to build their home free of any servitude and a whole host of advantages, including a weekly market every Tuesday that is still held today. The mayor general appoints Arnau sa Bruguera first mayor of a new entity, the Mayor of Palamós, which apart from the town will have jurisdiction over Vila-romà (Sant Joan de Palamós), Vall-llobrega and Calonge.
From this moment on, the new town and its port will be a strategic element of the first magnitude. So much so that only six years after its creation, in 1285, Palamós was rushed by the French squadron to provide logistical support to the troops of King Philip III l’Ardit who were besieging the city of Girona. The performance of Admiral Roger de Llúria ‘s squadron was fulminating, completely destroying the French squadron in the famous Battle of the Ant Islands. It is not until the middle of the 15th century when the first stone pier and the defense wall were built. The port movement is so important that the port of Palamós is considered the second in Catalonia. Throughout the 15th and much of the 16th century it is interesting to mention the slave trade from North Africa.
Although King Alfonso III the Benign in 1334 gave permission to reserve a space for the construction of a chapel dedicated to Santa Maria, the fierce opposition of the inhabitants of Sant Joan de Palamós prevented it and it is not until 1371 when the bishop of Girona Jaume ça Tria granted a license to build a chapel dedicated to Santa Maria, with certain limitations to prevent possible damage to the parish of Santa Eugènia de Vila-romà. In 1428 the town managed to have its own parish, separating from that of Santa Eugènia de Vila-romà, and in 1434 the first phase of the construction of the current parish church of Santa Maria de Palamós began, which will continue in a second phase in 1521, with the patronage of the Countess of Palamós Elisabet de Requesens.
As for the church, it should be noted that in 1742 two English frigates bombed the town, causing great damage to the roof, side chapels and the bell tower. Also worth mentioning is the construction of the Fonda chapel with the patronage of the Countess of Palamós Ventura Fernández de Córdova. In 1769 it was finished and the polychrome coat of arms of the counts was placed on it.
In 1484 King Ferdinand II the Catholic awarded his captain general of the navy, Galceran de Requesens, by granting him the Batllia de Palamós with the title of county. The inhabitants of Palamós who had received from King Peter II the Great and his successors guarantees that they would always be tied to the crown, did not accept it willingly and opposed the new count taking possession until he had sworn to respect the royal privileges they had granted. After a two-year tug-of-war, the count finally agreed and the palamosins opened the gates of the town to him. Galceran de Requesens became interested in the port, having it arranged by technicians from the city of Barcelona. The county will subsist until the abolition of the lordships in Spain, in 1837, but not the title of Count of Palamós which still exists and now belongs to the 24th on the list.
Pirates and captives
Since ancient times, the Catalan coasts have been exposed to pirates, so the farmhouses closest to the sea were equipped with defense towers. In the 13th to 15th centuries, Catalan naval supremacy considerably reduced the presence of hostile ships, but from the 16th to the 19th century our coasts were ruled by Turkish, North African and finally English ships, which generally allowed the Moorish ships. Although the coastal villages had established a watch and mail service to warn of the presence of suspicious ships, there have been hundreds of attacks on small fishing lakes in Palamós, almost always with the result of capture and kidnapping. As a result, many families were ruined by selling their property to pay the ransom of their enslaved relatives north of
The Turkish squadron of Barba-rossa, after passing through the city of Nice and destroying the towns of Cadaqués and Roses, stormed Palamós on October 5, 1543. Despite the help of two hundred men from Palafrugell, among which were the mayor and the sacristan, the pirates destroyed and burned most of the houses, as well as the parish churches of Palamós and Vila-romà and the chapel of Nostra Senyora de Gràcia in sa Punta.
The notary Brugarol de Palafrugell took note of everything he saw personally, giving details of the Dantesque scenes found inside the town when the pirates withdrew. Impaled and burned men, dismembered and dead everywhere, the notary expresses his grief by saying… so much destruction and ruin did and is done in this town that only by lying it has no Christian heart that does not cry drops of sanch. On the third day the Turkish squadron, consisting of twenty galleys and two woods, continued its journey to Vila Joiosa. The disaster of Palamós was known everywhere and even Pope Paul III intervened to help return the town to normal. Many inhabitants fled and a large percentage never returned, they stayed to live in the neighboring villages.
The Augustinian convent
In 1507 the construction of the chapel of Nostra Senyora de Gràcia in Sa Punta began, in the highest place of Palamós, now disappeared and turned into a quarry from where the stone was extracted to build the Moll Nou, current pier commercial. In the middle of the 16th century, the hermit Friar Damià Marruffo of the order of Sant Jeroni de la Murtra lived there, who took center stage in May 1543, when the emperor Carlos I landed in the port of Palamós for continue journey to Genoa. Fra Marruffo visited him and invited him to lunch at the hermitage, a gesture that the emperor accepted, going up to Sa Punta and enjoying the beautiful panorama. It was during this stay in Palamós that the emperor wrote to his son Philip IIthe famous instructions.
