In Catalan lands, within the province of Lleida, there is a town called Bagerge which is so pretty and picturesque that it has earned a place on the list of the most beautiful towns in Spain.
If you like to visit these types of places or are planning a tour of Spain, pay attention to our article today: the charm of Bagergue.
Bagerge
As we said, Bagergue is on the land of the autonomous community of Catalonia, in the northeast of the peninsula, with limits with France and Andorra and the Mediterranean Sea. Bagergue It is the municipality at the highest altitude in the Arán Valley, a region that is in the Catalan Pyrenees, whose capital is Viella.
The historic center is part of the Inventory of the Architectural Heritage of Catalonia, a list that began in 1982 to disseminate and promote the study of Catalan heritage assets. It seems that the name begins to appear in documents from the XNUMXth century, when allegiance was sworn to the king of Aragon, although it is known that it already existed before those dates.
It is an exquisite Rural town, a typical small mountain town that becomes beautiful in any season of the year. It has a lot of stone, a lot of wood and narrow streets. All at 1419 meters altitude, on the left bank of the Unhòla river, a tributary of the Garonne.
What can we visit in the town of Bagergue? Well, the best thing is its historic center, with the Parish Church of Saint Felix whose construction dates back to at least the XNUMXth century, although it has had different stages. The church has a Romanesque style, although it was greatly transformed in the mid-XNUMXth century.
The church has a sacristy, a beautiful bell tower with a square base and pyramidal roof, with a single nave, a couple of chapels (one of which venerates a Renaissance virgin), and arches. On the altar there is an old stone block of pre-Romanesque style and also a Gothic style Christ.
From here, heading south, you can start a historic path that goes down to the Unhòla river and you will pass by an old flour mill until you finally reach Salardú. And if you go north you will go to the Hermitage of Santa Margalida which is a kilometer from the town and is tiny. If you go on 20 July Your visit will coincide with Bagergue major festivals, so pilgrimage!
If you want to know the history of the town, of a typical town in the area, you can visit the Eth Corrau Museum. To find it, just walk along the main street, Carrèr Major. The year was 1999, a year before the turn of the century, when the local Moga family made the decision to open a place for show and preserve Aranese daily life. He took advantage of a disused rustic corral and that place became a museum.
In this museum visitors can see objects and belongings related to daily life, local crafts and traditions. There are over 2500 objects on display and it really is a must-see if you make it this far. The museum opens its doors from 10 a.m. to 13:30 p.m. and from 15:30 p.m. to 20:00 p.m. Admission costs 2,50 euros for ages 12 and up and minors pay only 2 euros.
Afterwards, of course, it is worth getting lost in the streets of Bagergue and having no direction. There's a reason it's on the list of the most beautiful towns in Spain, so it's about going out taking breaks to observe, feel, smell and stop to meditate. If you go In spring or summer you will see gardens and flowers and balconies everywhere, which makes it more picturesque. She has been awarded by the Viles Florides movement and as you walk through it you realize why.
Viles Florides is a group that works hard to transform towns and other sites in Catalan lands. The idea is to beautify them with green spaces, gardens and flowers, promoting aesthetic beauty with local species, typical of the Aran Valley. It is still an economic initiative, too. In the case of Bagergue, he has the highest distinction and He has won four Flowers of Honor.
On this route of peaceful contemplation you will see, in addition to the church, some private houses and shops. For example, a cheese factory, the highest in the entire Pyrenees, where of course visitors can do a tasting. The cheese factory belongs to two brothers who work with effort and great dedication making artisanal cheeses, especially the typical ones. Aranese cheese, taking advantage of the quality of the dairy cows from the Lleida Pyrenees.
Once the visit, tasting and purchase have been made, you can continue the path through the town, and yes or yes you should stop to contemplate the Casa is Pasart and Casa Menginat. On the other hand, we said above that Bagergue is a town that changes according to the season but it's always beautiful. So, if you go in winter you will find it covered in snow, with the stone of its buildings peeking out here and there, without rhyme or reason. If you go in spring, then colors and flowers everywhere, in the meadows, in the pots on the balconies, in the mountains... And if you arrive in autumn, ochers and golds and reds are the order of the day.
The best ? No matter the season, In Bagergue the sun shines the same number of hours a day in summer as in winter. And even, if you go in summer, you can swim on its "beach", the little beach of a natural reservoir which is a charm and an oasis in the heat of summer.
So, Bagergue is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful towns in Spain and you can come and get to know it if you like rural tourism. Here you can rent apartments or stay in a hotel, the Hotel Seixes. And if it's about eating local delicacies, you can do so in any of its restaurants: El Jardí dels Pomers, Unhòla, Casa Perú, Casa Rosa or Borda de Laqnam.
And how do you get to Bagergue? En bus, train or car. The truth is that Upper Aran has good national connections.