Vic is the capital of the region of Osona, in the northeast of Catalonia. It is one of the county capitals of inland Catalonia. It is about 70 kilometers north of Barcelona and about 65 kilometers away from Girona. In terms of altitude much of the city is about 500 meters above sea level. Vic has good communications with the rest of Catalonia thanks to the construction of the transversal axis (C-25) and the C-17 motorway. The Rodalies Barcelona – Puigcerdà (R3) railway line also passes through the city.
In Vic city we can not only to see the works of Romanesque art but it is also a tour through different historical periods. The streets of the historic center of medieval structures with a total of thirty-two buildings of historic, architectural or artistic interest. Among all the buildings stand out Roman temple of century II, the Cathedral with a mixture of architectural styles starting with Romanesque crypt and the tower bell, the Gothic cloisters and baroque and neoclassical elements, the walls of the fourteenth century, the bridge Queralt of century XI, different baroque and modernist buildings and the city hall with an original building of Gothic style and the rear extension of baroque period.
Maria la Rodona was the first cathedral church. For centuries the bishops celebrated the first Christmas Mass in this church, and the third in that of Sant Pere. The ancient Church of St. Mary was rebuilt from the foundations by Canon Guillem Bonfil in 1140, and consecrated forty years later by Bishop Pere Retorta. In 1787 it was demolished to make room for the new Cathedral. Bishop Jordi (915–38) reconsecrated the Church of Ripoll and also consecrated that of St. Mary of Manresa.
The conciliar seminary was begun in 1635 by Gaspar Gil and was finally finished, by command of Pope Benedict XIV, by Manuel Muñoz in 1748. The modern seminary is located in the former Jesuit College. It has sent out many famous men, among them Balmes and the poet Jacint Verdaguer, author of “L’Atlàntida”. The episcopal palace was destroyed in the wars of 1640 and rebuilt in stages, being completed by Bishop Veyan. The archaeological museum is in this building. Manresa, where St. Ignatius Loyola wrote his Spiritual Exercises, is situated in the Diocese of Vic. His memory is venerated in the Santa Cova, which has been converted into a church, and a college of the Jesuits built near it.
In the recent years Vic has become an essential place to visit in order to get to know the work of Josep Maria Sert (1874-1945). This artist developed apainting for which he was considered the best mural painter of thirties. His works can be found in Europe as well as in America. The commission to decorate the cathedral of Vic forever established a bond between the artist and the name of the city. Beside the cathedral, now there are other areas that house works of Sert and make a complete show of this artist’s works that can be seen in the world. You can perceive his work with a help of a guided tour through four areas: the Cathedral, the Chapel of Mercy, the building of Sucre and the house of the City.
History
The original Latin name of the town was Ausa, as evidenced by the Roman and Iberian coins that have been preserved. The oldest Roman road documented epigraphically on the peninsula is the one that connected the villages of Iluro and Ausa, built between 120 BC and 110 BC. In Visigothic times it was called Ausona.
The repopulation of the Plana de Vich and the creation of the county of Osona by Wifredo el Velloso in 878 made possible the reconstruction of the old Ausa, of which only the walls of the Roman Temple remained, which had been used to build the castle. The new population took the name of Vicus Ausonae, that is to say, suburb of Ausona, from where it derived the name of Vich. With the city the episcopal see was restored and the Cathedral was built in the lower part. In 1038 Bishop Oliba consecrated the Romanesque cathedral of which the crypt and the bell tower have been preserved to this day.
In feudal times the city of Vich was divided into two parties, one initially under the jurisdiction of the bishop, who transferred it to the king in 1316, and the other under the jurisdiction of the lords of the Castle: the Montcada. This division will mark the life of the city during medieval times, which will grow around the Cathedral, the Castle and the Mercadal, and will be surrounded by a wall with towers, rebuilt in the 14th century AD. C.. In 1450, King Alfonso the Magnanimous bought his party from the descendants of the Montcada family and thus unified the city.
During the eighth and ninth centuries, Vic was part of the marks that separated the Frankish and Islamic forces. The city was destroyed in 788 during a Muslim incursion. Later, only one of the districts (Vicus, district in Latin) would be reconstructed, with the name of Vicus Ausonensis. Hence the name Vic when Guifré el Pilós repopulated the upper part of the city in 878 and ceded control of the lower part to the bishop to make it the seat. From that moment, the city would be governed jointly by the count of Barcelona and the bishop of Vic. At the council of Toluges in 1027, the abbot Oliba, bishop of Vic, agreed with the nobles and bishops present the agreement of Pau and Treva, which established annual dates on which war was forbidden.