In 1568, after a failed attempt in Sant Feliu de Guíxols, a community of monks from Sant Agustí moved to the hermitage to build a monastery, thus founding the convent of Nostra Senyora de Thanks. It was completely destroyed a year after the French assault of 1694 and the monks were sent back to the hospital for the poor. From 1724, with financing of the City council and the Augustinian community, they begin the reconstruction of the convent in the same place. In 1741, after having erected many walls, they received the royal order to suspend work for having intended that place for military use. With no other solution, due to lack of money, the monks reached an agreement with the City Council to transform the hospital into a second convent. This new convent will survive until the confiscation (1836) becoming a cork factory, El Convento SA Currently, in the Pedró has been built the Park of the Convent of the Augustinians with the remains of the old buildings.
Plague
In 1650 there was a plague in Barcelona in the midst of the siege of the Castilian troops of King Philip IV. Two years later, he arrived in Palamós. With the first burial, on March 26, 1652, the gates of the town were closed and did not reopen until September 7 of the same year, but with a series of quarantine conditions. From the beginning, the number of deaths was so significant that the rector stopped writing down the burial items, so the number of casualties is unknown. At the beginning of 1653 the rector blessed a piece of land in the Arenal, outside the walls, where he says that between 300 and 400 bodies had been buried, possibly more than half of the population of Palamós. In thanksgiving it was established that every year, perpetually, for the Virgin of September a procession would be held in the chapel ofSanta Maria de Bell-lloc de Palamós. After a few years without being celebrated, from the year 1992 the gathering and the vote of town were re-edited.
Walls and defenses
Following the bloody attack of the Turks in 1543, the construction of walls and bastions was accelerated to completely encircle the town, leaving two gates, the sea in the Planassa, and the land or pond, in the Plaza dels Trees. The wars against France and Spain in the mid- seventeenth century turned Palamós into an important place of arms, with soldiers of very different origins, Spaniards, Neapolitans, Flemings, Irish, Germans, housed inside and outside the town in quarters and in private homes. The governor of the square was a general of infantry or cavalry and a field master was the highest military authority. To complete the defenses, throughout the second half of the seventeenth century a citadel was built in the highest part of Sa Punta and as the Augustinian convent already existed in this place, a compromise had to be reached between the military and the monks, consisting of leaving the convent in the middle of the citadel.
All the walls, bastions and moats and the citadel with the convent were destroyed by the French in 1695 to ensure rapid occupation in future raids.
Second destruction of Palamós. Nine Years War
In 1694, the French marshal Noailles invaded the Empordà. After surrendering Verges and Torroella de Montgrí and crossing the river Ter, there were two strongholds on their way to Barcelona, Palamós and Hostalric., which the Spanish troops had abandoned to their fate. The French army with about 12,000 to 15,000 infantry and about 5,000 cavalry began the attack on Palamós on May 30, knowing very well the interior of the town for having been garrisoned between 1643 and 1652. In front they had between 3,000 and 4,000 soldiers, most of the Third of Neapolitans. The battle was so fierce, with so many casualties on the part of the French, that it was not until June 8 when they took the town by assault. They needed two more days to surrender the citadel where some 1,400 surviving soldiers had retreated. The defense of the town was so heroic that in commemoration the French king Louis XIV had a coin struck with the legend Palamo vi capta.
The Great Recession of the Eighteenth Century
The expenses assumed by the Commune of the town from 1639 until the destruction of Palamós by the French army were so enormous that they could not cope with the payments of rents or the repayments of the loans, then they used a rotating system of three years with the money collected from the taxes, in the first year they paid rents, in the second they amortized capital by lot, and in the third year the expenses of the town were covered.
As early as 1639 the town had to send 35 neighbors as well-supplied soldiers to the field of Perpignan and to the siege of the castle of Salses to fight the French, while the Spanish soldiers were inside the town for defend it, kept, they and horses, by the people. With the War of the Reapers everything remained the same, only changing the Castilians for the French and sending neighboring soldiers from Palamós to fight against the Spanish troops in the camp of Tarragona. In 1652, once Barcelona was surrendered to the Castilian king, the troops were changed again in and around the town, instead of French they were Irish, Germans, Flemings, Neapolitans, Milanese and Castilians, always paying the town most of the expense, including the high salary of the governor of the square, as well as the lodgings of the officers in the best private houses of the palamosins, paying them even firewood in the winter. Everything continued like this until the capture of Palamós in 1694.
When the War of the Spanish Succession broke out, the French attacked again, but now with the village defenseless. In a few years, from 1705, the town changed hands many times, between supporters of the French Philip V and the Austrian Charles III. German dragons, Dutch and Swiss troops, grenadiers from Valladolid, Belgian dragons, a wide range of different armies enter and leave the town, which is once again housed and is already completely squeezed. From 1715, with the withdrawal of Charles III from the confrontation, began a long period of peace, unfortunately broken in 1742, when two English frigates bombed Palamós during the War of the Austrian Succession.in retaliation for aiding a French pinch chased by an English privateer. Some sources put the number of pipes that hit mainly the houses closest to the port and especially the church at more than 2,000. In 1720, only about 400 people lived in Palamós and only 140 of the more than 350 that it had before the attack on Noailles remained standing.
