Small medieval cities with their mystical legends and secrets, preserving their originality and authenticity, will be interesting to tourists who come to Spain. Rupit and Besalu are open-air museums that have preserved their medieval exhibits in the form of buildings, temples, bridges. Old Catalonia holds monuments of Romanesque architecture, interesting to tourists visiting these magical, small cities that have stopped the run of time.
The small town of Besalu
The small town of Besalu is located in the province of Girona. Founded by the Romans. At first it was a fortress built on one of the roads connecting the empire of the Romans and the land on the Iberian Peninsula. Then the Principality of Besalu was founded, subsequently annexed to the territory of Catalonia. In the XV century, the city was surrounded by a stone wall to protect against enemies.
Tourists entering Besal see a thousand-year history preserved in stone: an old bridge, powerful defensive walls, a medieval castle. No new buildings have been erected in the city over the past centuries, as in other small medieval cities, for example, Rupite in Spain. All buildings of the Middle Ages, such as small shops, shops with goods of local artisans, restaurants, organically fit with the modern landscape.
Attractions Besalu
The first thing that tourists who come to the city see is a bridge that was built over two centuries - from the 11th to the 12th centuries. It is made in the Romanesque style. The bridge piers are made up of natural river boulders. In the XIV century , a tower with a gate was built in its center, where a guard was established to levy a fee for entering the city. During the Spanish Civil War in 1939, the bridge was damaged by blasting, spans were destroyed. The bridge was completely restored only by 1965.
The historic center of Besalu is beautiful with its Romanesque buildings. The medieval Besal include the Jewish baths, the Pilgrim Hospital, the Church of St. Peter, which in 2003 turned one thousand years old. Jewish ritual mikvah baths and the ruin of a synagogue indicate the existence of a Jewish quarter in Besalu. Baths were built for ritual ablutions in the XII century. Many tourists pay attention to art objects, such as high chairs and furniture, attached to the walls of houses. According to local legend, this is furniture for witches, often flying over Besalu, and living nearby, in the medieval city of Rupite (Spain).
Unique museums of Besalu
The original museum of miniatures is interesting for tourists, where exhibits of famous world structures are collected, which can only be viewed under a microscope. These exhibits include the Eiffel Tower. The museum exhibits are so interesting that the tourists who visited it have been discussing their impressions for a long time and, of course, take pictures as a keepsake.
There is a museum of cheeses and smoked meats in the city. This is a very tasty place, as visitors are offered to taste the products of local manufacturers. The city hosts annual medieval festivals. To get to such a festival, you need to buy tickets for six months. They are interesting in fights, tournaments, dance and music performances. Those who visited the festival are sure to share their impressions with friends.
In Besalu, tourists will be interested in the second medieval town - Rupit. There is no particular difficulty to get from Girona (Spain) to Rupit. You can go to the city by car by selecting one of the routes on the road map. A trip takes an average of 1 hour 35 minutes. The distance between the points is 99 kilometers. Route map through the C-25, C-153, C-63, C-153 and C-66 highways. There are gas stations and motels along the route. You can even calculate the cost of gasoline, if 1 liter = 75 rubles, then the trip will cost 746 rubles.
Rupit: the history of the city
High in the Catalan mountains, far from the noise of civilization, intercity roads and tourist routes is the ancient town of Rupit. Its characteristic feature is the location on the rock formation of a frozen volcanic lava ejected during the eruption of a volcano.
Eleven thousand years ago, an eruption of a volcano occurred, which flooded with molten lava for many kilometers of the foothills of the Pyrenees. On the plateau frozen in the form of natural steps, the Rupit fortress was built in the X century. It was located at the intersection of two Roman roads. The Iberian road ran along the sea, and the Pyrenees along the mountains. Since the XI century, the fortress began to upset, the first houses and streets appeared. A century later, the fortress turned into a small town in Spain - Rupit, which rises 900 meters above sea level.
Due to its remoteness from civilization and inaccessibility, all the most terrible plague epidemics that mowed entire villages passed by him. Even Napoleon did not want to attack Rupit, the climb was too difficult. Nevertheless, nature is stronger than man, and in the XV century the city was almost completely destroyed by an earthquake. Several families escaped. Currently, about 400 inhabitants live in the city.
New Rupit
The houses of the new Rupit were built in the style of the Middle Ages with narrow streets and undulating lava paths. The city was rebuilt during the XVI-XVII centuries. They tried to maintain the appearance of the destroyed city, so it is almost impossible to distinguish buildings from those that were before the destruction. Almost four centuries have passed, but the spirit of the Middle Ages in the city has survived to this day. Looking at the surrounding sights of Rupita in Spain, you come to the conclusion that time has stopped here, or is flowing so slowly that nothing just has time to change.
The town is divided into two parts: old and new. The center of the old city can only be reached by the preserved wooden suspension bridge, swinging when walking from side to side.
After the earthquake, two more stone bridges were built, over which there is still communication through the river. There are no cars, gray houses cling to each other, streets loop between them. The impression that you are in the world of historical scenery. A reminder that this is the 21st century are just electric wires stretched over the roofs of houses.
City of Witches and Inquisition
The measured life of the present city of Spain, Rupita, is different from the one when bonfires burned here during the Inquisition. Burning a witch at the stake in the city center was common. For this, firewood was always prepared, and those who came to look at this procedure were enough. During the Inquisition, which was especially cruel in Spain, Jews who did not want to change their faith were burned at the stake.
Attractions Rupita
In the Middle Ages on the Iberian Peninsula, only Catalonia was a Christian state. In Rupite, after the earthquake, the temple of San Juan de Fabregas was preserved - the building dates from the 11th century. The Church of the Archangel Michael, built in the 12th century, was reconstructed in the 17th century. It is built in baroque style. From the new part of the city, where there is an observation deck at the sanctuary of St. Magdalena, a view of the beautiful town hall, fortress, stone bridges.
Life in Rupite today
The last constructed buildings in the historic city of Spain, Rupite, date back to the end of the 19th century. Everything that is needed has already been built. The city has a kindergarten and a school, shops, a city hall, a court and the police work, and church services are held. And, strangely enough, young people live and work in the city. Brides who are not enough in the city are brought from other places. Everything is done in order to save life in this medieval town.
Only residents of the city can enter the new part of the city by transport; for them there is free parking at the entrance. Arriving tourists can leave their cars in a paid parking lot. Tourism is an article of the city’s income; guests who are interested in medieval cities are welcomed with hospitality. Guides conduct daily excursions to this real open-air museum.