The crisis of the late Middle Ages, struggles between factions, of which those of the nyerros and cadells stand out, and the wars against France, will cause the city to enter a period of stagnation. The defeat of the supporters of the Archduke of Austria in the War of Succession in 1714 represented a setback for the city, since it had taken sides in his favor from the beginning.
The economic and demographic revival of the 18th century d. C. made possible the growth of the city, favored the appearance of important sculpture and architecture workshops and allowed the construction of numerous civil and religious buildings, as well as the current cathedral. During the 18th century, the city was the first focus of the rebellion against the centralist policy of King Philip V, and a very active group of Austrians emerged, known as the Vigatans. The portrait of the king was even taken down in the town hall. This conflict led to the War of the Spanish Succession, which would eventually lead to Catalonia losing its freedoms. Throughout the war, however, to avoid trouble, they would change sides depending on the army that appeared on the outskirts of the city, which was finally taken on August 30, 1713., after the military deputy Antoni de Berenguer i de Novell abandoned it when General Feliciano de Bracamonte approached it with Bourbon troops.
Vic, as the whole region of Osona, especially the Lluçanès and neighboring regions, was the scene of the core and dominant carlinada in Catalonia, being taken on several occasions by both sides as the Elizabethan Carlino, the capture of Vic during the course of the Third Carlist War by the Carlist commander-in-chief of Catalonia, the famous Count of Avignon Rafael Tristany i Parera and his men, in 1874 is notorious., before swearing the fiefs in Olot when the Diputació General de Catalunya was officially restored on October 1 of that year, repealed again once the Carlists lost the war. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Vic had 9,500 inhabitants.
During the Civil War Vic had an aerodrome which until May 1938 was the second stay at squadron bomber Polikarpov RZ Natatxes. On the other hand, the war also affected the Vigo industry, which reconverted towards the end of 1937 when several workshops began to assemble and repair Polikarpov I-15 fighters. This infrastructure attracted fascist attention, which would end up bombing the city three times and another on the outskirts. The bombings of Vic claimed dozens of civilian casualties, as the city had no air defenses, only alarm sirens andanti-aircraft shelters. The city would fall into Franco’s hands during the offensive against Catalonia on the evening of February 1, after fierce clashes with Republican troops.
Ecclesiastical history
The diocese of Vic is a suffragan of the archbishopric of Tarragona. The introduction of Christianity to the area was, of course, very early, as evidenced by the various martyrs of Ausa mentioned in the time of Emperor Decius, and his bishop is one of the first mentioned. However, its name is unknown until 516, when Cinidius appears as one of the attendees at the provincial council of Tarragona and Girona. Aquilinus (589-99) was present at the third council of Toledo; Esteve, in the fourth and one that took place in Ègara; Dominus, in the sixth; Guericus, in the eighth, and Wisefredus sent his vicar to the thirteenth and attended in person thefifteenth and sixteenth. This bishop was the last before the Muslim invasion.
The reconquest of Vic began in the time of Louis I the Pious, who entrusted the government of the city to Count Borrell. The archbishopric of Narbonne took care of ecclesiastical affairs. In 826, the city fell again into the hands of the Moors, until it was recovered by Guifré el Pelós, count of Barcelona. He succeeded in getting the Archbishop of Narbonne to consecrate Gotmar as Bishop of Vic.
Bishop Ató (960-72) is worthy of mention as a great promoter of studies. Many scholars took advantage of the benefits of its reforms, including the monk Gerbert d’Aurillac, who would later become Pope Sylvester II.
Probably the most famous bishop of Vic was the Abbot Oliba, son of the count of Besalú, who with the help of Ermessenda de Carcassonne, countess of Barcelona, built and decorated the cathedral richly. The dedication took place on August 31, 1038. At the time of his successor, Guillem de Balsareny, the relics of the patron saints Llucià and Marcià were found in Vic. Berenguer Sunifred de Lluçà reformed the cathedral chapter, expelled its lax members and restored regular observance.
More recently, Josep Gili Morgades and deserves special attention because it restored the monastery of Ripoll, ruined by neglect and looting, and the church was consecrated again the first of July of 1893. He also founded the Episcopal Museum of Vic, where he collected and preserved many medieval treasures that had been kept in the churches of the diocese. He was succeeded by Josep Torras i Bages, bishop and writer, and the highest representative of conservative and Catholic Catalanism.