During the first half of the 18th century, a high percentage of residents left for other villages or embarked in the navy or on merchant ships, leaving in Palamós the oldest men, women and children, loaded. of debts and with most of their houses ruined. Living conditions were deplorable, a report says… It is embarrassing to see that everyone in a house is going to catch up, with Palamós being poorer than Girona. Some houses, some days, do charity because it stuns to see such a thing. Then they go to the banks and fields and harvest any grass to eat, cooking without oil, or bread, or wine, catching diseases. It’s embarrassing to see them naked, people who used to live fishing and have lost everything they had.
Tapers
In the departure of the baptism of Maria Botet i Bartra, celebrated in the parish of Santa Maria de Palamós on April 20, 1740, appears as godfather Pere Ballet, taper, of French parents. It is without a doubt one of the first tapers in the region or tapiers, as they were called, of French origin. Others of the first tapers were Segimon Vila natural de Tona (1745) and Antoni Molinet born in Agullana (1752). In a few years, in 1763, businessmen who made corks, Josep Marquès and Joan Roca de l’Escala, and transporters, the skipper Josep Duran de Palamós, who brought galda from Mas Juny and a few thousand corks in Marseille, appeared.
Despite this rapid start of the cork industry in Palamós, it was not until a century later that it translated into great growth, both in terms of population and economy, and with the birth of various cultural, recreational and political societies -casino La Unión (1855), Centro Económico (1887), Centro Republican Federal (1893), casino El Puerto (1903) and cooperative La Equitativa (1887) – and with a great improvement in services, such as new gas networks acetylene (1901), running water (1908) and electricity (1910). It is also when the stately homes were built, Villa Júlia (1886), Roger-Ribera House (~ 1908), Miquel Matas Park (~ 1897), Remigi Tauler Tower Factory (~ 1893), Pau Matas-Vincke House (~ 1891).), Gubert-Costart house (~ 1907), Montaner villa (1893), Pedró villa (1914) and Villa Toneta (~ 1900) and other buildings, La Equitativa cooperative (~ 1905), cinema Palacio de las Ilusiones cinematographer Pedro Tur (1906) and new Ideal cinema (1913), Carmen theater (1912), Ribera bank (~ 1895) and the new Town Hall (1906), gift from Josep Mauri Vilar to the town.
In the middle of this context is when the two big cork companies of Palamós are born. The first of these, Martí Montaner, was created in 1889 by Martí Montaner i Coris, who became Martí Montaner y Cia. (1909) and Martí died in 1926, the property passed to his children under the name Indústrias Corcheras Montaner SA (1927). The second large company was born as Berthon y Delibes (1907) which was transformed into Corchera Internacional SA (1912), which was sold to Manufacturas de Corcho SA (1920) and finally transformed into Manufacturas de Corcho Armstrong SA (1930).. At certain times La Corchera is said to have had around 4,000 workers.
The First World War (1914-1918) severed this welfare, sinking the cork industry despite looking for other markets. In a short time it went from economic euphoria to the dismissal of thousands of workers. The vast majority chose to leave. In the middle of 1915 it is estimated that about 1,500 people had left the village. Those who stayed suffered from hunger, lack of food and exorbitant prices. The City Council, in the same year 1914, launched the Municipal Kitchen which was nourished exclusively by voluntary contributions. The most critical moment was the week of May 15-21, 1916, when up to 2,522 lunches and 2,068 dinners were served for 839 people. This service, already in decline due to lack of resources, lasted until
Corsaris
The lack of an effective royal navy that protected Catalan trade routes and faced declining English rule in this part of the Mediterranean, as well as the growing number of Algerian pirate ships, was the turning point because in the second In the middle of the 18th century, corsair ships appeared in many ports in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. Antoni Barceló in Mallorca, Jeroni Basart in Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Francesc Llorens in Cadaqués, Francesc Llobet in Barcelona and Jaume Bru in Mataró are examples of its proliferation.
In Palamós, between 1777 and 1782, Martí Badia Caner stands out, corsair captain of the london Na. Sa. of Montenegro, the El Valeroso peak with 16 guns and 80 crew and the sloopVila de Reus with 18 guns and 100 crew. In his raids he was often accompanied by his brother Captain Constantí Badia and a large part of the crew of Palamós. He was the protagonist of numerous victorious attacks on English, Maltese and North African ships. King Charles III rewarded him by naming him lieutenant. Another corsair captain from Palamós, Josep Bajandas, also went second with Martí Badia and commanded the mystic San Joseph in 1808. Finally, we must mention Miquel Plana i Joanola, who between 1801 and 1806+ was captain of the llagut corsari The Asset of 30 tons.
Shipyards
The construction of ships has been linked to the town since its foundation, as well as the related trades, hoe masters, caulkers, carpenters, lambs, boatmen, etc. Throughout the Middle Ages, the shipyards – generally dedicated to the construction of llaguts and the arrangement of ships in general – were in Plaça de Sant Pere, which they called Plaça del Drassenal. In the second half of the 18th century, they moved to the Arenal, a part of the Platja Gran now occupied by the fountain on the promenade, where various types of ships were built, from llaguts to brigs and frigates.. When the Platja or Eixample district was developed in 1817, a section was reserved for the shipyards, which we would now place in Plaça de Catalunya, which is why Carrer López Puigcerver was called Carrer Astilleros.
