In the second half of the XIX century, Catalan landscape painting acquired an importance and personality previously unknown to this genre. Among the landscape artists of the moment were Josep Armet and Josep Berga, however it was Joaquim Vayreda who became the foremost Catalan landscape painter. In his work, the landscape took centre stage.
Vayreda was the founder of the Olot School of countryside painting, a movement characterised by the taste for painting from nature and directly inspired by the works of the French artists of Barbizon School. Their canvases, which enjoyed wide exposure and considerable success, influenced numerous Catalan landscape painters.
The Museu de la Garrotxa has an extensive collection of paintings by the Olot School, and the Museu dels Sants has a collection centred on one of Olot's traditional industries: religious imagery. And it is Olot's saints' workshops that make virtually all the religious sculptures that are found around the world. The museum shows the whole process of making these pieces and allows you to see, first hand, the inside of a workshop (on week days).
Olot School
Routes and excursions TOP
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Coll de Bas - Marboleny -Castell de Colltort - Fontpobra. Natural Park route 26
The route will take us along the watershed between the river basins Fluvià and Brugent, tributaries of the river Ter, and will take us to one of the great viewpoints of the Natural Park: the castle of Colltort.
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Sant Feliu de Pallerols - Les Planes d'Hostoles. Natural park route 21
Very simple route between Sant Feliu de Pallerols and Les Planes d'Hostoles following the old royal road.
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La Plana bathing pool. Route 3 Les Planes d'Hostoles
Les Planes d’Hostoles is well known for its natural bathing pools that have been used in numerous films and adverts. This is one of four suggestions.
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Memories of the last Carlist War
This route visits some of the sites in La Garrotxa that are indelibly associated with the Third Carline War (1872–1876).
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From Sadernes to Santa Bàrbara. Ruta 1 Alta Garrotxa
On clear days on certain stretches of this walk you can look eastwards and enjoy the views that extend right across the Empordà plain as far as the Mediterranean Sea.
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Saint James's way
The St James’ Way runs through the county of La Garrotxa and visits en route a number of interesting sites.
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Sant Joan de les Abadesses to Vall de Bianya cycle path
Route between the Vall de Bianya greenway route and Sant Joan de les Abadesses.
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In the footsteps of the Barons of Santa Pau. Ruta 1 Santa Pau
This walk takes you up to the magnificent summit of Finestres, one of the best viewpoints in La Garrotxa. Of great interest are the highly varied landscapes.
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Vayreda’s Alta Garrotxa. Route 8 Garrotxa
Marian Vayreda’s novel La Punyalada provides one of the best ways of discovering the Alta Garrotxa. The places depicted by this 19th century author in the scenes from his famous novel have been joined in a discovery route.
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Olot and its volcanoes
Rediscover nature in the heart of the city. The urban layout of Olot is set around one of the most famous volcanoes: Montsacopa.