Among the many religious children of the diocese, Sant Antoni Maria Claret stands out.
Economy
For centuries, the main industrial and commercial activity of the city has been the textile industry, now almost extinct. Livestock farms and processing industries in the primary sector coexist with a highly diversified industrial fabric, and with a growing commercial and services sector. The best example of this living economy is the Mercat del Ram, the most traditional and important fair in the city. It is also a university city, with students from all over Osona and the inland counties of Catalonia, not to mention a good number of inhabitants of the Barcelona area who come by train. The historic center is full of bars, restaurants, associations, workshops and offices, which testify to the economic vitality of Vic.
Since 1989, the Vic Live Music Market has been organized annually, one of the most important music fairs. The city is famous for its sausages and other pork products, especially the whip, a thin cured sausage. The manufacture of cured sausages and sausages is inherited from the long tradition of the plain of Vic in the pig industry.
Finally, since 1996, the Vic Medieval Market has been held annually and at the beginning of December. The fair, which is concentrated in the historic center of the capital of Osona, aims to recreate the medieval era with exhibitors who offer a wide and varied offer, from jewelry, to cheese, chocolate, among others. It is necessary to emphasize, on the one hand, the local food stores that take advantage to offer the products of the earth (inlays, mainly), and on the other, the representation of the Assault of the Altarriba, a theater work that s ‘interprets at different points (exclusive) of the historic center which is based on facts of the fifteenth century of the same city. Children’s activities, music, dancing, shows, the recreation of medieval trades and the exhibition of birds of prey make.
Tourism
It is a city that has one of the most evocative medieval complexes in Catalonia, it was voted one of the seven wonders of Catalonia in 2007. The center of the old town is the Plaça del Mercadal or Plaça Major, where several modernist buildings stand out., porches and towers. The Museu Episcopal de Vic houses one of the best collections of Catalan Medieval Art and has been declared a museum of national interest by the Generalitat de Catalunya.
It is debated which was the first cathedral church in Vic, whether Sant Pere Apòstol or Santa Maria la Rodona. For centuries, the bishops celebrated the first Christmas Mass in Santa Maria, and the third in Sant Pere. The church of Santa Maria, very old, was rebuilt from the ground up by the canon Guillem Bonfil in 1140 and was consecrated forty years later by Bishop Pere de Redorta. It was demolished in 1787 to make room for the new cathedral.
The original cathedral, with a single nave, thick walls and few windows, was replaced by the one built by Abbot Oliba. Two hundred years later, Ramon d’Anglesola was already publishing a pastoral letter urging the faithful to contribute to the repair of the building. In 1401, Bishop Diego de Heredia added a transept, and in 1585 the door of Sant Joan was opened. Over time, however, a complete reconstruction became increasingly necessary, and in the late seventeenth century the cathedral was demolished to make way for a new one.
The first stone of the new temple began on September 24 of 1781, and was consecrated on September 15 of 1803. It is a classic design building, a combination of Doric and Tuscan styles, with a white stone façade enriched with a beautiful balustrade. It has three entrances, corresponding to the three naves, and colossal statues of its six patrons. The interior is Corinthian. Of the medieval cathedral, only the Gothic-style alabaster altar, donated from the early 15th century by Bernard Despujol, and the Romanesque bell tower and crypt have been preserved. Among the side chapels stands out that of Sant Bernat Calbó (bishop of Vic between 1233 and 1243), who participated with James the Conqueror in the conquest of Valencia. The cloister, of two floors and of gothic style, is of great beauty. You can also admire the Gothic door that leads to the chapter house.
The conciliar seminary was started in 1635 by Gaspar Gil and was finished, by order of the Holy Father Benedict XIV, by Bishop Manuel Muñoz Guil in 1748. The modern seminary is located in the old Jesuit school. Some of the priests who have been trained there have been very famous, such as the philosopher Jaume Balmes and the poet Jacint Verdaguer, author of L’Atlàntida. The episcopal palace was destroyed in the Reapers’ War and was not completely rebuilt until the time of Bishop Francesc de Veyán y Mola, in the early nineteenth century.. The seminar also houses the Vic Archaeological Museum.
Historical heritage
Walking through the historic center of Vic is walking through the past and history of our country. A signposted route allows you to look at thirty buildings, all of historical, architectural or artistic interest, including the Roman Temple of the s. II; the walls of the s. XIV; the cathedral, where Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque and Neoclassical converge; Plaça del Mercadal and the town hall… Once immersed in this tour, visitors can access the city’s museums and art galleries. The Episcopal Museum of Vic is the main exponent, with one of the best collections of Romanesque and Gothic art in Europe. Mention should be made of the permanent pictorial exhibition of Josep Maria Sert’s paintings, distributed in different areas of the city.