The port
In the second half of the nineteenth century, the town of Palamós and the neighboring villages, faced with the push that was taking the cork industry and the economy in general, are concerned about communications. They need means to receive the raw material, cork, and to give output to their products, corks, discs, pallets, cork agglomerate.
In the 1850s, the road from Girona to Palamós was just built, but they need something faster and more capable of communicating with Europe and America. That is why the project was born to connect most of the Baix Empordà with the wide-gauge train to Flaçà, the work of August Pagès Ortiz from Palamos, who inaugurated it in 1887. The state finished it in 1956, when it was Girona and Banyoles.
After many years of procedures, in 1902 the first stone of the breakwater of the port of Palamós was laid, thanks to important help from people such as Joaquín López Puigcerver, minister and deputy, and Josep Tauler Servià, diplomat, founder of Casa of Spain from London and personal friend of King Alfonso XIII. In 1910 the commercial pier was remodeled and five years later the breakwater of Gran beach was built, which sought to prevent the entry of sand from the beach of Sant Antoni de Calonge.
From the port also left the great ships that looked for the luck in the commerce with America. Palamos students went through the pilot school in Arenys de Mar in search of the knowledge and skills needed to cross the Atlantic. Two shipowners were the protagonists of the local maritime activity: the Matas house and the Ribera. Frigates such as La Palamós, Cataluña, or Villa de Palamós brought construction materials to Cuba, while in return they came loaded with coffee, pine honey, etc. The Ribera house had the first steamer, the Mercedes, which made the Palamós-Roses-Barcelona route.
The port evokes a history of French, Turkish, English or Italian resonances, always seafaring. It explains the origin of the town and points out its evolution. From the seventies, the tourist dimension of the port marks and pushes a new and fruitful economic activity. The port continues to be the scene of failures and successes, of the challenges that the future of the maritime sector and the entire community must face.
The port of Palamós has not stopped evolving, as a commercial, fishing, sports port and in recent years with a sharp increase in the arrival of tourist cruises, which will surely force its conversion into a Schengen port.
Fishing activity
Fishing activity in Palamós is already taken into account in the Carta Pobla de la Vila (1279). At the beginning of the twentieth century there is evidence of a society called La Previsió Pescadora. Between 1920 and 1939 fishing associations were known throughout Catalonia as fishing grounds, a popular name that remains colloquially. At the end of the Civil War they adopted the current name of Fishermen’s Guild.
The main product of fishing in Palamós is the red prawn (Aristeus antennatus), which a specialized fleet of trawlers takes to the market daily. Resources and efforts are currently being made to do justice to its unmatched quality: guarantee mark, presentation in new packaging, market study, more careful selection and conservation… In 2013 the Shrimp Management Plan was approved red of Palamós, a pioneer in the Mediterranean, which regulates the effort in the 7 main fishing grounds where the municipality’s trawler fleet operates and incorporates measures to reduce the impact on the environment. In parallel, the Fishermen’s Guild of Palamós and the City Council of Palamós promote the Palamós Shrimp Guarantee Mark to ensure the origin, traceability and quality of the product, from the boat to the final consumer. In short, the aim is for the fisherman to benefit more from his work and for the Palamós Shrimp, which can only be found at the Palamós auction. After the prawn come the other products, all of incomparable quality and freshness.
Tourism
The Palamós landscape is the harmonious combination of the plain of the Aubi, the Gavarres and the Mediterranean. The Aubi stream basin covers 42.6 km2, crosses the depression of the Palamós-Palafrugell corridor along 8.5 km2 and reaches the sea at es Monestrí in Sant Antoni. The Gavarres mountains, included in the Plan of Area of Natural Interest (PEIN), are representative of the coastal mountain ranges of the northern Mediterranean system, with a characteristic vegetation of cork oak, holm oaks, heather and pine. The human presence in the mountains has been permanent since the third millennium BC. until the middle of the twentieth century. The consortium for the protection and management of the Gavarres Area of Natural Interest currently coordinates public policies on the massif has been born out of the demands raised for years by civil society. The will that presides over the administration of the space is to find a balance between the protection of the environment and the maintenance of the activities dedicated to the traditional exploitation of the resources.
Located in the southern sector of the Baix Empordà coast, the municipality of Palamós is a communications axis that through the C-255 road, from Girona to Palamós, from the C-253, from Palamós to Santa Coloma de Farners via Platja d RoAro and Sant Feliu de Guíxols, the backbone of the county road network, which is oriented in relation to its geostrategic situation as a commercial port in the north-east of Catalonia. Palamós is the capital of the maritime province of Girona, and the health of the Baix Empordà. The region is articulated through an urban system formed by the towns of Palamós, Palafrugell, Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Torroella de Montgrí and La Bisbal d’Empordà. The municipality has an area of 12.88 km2, and until 1942 when the annexation of the neighboring municipality of Sant Joan de Palamós was decreed, the town had the smallest territory in Catalonia, with 1.01 km2. It borders Montras, Vall-llobrega, Fonteta and Calonge.
