Oliana

Church of Sant Andreu (Clicad to see the greatest image).

The Vila de Oliana is in the South part of the region of the Alt Urgell and she extends to the left of the Segre, between the mountain range of the Turp and the defile of the Espluvins. The water is abundant, since, in addition to the Segre river it counts on the dams of Oliana and Rialb, and several rivers, like now the one of Reixà, the one of the Flower and the one of Mora Comdal. The term is watered by sequia of Molí and we found, in addition, diverse sources. Oliana is the second town of the region, with 2000 inhabitants. The old helmet is based on a hill, to the left margin of the wide valley that opens the Segre river, and on the same foot of the first abutments of the Pyrenean one: bulk of Sant Honorat and the Mountain ranges of the Canals, of Oliana, Aubenç and Turp, as we aimed before.
On the foot of the "Rock of the Hore ", we found the Castell, recovered, and nowadays the houses disperse by the level one. Before the Mountain range of Turp, and mentioned in the act of consecration of the Cathedral of the Seu de Urgell, in year 839, like " lazouez ", is the nucleus of the Anoves. In 1977 it was vacated. These valleys are inhabited from prehistory. The course of the Segre river was and is a natural channel of communication. In many places one has been rest of old settlers. A Roman colony settled down, probably in the environs of the Castle. Of it

it gives to witness the funeral altar that served as support to the altar of the church of Sant Andreu of the Castell. Of here the hypothesis that the etimología of Oliana is of Latin origin. This románica church is the most outstanding monument. She is small, and we found in her three different times. It was remade and consecrated by the Bishop of Urgell Eribau, in year 1037. The town moved from the Castle to the present site. The parochial church still conserves a fragment of wall and a románica window, in the North part. The town formed a walled enclosure. Rest of it in the "Vall de Dalt" have left and the "Vall de Baix", that is to say, in the outer part of the walls, and with vestibules that closed the population. Between the illustrious children of Oliana it deserves a special mention pedagogo, historian and musicólogo father Albert Vives and Mir.

The economic base of Oliana, traditionally agrarian, has been altered these last times by several factors. On the one hand, the construction of the marsh that takes the name of the population, and head of the municipality and that was inaugurated in 1959. By another one, the installation, in the Sixties, of the household-electric small factory of Taurus, of which it happened to depend, directly or indirectly, most of the population. More recently, the industrial sector has been diversified with small enterprise initiatives, supported by the Leader program of the European Union. The services and the tourism are growing in dynamism and socioeconomic incidence. Between the future projects it is necessary to emphasize the one of a stable water language in the tail of the dam of Rialb with tourist aims.

General Vista of Oliana

Oliana is at the moment in a while nails for its economic and social development. The constitution of the Galaus partnership, manager of the program Leader II, has allowed to reinforce the sector of services and industrialist, simultaneously who has opened new perspective of future. The public investment also takes control of performances like the restoration of old "Pou del Gel" or the project evident of museum of natural sciences. Almost all the population of the municipality concentrates itself to the locality of Oliana. The rest lives distributed in the nuclei of the Anoves and the Castell de Oliana.

The Pou of the Gel. In the outskirts of Oliana, near the river of the Flower, the old Pou of the Gel can be visited is a singular construction, totally buried, of circular and finished base in return of average sphere. It was acceded, years back, by a very narrow tunnel, in zigzag form. In this well the ice was stored that, by natural freezing, was obtained in rafts located in the outside. With the purpose of facilitating the access to the visitors, now another tunnel has been opened, where a permanent exhibition can be contemplated on ice wells of all parts. The ice in summer also was a source of economic resources, since it was commercialized and " it was even exported " to Calcuta!

The Romanesque one. More interesting the Romanesque monument of the term of Oliana is the church of Sant Andreu of the Castell. This building is of a ship covered with return of tube and closed by an apse of semicircular plant with arcuaciones lombardas in the outside. The bell tower is a square tower, with two floors that excel over the cover of the ship. Also the church of Santa Eulàlia of the Anoves contains románicos elements.

Music. Oliana enjoys a great musical tradition. This fact is translated in the activities that the Municipal School of Music carries out and in the celebration, the months of June and July, of the Festival of Young Interpreters, with an attractive program that offers concerts of new values with international projection. Upon the popular scope, it agrees to honor the choir of " Caramelles ", that every year brightens up Passover by the streets of the city, and the chorale of Sant Andreu.

THE DATA	*	CELEBRATIONS	*
Extension	31.92 km2	Oliana	2 of August
Population	1,844 inhabitants	The Castell de Oliana	11 of September
City council	Tel.	ARTS AND	TRADITIONS
Firemen	085 (Recommended)	Food of Carnival	Tuesday of Carnival
Pharmacy	Tel.	" Els Armats "	Procesión of the Passion
C.A.P.		Good Friday	*
CAMPING	*	Festival of young people	interpret, June i July
Oliana		MARKETS	FAIRS
POWERBOAT	*	Saturdays	Tots Sants, 1 of November
Av. of the Solsonés, 26	*	*	*

To return to the principal page

Extracted data of the opuscule " Els colors of the Pirineu " published by the Local Consell of l'Alt Urgell