Roman Temple
It is the most important monument for its antiquity. It was built in the early 1st century. Unknown for centuries because it was surrounded and part of the castle of Montcada, erected in the late eleventh century. The walls of the cell of the Temple formed the inner courtyard of the castle and were recovered from 1882 when the old building that had housed the functions of residence of the veguer, seat of the Royal Curia, barn of the city and prison.
Cathedral
In the lower part of the historic center, near the river, the churches of the cathedral and the other buildings that formed the episcopal allotment were founded in the 11th century. Altarpiece by Pere OllerThe crypt and the bell tower in Romanesque style are still from that period. In the current cathedral, in neoclassical style, you can admire the Gothic cloister built in the 14th century and the alabaster altarpiece by Pere Oller, from the same style. The chapel dedicated to San Bernat Calbó stands out from the Baroque period. The mural decoration of the central nave, the largest work by Josep M. Sert, enriches the artistic value of the whole.
Jewish heritage
The Jewish quarter in Vic was located between Plaça de Malla and Carrer d’en Guiu. At the end of the 13th century, some Jewish families settled in these and other nearby streets, which have now disappeared. It is known that there was a synagogue and a school and that they had a very intense activity as lenders, although they never came to form a strong community.
Culturalspace
L’Atlàntida Theater
Atlàntida, the performing arts center of Osona, opens the doors to a world of sensations, excitement and reflection. A world where you will find all the music, all the dramaturgies, choreographies and poetry… in short, all the arts capable of moving you from the seat. Here you will experience the exuberance of large formats and the intimacy of smaller formats, the solemnity of classics and the creativity of contemporaries. Because in Atlantis, all tastes have a place.
ACVic Arts Center
ACVic Center for Contemporary Arts is a public cultural facility for the promotion of the creation, research, production and dissemination of proposals related to contemporary artistic practices. It is a center committed to its immediate environment that works with the national and international context, to disseminate its own activity, to welcome and interact with experiences, artists and external cultural actors, in a logic of co-participation in the global development of contemporary artistic practices.
ACVic Center for Contemporary Arts, is the result of cooperation between Vic City Council, the Department of Culture of the Generalitat de Catalunya and the H. Association for Contemporary Arts. ACVic is part of the Network of Contemporary Art Centers of the Generalitat de Catalunya. ACVIC is positioned with a line of action focused on the relationship between educational activity, territory and social interaction. Art crossed with education facilitates production spaces that open up to experimentation. Artistic practice is understood as a practice that affects, interacts and transforms social space. This approach seeks to generate an area of confluence between artistic production and educational action, so that the educational fact becomes an entrepreneurial activity that incorporates elements of research, stimulates aspects of production, encourages participation and needs to deploy mechanisms of visibility and communication.
Josep Maria Sert
In recent years, Vic has become an essential visiting point to get to know the work of Josep M. Sert (1874 – 1945). This artist developed a pictorial work for which he was considered the best muralist of the thirties. His works can be found in both Europe and America, from the Rockefeller Center in New York to the building of the League of Nations in Geneva. The commission to decorate the cathedral of Vic established a link forever between the name of the painter and that of the city. Apart from the cathedral, there are currently other spaces where there are works by Sert and which make up the most complete exhibition that can be seen in the world of this painter. You can see the third and last of the decorations that Sert designed for this space. This work, completed in 1945, is the largest in terms of size and number of visits. The collection includes twenty-two compositions of great thematic complexity, considered the culmination of his work.
Sucre Building
For a few years, fifteen reproductions of paintings from the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York painted in 1930 entitled “The Wedding of Camacho” were exhibited, referring to an episode of the novel “Don Quixote”. Currently only fifteen photographic reproductions of the work of the original size can be seen.
Sala Sert town hall
You can see the work entitled Heliodorus expelled from the Temple, 1920-1921, fragments of the Tribute to East and West, from the decoration of the cathedral demolished in 1936, and the work entitled The Four Seasons, 1917 -1920, and designed to decorate, with great profusion of colors, the dining room of a hunting lodge of a palace in Chantilly, near Paris. In the Sala de la Columna you can see the painting “Els Segadors”.
Museums
The rich cultural heritage of the city of Vic is manifested in its museums, especially the Episcopal Museum of Vic and the Museum of Leather Art.