The primitive population of the town was located, for defensive reasons, on the peninsula that dominates the promontory of El Pedró, and the southernmost end was given, as its name indicates, by sa Punta, later sa Punta d´es Molí i de sa faroloa (the lighthouse). Which means that, as only happens in Roses, the old town faces west, and that is why you can enjoy some exceptional sunsets, with two points of reference: Romanyà de la Selva on the ridge and the mirror of the bay that extends to Roques Planes, in the neighboring municipality of Calonge. The Palamós tern is fully integrated into the marina brava of the Baix Empordà, which, within the landscape and morphological unit of the Costa Brava, extends from the rocks of the Racó, to the southern limit of the beach of Pals, to the cove in a tectonic depression known as the Palafrugell-Palamós corridor, which separates the Gavarres from the southernmost foothills of the Begur massif, mountainous areas at the northern end of the Catalan Coastal Range.
The old town
The urban fabric of Palamós is formed from the old town, the industrial extension, the village of Sant Joan, the coast and the farmhouses. The old town of Palamós has its origins in the location within the walls of the homes of the villagers afraid of the attacks that the town suffered by sea and land, either due to piracy or military disputes. On the other hand, the old layout of the village of Sant Joan starts with the neighborhood of farmhouses and artisan houses around the square and the church. The annexation of Sant Joan de Palamós to the municipality took place in 1942.
Church of Santa Maria, the parish church erected in 1417 on a chapel built in 1349. There we will find a collection of sacred art and the main altarpiece, the work of Isaac Hermes Vermey, originally from Utrecht (Netherlands) made in the late sixteenth century.
Church of Santa Eugènia de Vila-romà, in the old town of Sant Joan de Palamós, from the 18th century, built on a primitive chapel from the 10th century.
Capella del Carme, the church of the old hospital for the poor, and the genesis of the current county hospital. From the 18th century, it is today a cultural facility, a gateway to local heritage and an Ezequiel Torroella art space.
Palamós Cemetery, where you will find the Creu del Portal, a 1593 cross that was located in Plaça dels Arbres, or del Portal, located at the entrance to the cemetery since 1904.
Barrio del Pedró and Eixample. The Pedró district, with its characteristic luminosity and popular Mediterranean taste, culminates in the park of the Convent of the Augustinians (1568-1835) and in the square of the same name.
The Eixample, in the beach area, was built at the end of the 19th century and responded to the demands of the cork industry and the implementation of the small train between Palamós and Girona.
The port and fishing
The territory of the town of Palamós was bought in 1277 by King Peter II, moved by the desire to have a strategic enclave north of Barcelona in the struggle for the expansion and domination of the Mediterranean. In 1279 the king himself granted a charter of settlement and franchise to all those who wanted to live in that village called “Palamors”. Currently, the port of Palamós is the seaport of the counties of Girona and has a commercial, fishing, tourist and cultural dimension.
The Fishing Museum, located in an old port shed, is the first museum dedicated to this theme of the Mediterranean. The Museum is complemented by the Barques del Peix, a real floating museum with visitable boats.
La Llotja del Peix, from where you can attend every afternoon, from Monday to Friday, the fish auction unloaded by local fishermen.
The Espai del Peix, a gastronomic classroom of the Museu de la Pesca, to identify the fish and learn how to prepare and cook it, with the help of the seafood gastronomic tradition. There are courses, show-cookings, workshops and tastings of typical fish dishes.
Fish Market, this market of the fish market complements the Municipal Market and the product landed by the boats of the Fishermen’s Guild of Palamós is served there every afternoon.
The Castle
The maritime Palamós can be followed by the circular path that leaves Gran beach, climbs towards El Pedró, skirts the coast to the east and advances towards Cap Roig, in Calella de Palafrugell. We will find the Port Marina, the Morro del Vedell cove and the Pots and some stairs lead to Cala Margarida at the foot of Cap Gros. The path leads us to the beach of La Fosca, shallow and facing southeast.
The castle of Sant Esteve de Mar, which dates from the 12th-13th centuries and is part of the origins of Palamós, ended up being converted into a farmhouse.
Cala s’Alguer, an urban miniature by the sea, and a Cultural Asset of National Interest, for its landscape values. It was a neighborhood of fishermen’s huts dating back to the 15th century. They gave refuge to fishermen and fishing tackle and moorings and are now the scene of recreational gatherings.
Castell Beach: This place has remained isolated and has preserved, by popular will, the rawest cleanliness of the landscape. Mediterranean landscape in its purest form.
Iberian village of Castell: the tongue of sand stops in front of the promontory of Sa Cobertera, where we can approach the archaeological remains of the Iberian site (sixth century BC to the second century AD) discovered in 1935, in the process of excavation.And between the cliffs, the Foradada.
Narrow cove fishermen’s hut. From Punta de Castell, the coast is cut: Cala Senià, Cala Canyers with its source by the sea, Cala dels Corbs and Cala Estreta, to Cap de Planes, where the municipality of Mont-ras begins. In this last cove, an old fishermen’s hut has been restored, a traditional stone construction with a Catalan vault, sheltered from the north wind.
