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Route around Ulldecona and the Shelters of La Serra de la Pietat
This route shows the cultural heritage of Ulldecona and the eleven neolithic shelters situated in the Archeologic Zone of the city, which is placed on the Saw of the Pietat. It is one of the most important rupestrian art sets of Catalonia due to its paintings from 5.000 years bC and they are under protection from 1975. In these moments, the shelter number 1 contains the most important scense of Catalonia, with a total of 95 figures - animals and armed hunters -. The cave paintings, which are placed in craggy walls, are totally accessible thanks to several narrow stairs.
Besides the vestiges of Ulldecona, it is also possible to visit the fragile paintings of El Perelló, in the same province of Tarragona. Although there is the possibility of visiting them directly, it is advisable to see them in the Museum of Montblanc in order to appreciate better the detail and colors of these weary rupestrian paintings. There, the best pictures of the Prades’ paintings are exhibited together with explanatory panels and reproductions in life-size of the most important scene of the zone: the brave animal hunting. This town, capital of La Conca de Barberà, owns the ''Portal de les Lletres” site. All these shelters and rupestrian spaces can be located in the maps and explanatory material which is offered by the municipal offices of tourism.
Cister Route
The route connects the three main Cistercian monasteries of Catalonia: Poblet, Santes Creus and Vallbona de les Monges, all of them placed in the regions of the Conca de Barberà, Alt Camp and Urgell respectively. The itinerary can be covered on foot or ATB (all-terrain bicycle) following the path GR-175 or using its local roads by car.
The link of the three monasteries through this route, which was created in 1989, has meant an indisputable injection for the tourism of the three regions, La Conca de Barberà, L’Alt Camp and L’Urgell, that have not skimped on efforts to introduce the culture, gastronomy, tradition and heritage of their lands. From the monasteries, main attraction of the cultural supply, the visitors cover the sorrounding villages and towns of the three regions which are joined by Route of the Cister.
Regarding the three monasteries, Santes Creus is the only one which does not accommodate a religious community and, for this reason, has the advantage of allowing the visit of its rooms. On the other side, Vallbona de les Monges is the most important feminine Cistercian monastery in Catalonia. Within its church it is possible to find sepulchral gravestones of different abadeses of the monastery and, next to the presbytery, the graves of the Queen Violant of Hungary, who was the wife of Jaume I, and those of their daughter, Sança of Aragon. It is necessary to highlight that Poblet is surrounded by the Forest of Poblet which is characterized by its natural environment of 2.100 hectares and its National Interest.
Moreover, the Catalan route is integrated into an international agreement for promoting the route of the Cister in Europe. This itinerary is known as “Cistercian Itinerary North-South of Europa'' and it includes sixteen monasteris: three of Catalonia, six of Germany (Altenberg, Heisterbach, Himmerod, Kamp, Otterberg and Wcrschwheiler), six of France (Citeaux, Fontenay, Fontfroide, Pontigny, Quincy and Vauluisant) and one of Belgium (Orval).
Domus Templi Route
The Domus Templi Route offers the visitor the possibility to know in situ the work and history of the Order of the Knights Templars in the Crown of Aragon. It is a singular architectural heritage of great historical interest, little known until now.
The route goes through the bordering territories of the old Christian and Muslim kingdoms along the Cinca and Segre river basins and most of the last stretch of the Ebro river basin, including the Maestrat and the north of the current province of Castellón. A large part of these territories was owned by the Knights Templars, who organized it in large commanderies such as those of Monzón, Gardeny, Miravet, Tortosa and Peñíscola. Commandery castles, towers, country houses, churches or housing estates built within their lands -most of them still preserved today- are present along the route and are the best witnesses of the Knights Templars’ imprint on the old kingdoms of the Crown of Aragon.
This route shows the cultural heritage of Ulldecona and the eleven neolithic shelters situated in the Archeologic Zone of the city, which is placed on the Saw of the Pietat. It is one of the most important rupestrian art sets of Catalonia due to its paintings from 5.000 years bC and they are under protection from 1975. In these moments, the shelter number 1 contains the most important scense of Catalonia, with a total of 95 figures - animals and armed hunters -. The cave paintings, which are placed in craggy walls, are totally accessible thanks to several narrow stairs.
Besides the vestiges of Ulldecona, it is also possible to visit the fragile paintings of El Perelló, in the same province of Tarragona. Although there is the possibility of visiting them directly, it is advisable to see them in the Museum of Montblanc in order to appreciate better the detail and colors of these weary rupestrian paintings. There, the best pictures of the Prades’ paintings are exhibited together with explanatory panels and reproductions in life-size of the most important scene of the zone: the brave animal hunting. This town, capital of La Conca de Barberà, owns the ''Portal de les Lletres” site. All these shelters and rupestrian spaces can be located in the maps and explanatory material which is offered by the municipal offices of tourism.
Cister Route
The route connects the three main Cistercian monasteries of Catalonia: Poblet, Santes Creus and Vallbona de les Monges, all of them placed in the regions of the Conca de Barberà, Alt Camp and Urgell respectively. The itinerary can be covered on foot or ATB (all-terrain bicycle) following the path GR-175 or using its local roads by car.
The link of the three monasteries through this route, which was created in 1989, has meant an indisputable injection for the tourism of the three regions, La Conca de Barberà, L’Alt Camp and L’Urgell, that have not skimped on efforts to introduce the culture, gastronomy, tradition and heritage of their lands. From the monasteries, main attraction of the cultural supply, the visitors cover the sorrounding villages and towns of the three regions which are joined by Route of the Cister.
Regarding the three monasteries, Santes Creus is the only one which does not accommodate a religious community and, for this reason, has the advantage of allowing the visit of its rooms. On the other side, Vallbona de les Monges is the most important feminine Cistercian monastery in Catalonia. Within its church it is possible to find sepulchral gravestones of different abadeses of the monastery and, next to the presbytery, the graves of the Queen Violant of Hungary, who was the wife of Jaume I, and those of their daughter, Sança of Aragon. It is necessary to highlight that Poblet is surrounded by the Forest of Poblet which is characterized by its natural environment of 2.100 hectares and its National Interest.
Moreover, the Catalan route is integrated into an international agreement for promoting the route of the Cister in Europe. This itinerary is known as “Cistercian Itinerary North-South of Europa'' and it includes sixteen monasteris: three of Catalonia, six of Germany (Altenberg, Heisterbach, Himmerod, Kamp, Otterberg and Wcrschwheiler), six of France (Citeaux, Fontenay, Fontfroide, Pontigny, Quincy and Vauluisant) and one of Belgium (Orval).
Domus Templi Route
The Domus Templi Route offers the visitor the possibility to know in situ the work and history of the Order of the Knights Templars in the Crown of Aragon. It is a singular architectural heritage of great historical interest, little known until now.
The route goes through the bordering territories of the old Christian and Muslim kingdoms along the Cinca and Segre river basins and most of the last stretch of the Ebro river basin, including the Maestrat and the north of the current province of Castellón. A large part of these territories was owned by the Knights Templars, who organized it in large commanderies such as those of Monzón, Gardeny, Miravet, Tortosa and Peñíscola. Commandery castles, towers, country houses, churches or housing estates built within their lands -most of them still preserved today- are present along the route and are the best witnesses of the Knights Templars’ imprint on the old kingdoms of the Crown of Aragon.
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