Episcopal Museum of Vic
The MEV occupies a pre-eminent place among the museums of Europe and brings together one of the best collections of Romanesque and Gothic art in the world.
Leather Art Museum
Dedicated to the decorative and applied arts of leather, the collection of Andreu Colomer Munmany is on display, focusing on objects made entirely or partially with leather.
Museum of Sant Antoni M. Claret
Located next to the Temple Sepulcher of the Saint, it is a complete didactic space about the life of Father Claret, the places where he resided, where he preached, the activities he carried out and in general about the life he had.
Balmes Museum
Exhibition on the work of the Vigo philosopher Jaume Balmes in the room where he died.
Fairs and markets
Vic is an important center of fairs and markets. Throughout the year the city is filled with fairs, markets and activities that attract many visitors. Fairs such as the Mercat del Ram, the Mercat de Música Viva or the Mercat Medieval position Vic as an important center for fairs and markets at all levels. The tradition of the weekly market of Vic, has made this one of the main images that the visitor hopes to find. Over the years, new markets have been born, currently having three weekly markets, and other markets that are held once a month attracting visitors from both the Osona region and other sources.
The quantity and quality of Vic’s shops show the importance of this sector in the economy and citizen life. Vic’s trade is not only aimed at the population itself but goes beyond the county limits to attract buyers from other cities. The city’s trade is characterized by the fact that it offers a wide range, where you can find everything you need today, without losing its own traditional character. The concentration of its trade and the ease of moving around the city, makes Vic an open-air shopping center with more than a thousand shops.
Bouquet Market
The Mercat del Ram de Vic, a meeting point for the agricultural sector and a great party for the public.
LACTIUM
LACTIUM, the Catalan cheese show becomes the Catalan Cheese Festival year after year, bringing together the largest cheese market in Catalonia, and a powerful and original program of activities around the culture of artisanal cheese.
Vic Live Music Market
The Vic Live Music Market is a professional meeting point that brings together all sectors of the music industry.
Medieval Market
The Medieval Market is located in Vic coinciding with the Pont de la Purissima. These days the city is becoming the ideal setting to recreate the medieval era
Other fairs
The fair tradition of the city of Vic has an immemorial origin. The Mercat del Ram, a centenary market for the exchange and hiring of cattle that every Sunday in Rams has brought together the peasantry of the region, has become the mainstay of one of the pioneering cities in the organization of fairs and markets throughout the country.
Festivities and traditions
Vic is in the midst of a giant renaissance. From 2010 to 2013, the city inaugurated two giants (Llucià and Mercè) and two giants (Muley-Abbas and Ermessenda); the latter are dressed as before the current centenarian giants of Vic, the Counts of Osona, but in a version for children. The city is an important center of cultural events of all kinds. Activities that attract many visitors, such as the Festa Major of Sant Miquel dels Sants, the So de les Cases, the Festival Nits de Cinema Oriental, the Jazz Festival Vic.
Vic Jazz Festival
Two weeks of May dedicated to avant-garde jazz, driving the new creation and becoming a showcase of the highlights of the experimental scene. Jazz CavaIn 1998, the idea of creating a jazz festival arose from the Jazzcava de Vic, in order to make even more known the work carried out by the entity and also, with the desire to bring jazz to the whole city and thus get more people interested in this music. During the first editions, the festival does not yet have fixed dates in the calendar nor a defined artistic line, as the idea is to enhance the activity of the season in the cellar and the festival is then a way to promote this activity in the region.
From the 5th edition, the festival incorporates an artistic direction that clearly trusts the internationalization of the festival and opts for a more specific line of programming. This idea, that of having a personality of its own within the panorama of festivals in our country, is maturing during the following editions, and takes shape from the 8th edition where, for a matter of common tastes and interests in certain artists or genres jazz by the members in charge of artistic direction, the festival is committed to new jazz trends, either by programming new artists, such as groups or soloists who represent something new in the scene.
The Sound of Houses
Vic heritage spaces, open their doors to be heard. Conjunction between heritage and culture, between houses and music, which allows visitors and spectators to enjoy secrets reserved only for good occasions.
Procession of the Armed Forces
It is celebrated on Palm Sunday, at 9 pm and runs through the streets of the historic center. Procession of the Armed ForcesThe traditional Procession of Penance, popularly known as the Procession of the Armed Forces, first came out in 1750, and is the best known act performed by the Congregation of Our Lady of Sorrows in Vic.