Landscape
The Palamós landscape is the harmonious combination of the plain of the Aubi, the Gavarres and the Mediterranean. The Gavarres mountains, included in the Plan of Areas of Natural Interest, are representative of the coastal mountain ranges of the northern Mediterranean system and tell us about the traditional exploitation of the hinterland of the town with a characteristic vegetation of cork oaks, holm oaks, heather, etc. and architectural elements that give identity and character to this millennial occupation.
The castle of Vila-romà rises on a landing on the southern slope of the Montagut, and predates the 13th century. In 1812 the French army flew him while he was retreating, and since then he has been gradually wearing out. In the central part a wall of about 10 m rises, surely the rest of the tower of the Tribute. The sanctuary of Bell-lloc is a Marian sanctuary existing in 1272. Sant Josep Oriol had an ecclesiastical benefit there in 1675. It was built out of seafaring devotion and is the subject of an annual pilgrimage in September.
Viewpoints
To have panoramic views of the town, different places allow us to do so.
Murada Square, the natural viewpoint of the port and Gran Beach. Writers such as Josep Pla and Joan Gomis have been faithful to the place.
The tip of the new pier, the breakwater, is a traditional stretch of promenade. Under the beacon at the entrance to the port, we will see the open sea, we will swim in front of the maneuvers of the boats and the patience of the rod fishermen.
The lighthouse, which offers a view of the bay and perspectives of the Gavarres and the Ardennes. Sunsets and, at seven in the morning, the joint departure of trawlers are recommended.
El Pedró, the highest part of the town and where there are architectural pieces from the old convent of the Augustinians, which face east.
The Molí de Vent, with the interior crossed by anti-aircraft shelters from the Civil War and with a coastal battery at the top, allows a magnificent view over the plain of the Aubi stream, with the village of Sant Joan de Palamós at its foot..
Cap Gros, the mountain of Palamós from where you can see the whole town.
From the Gori pine forest, between the perfume and the shade of the pines, we see the Formigues islands and the Pallarida cove and s’Alguer. Pure Mediterranean.
Sa Cobertera or Sa Corbatera de Castell, the promontory where the Iberian village is located from where you can see the unique landscape of the beach and the plain of Castell, the last unspoilt place on the Costa Brava.
The Montagut dolmen, the highest mountain that preserves the oldest cultural heritage element, the Montagut dolmen, dated between the Chalcolithic and the ancient Bronze Age.
Cultural heritage
Poblat Iber de Castell foto Àngel Romero SAMPWars and carelessness are the declared enemies of heritage. The town of Palamós, in this sense has not been an exception, on the contrary. Regarding the field of archeology, it should be noted that the oldest surviving element is the dolmen of Montagut, dated between the Chalcolithic and the ancient Bronze Age. However, the town on the peninsula of Sa Cobertera on Castell beach could be said to be the jewel in the crown, with a chronology that goes from the bronze-iron transition to the s. l dC. The footprint of Rome is also witnessed in two large villas.l we must not forget the risk site that has turned out to be the bottom of the sea.
Parish of Santa Maria de Palamós.
Regarding the buildings, the most important pieces preserved are the hermitage of Bell-lloc, which is known in 1272; the parish churches of Santa Maria de Palamós (15th century) and that of Santa Eugènia de Vila-romà (Sant Joan de Palamós) from the 15th century. XVIII and built on a primitive of the s. X, as well as the chapel of Carmen (18th century).
Vila-romà Castle.
Relevant movable assets are the collection of the Fishing Museum, which inherits the collection of the old Cau de la Costa Brava, whose collections were created in 1920; a collection of sacred art that is exhibited in the parish of Santa Maria under the statement of Museum of Art Mn. Pau Camós and the main altarpiece of the same parish which is the work of Issac Hermes Vermey, originally from Utrecht (Netherlands), who carried out the work at the end of the s. XVI. Documentarily, it is necessary to emphasize in the Charter town dated from the year 1279, which has the value to establish the regime of rights and liberties of the municipality, that, when being put under the royal protection and in order to stimulate the population, granted a regime of franchises: the status of autonomy of the palamosins and palamosines.
The villa
The urban fabric of Palamós is formed from the old town, the industrial extension, the village of Sant Joan, the coast and the farmhouses. The old town has its origins in the location within the walls of the homes of the inhabitants, given the risk suffered during centuries of attacks by sea and land, whether as a result of piracy or military disputes of all kinds. Of this sector, the surroundings of the church of Santa Maria and the district of the Pedró are remarkable, which enjoys character by its luminosity and Mediterranean popular taste. The Eixample was built at the end of the 19th century and responded to the productive demands of the prosperous cork industry, population growth and the introduction of the small train between Palamós and Girona.
Cala Estreta hut.
On the other hand, the town of Sant Joan, in terms of its old layout, responds to a mixture that starts with the neighborhood of farmhouses and artisan homes to be today the territory of expansion of local development. The fishermen’s huts used as shelters, fishing shelters and recreational gatherings, and the farmhouses scattered around the town both on the plain of L’Aubí and sheltered at the foot of the Gavarres, give body to a multifaceted and varied architectural reading that clearly identifies the urban history of the town.