Vic Religious Music Festival
It is organized with the desire to contribute and bring to society one of its great riches: culture. Vic BBVA Festival of Religious Music, organized by the commission of the parishes of La Pietat, El Carme and Sant Domènec, the Fundació Antiga Caixa Manlleu, the BBVA CX and Vic City Council.
Festa Major
The most popular festival in the city, with the aim of bringing together the different expressions of citizenship in all areas. It is celebrated at the beginning of July in honor of Sant Miquel dels Sants (Miquel Arguemir i Mitjà, Vic 1591 – Valladolid 1625) son and patron saint of the city. The big day of the festival is July 5, which is declared a local festival every year. An extensive program of events is organized with the aim of bringing together the different citizen expressions in all areas.
Oriental Film Nights Festival
It is celebrated in July, after the Festa Major. Oriental Cinema NightsComedies, dramas, adventure films and action have passed through the Oriental Film Nights. Also exotic dinners and multiple side activities. The coexistence of a spectacular commercial cinema and the independent and author’s works reflect the spirit of an increasingly extensive program.
Feast of Sant Miquel dels Sants
On July 5, Sant Miquel dels Sants (Festa Major) is celebrated, which has become a national interest. In 2016 Vic became the capital of Catalan Cultureand Vic shows in Catalonia that its popular culture has risen. Hundreds of people attend and more every year. During the days of Sant Miquel dels Sants, the crowded Call of Festa Major is celebrated where the three heads of Llúpia each represented by a color (green, black, red) together with hundreds of people cross the city in parade and they are all three in the Plaça de la Catedral where there is a very sentimental and Festa Major atmosphere. The day of Lluïment takes place on the 5th of July with the smell of lavender on Carrer Sant Miquel. The Eagle, Gegants Comtes, the Gegants Pubills, the Gegantons, Cotonines, Bou and Mulassa and together with the grallers, the Municipal Band of the City of Vic, and the Cobla.
Gastronomy
The city is famous for its sausages, among which the Vic sausage stands out, although the best known is one of its commercial variants, the fuet. It should be noted that pork becomes the staple food of Vigo and Osona gastronomy, especially thanks to the environmental characteristics of the area, which make the outgoing products such as sausage or sausage unique and characteristic.
Gastronomy events
The value of Vic’s gastronomy is measured by the production of select sausages, the richness of the products of the land, the importance of the markets and the existence of first-class restaurants. To these ingredients is added another invaluable one: the importance of Osona Cuina, the Osona Hospitality Guild and the Osona School of Hospitality. These three groups promote the land through the plate and do so with various initiatives, some of them of a trade union or associative nature, and others of a more popular nature. The activities that the City Council is launching to make gastronomy known have the active participation of these kitchen professionals. One of the important elements of gastronomy in the region of Osona is the pig. The charcuterie products and the culinary proposals of the different restaurants place it on the palates of locals and visitors.
Llarder Thursday
Tasting of pork products in the Plaza Mayor by Osona Cuina.
Terra i Cuina space
Local products at your fingertips. Agri-food show in a space where exhibitors participate with an offer of wines, vegetables, sausages, fresh meats, oils, pastries, bread and mushrooms, among others, and a wide range of tasting tapas as part of the events of the Mercat del Ram
LACTIUM competition:
Artisan cheeses from Catalonia. One of the reference competitions, with a prestigious jury and the “Best Catalan Cheese Award LACTIUM”
Natural space
Around the city of Vic there are many possibilities to be in contact with nature and do a lot of sports and outdoor activities, balloon flights, walking routes, cycling….
Walking routes
In the Osona region we have a total of ten short-distance routes (PR) distributed throughout the territory and different long-distance routes that offer us the opportunity to enjoy the environments with great landscape value as well as travel places with historical value. This is the case of the Camins del Bisbe and Abat Oliba, which unites the points of influence of this character, the Camí Ral that recovers the old path that connected Vic with Olot, or the Camí de Sant Jaume among the most outstanding. The local itineraries around Vic allow you to enjoy the ecological and landscape richness close to the city.
Bicycle routes
The Plana de Vic mountain bike center offers more than 200 signposted kilometers for all-terrain cyclists and connects with the other two mountain bike centers in Osona: Vall de Sau-Collsacabra and Lluçanès.
Balloon flights
The geographical characteristics of the Vic plain make it especially suitable for ballooning. Several companies offer the opportunity to live the unique experience of contemplating the city and the region from the sky. A feeling to remember for a lifetime
Equestrian
In the city of Vic you can enjoy the activities on horseback offered by the two established equestrian centers.