Fishing Museum
In Palamós, the work of the man at sea becomes a spectacle in the eyes of the visitor: in the middle of the afternoon, the arrival of the boats in port and the unloading of fish offers an unparalleled color movement. In Palamós, however, the fishing world does not end at the pier, but has continuity in the Fishing Museum, unique in the Mediterranean in its specialty. This center presents the past, present and future of fishing, through its permanent exhibition and a set of activities related to the maritime and fishing fact of the Costa Brava.
Fish Space
The Espai del Peix, a gastronomic classroom of the Museu de la Pesca, to identify the fish and learn how to prepare and cook it, with the help of the seafood gastronomic tradition. There are courses, show-cookings, workshops and tastings of typical fish dishes.
Palamos Holidays
Cavalcade Of Kings
As is tradition in Palamós, the Kings of the East arrive by sea and disembark at the old pier of the port where the official welcome takes place and a popular chocolate is offered. A while later there is the traditional cavalcade of the royal floats with a wide route through the streets of the town that ends in the center of the village where the little ones, with their lanterns and illusions, can see more closely the Magi.
Carnival
The Palamós Carnival is one of the most important winter festivals in Palamós and one of the pioneering carnivals on the Costa Brava. The carnival weekend is handed out at the Gran Rua on Saturday afternoon, the Costume Dance on Saturday night and the parade parade on Sunday. In Palamós the carnival is also installed in the street with the atmosphere of shops and parades such as the Vesprà and the Despertà.
Easter Sunday
It is, symbolically, the starting point of the bathing season in Palamós. This casual and crowded activity is always celebrated on Easter Sunday at the Platja Gran in Palamós. The participants are the real protagonists of the day where the first dive of the summer takes place. Before entering the water a few minutes of gymnastics, and on leaving a comforting cup of hot broth.
Saint George
Palamós celebrates St. George’s Day with different events in the street. Notable among these are the continuous readings in different areas of the town. The main street of Palamós is filled with stalls of books and roses throughout the day. In the afternoon there is a sardana dance.
Palamós, Terra De Mar
Palamós, Terra de Mar is a seafaring weekend that is celebrated annually where vintage boats and traditional boats are the central axis of a program full of activities, not only related to traditional navigation, but also to the sea in general. The program includes boat tours, cooking workshops and children’s workshops among others. An encounter with the sea in an unforgettable festive setting.
Prawn Fair
The Prawn Fair takes place in June and was born with the aim of promoting the Palamós Prawn Guarantee Mark and encouraging the consumption of prawns by showing various ways of cooking and consuming them. The Fair takes place in the space of the fish market and has the participation of companies certified with the Guarantee Mark: Fishermen’s Guild of Palamós, Palamós Market, Fish Area, Fish Market of the Palamós Market, and some manufacturing and distribution companies, as well as restaurants in the municipality.
Major Festival and Sant Joan’s Eve
Palamós celebrates its main festival for Sant Joan, coinciding with the magical moment of the beginning of summer. During these dates the town is filled with life, music and tradition. Palamós offers a wide variety of scheduled events and invites you to enjoy the fair, festivals and other already established events such as the planting of giants, concerts in the young area of huts, sardanas, the celebration of the first night of summer with habaneras and closing fireworks on the Platja Gran in Palamós, among many others.
Sardanistic Events
The Costa Brava sardana group from Palamós offers a complete calendar of Sardanas throughout the year and during the summer it intensifies its activity by organizing a series of events that have become a reference for summers in Palamós.
Group competition (June)
Sardana Gathering (July)
Costa Brava Sardana Concert (August)
Festivity of the Virgin of Carmen
The celebration of the feast of the Virgen del Carmen, patron saint of the people of the sea, is concentrated in two days. The night before the day of the festival there is a big dance on the esplanade of the Llotja. The next day a solemn Mass is held in honor of such a revered Patroness. Then the procession, accompanied by the giants and grallers of Palamós to take the Virgin to the boat. To end and as a central act, the maritime procession takes place with the entire Palamos fishing fleet led by the boat carrying the image of the Virgin followed by all kinds of boats that escort her on her journey through the waters of the bay.
Exhibition of Catalan Havana
Every year, Palamós hosts the traditional and popular Mostra de l’Havanera Catalana. It is a real concert of habaneras and with an exclusive character, in which the most outstanding feature is that the songs are performed only in Catalan. The acoustic conditions of the Arbreda, the space where the event always takes place, and the silence that is breathed during the performances of the participating groups, make the Mostra de l’Havanera a unique event in the field of this musical style. Due to these conditions of silence, over the years, the same participating groups have christened the Arbreda as the “Palau de l’Havanera”.
Palamós Gastronomic
Under the name of Palamós Gastronòmic are included several Days of celebration of the gastronomy of the town of Palamós from all areas to know all its offer, taste the local products, live the experience of cooking with the best chefs and enjoy it as a family. During the Palamós Gastronòmic, the Taverns of Palamós invite you to take part in the Tapa Estrella Competition. Each establishment designs a cover for the occasion and it is the users who, through their votes and comments, choose the best cover for each edition.
Christmas Race
Every year during the month of December Palamós hosts the traditional Christmas regatta of Olympic classes Chrismtas Race organized by the Palamós Sailing Club. This light sailing competition is part of the Eurolymp Circuit (European Olympic class racing circuit). Palamós Bay is dressed up to host this event with renowned international sailors.
Gastronomy
The more than 70 restaurants in Palamós offer an extensive and varied cuisine that will allow you to find food for all tastes and for every pocket: establishments of all categories, with dishes of the day, menu, tapas or the best recipes in the menu with the most innovative cuisine, traditional dishes of the grandmother or the genuine cuisine of the fishermen.
A good way to discover the particularities of our gastronomy is to taste the variety of dishes offered by the gastronomic samples that are made throughout the year:
Shrimp Menu: The fishermen of Palamós offer us this crustacean every day, which stands out for its exquisite taste and texture and for the beauty of its red color. In the menu, in addition to the exquisite prawns, you will enjoy some toast with anchovies and a good fideuà. The restaurants of the Bay of Palamós offer this menu between April and July.
Shrimp Menu: The star element of the menu are the exquisite prawns, along with dishes that perfectly combine seafood and mountain products. The restaurants of the Bay of Palamós offer this menu between October and December.
Fish pot menu: This dish mixes different types of fish from our coast that with the touch of vegetables, bread crumbs, potatoes or noodles, combined according to the taste of each chef, give rise to a pot of different and singular fish. The restaurants of the Bay of Palamós offer this menu between February and April.
Tapas and Montaditos
We invite you to take a walk through the old town of Palamós, and enjoy a good street atmosphere while tasting the tapas and montaditos offered by our tapas bars. These establishments have the tapas exposed in the bars, with a great offer: enfilalls, montaditos, Iberian specialties, homemade specialties and also of Basque kitchen, complimenting the offer with a tasting of wines and with varied glasses.
Nautical Activities
In the area of the sea, Palamós offers, all year round, a wide range of nautical activities for all ages and levels of experience: Diving, Kayaking, boat rental, sailing, light sailing catamaran, skiing -bus, snorkelling, trimaran sailing, windsurfing, sea excursions etc.… During the bathing season, we can enjoy activities on the same beach for all ages: soft gymnastics, therapy, tai chi, beach volleyball, beach soccer…. because it is important to combine our stay with relaxation and a little gentle exercise.
Beaches and Coves
The Costa Brava has a peculiarity in terms of its beaches. Despite having a rocky and wild seafront – that’s why it’s called “Brava” – suddenly the landscape softens and reveals wide beaches with different textures of sand, without detracting from the small hidden coves that lie just below of the high rock of the coast. In the case of Palamós one can appreciate the certainty of this observation. All the beaches in the town are easily accessible on foot or by car and give the swimmer the option to choose between different varieties: sandy beaches are La Gran de Palamós, La Fosca beach or Castell beach. On the rock, you will find Cala Margarida or Cala S’Alguer. There are even mixed ones – sand and rock – such as Cala Estreta. The circular path that runs along the Palamosí coast connects all these beaches and coves, and will allow you to enjoy a unique landscape, among pine trees, at the foot of the sea.
La Vela
“Palamós, paradise of sailing”. With this significant slogan, our la has been known for many years. Everyone who has a relationship with the practice of this exciting sport, both amateur and professional, knows the name of Palamós. The abundance and diversity of winds that peculiarly blow in this area of the coast, the existence of the necessary equipment to store, launch or rent boats of any kind, the possibility of learning to sail under the direction of prestigious Olympic sailors, guarantee an unforgettable stay to all those who habitually live, or want to live for the first time, the feeling of freedom and mastery of the elements that is experienced in this type of navigation.
Diving
Palamós, located in a very strategic point in the heart of the Empordà Costa Brava, has made an important commitment to underwater activities. If you are one of those who are passionate about the seabed or you would just like to see the best kept secrets hidden in the purest Mediterranean, in Palamós you will find all the necessary means to be able to carry out this practice with all the intensity that the autonomous diving suit guarantees. or with the relaxation that sorkeling assures you. Several specialized companies, with a high degree of recognized experience in this field, offer their transport services, air cargo, courses of all levels, monitors, equipment rental, etc. A must-see for divers is the boat “BOREAS”, sunk in our waters for some years, and is already a place full of life that allows you to visit with depths ranging from 18m. at 32m. Let yourself be seduced by the seabed of Palamós.
Boat rental
To get to know the rich coastline of Palamós, the Baix Empordà and the rest of the Costa Brava, with its beaches, coves and the rocky landscape that characterize it, you have at your disposal boats, boats and sailboats for rent, with or without pattern, as well as complete facilities. Enjoy the Costa Brava de l’Empordà from a different perspective and from the most distinctive element of Palamós: the sea.
Hiking and Cycling
In both winter and summer, it is advisable to discover on foot the secrets kept by the seafront of Palamós. From the same promenade begins a route, the Camí de Ronda, which along the coast, reaches Calella de Palafrugell. Along the way, there are coves, beaches, remnants of the past of Palamós (Iberian castle village), and the Natural Area of Castell-Cap Roig, a real natural fortress difficult to see on the whole of the Catalan coast. This route connects with the network of trails (370km) and the cycle tourism network (250km) of the Baix Empordà, to be able to combine the coast with the interior of this spectacular region.