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Parc natural de
Collserola forms part of the metropolitan
area of Barcelona, where more than three
million people live in an area covering
several large municipalities. Collserola
is more than just an area of unspoilt
nature, it is a metropolitan oasis,
the green breathing space for this huge
urban area, which makes its ecological
value all the greater. The authorities
in the metropolitan area have prepared
a special plan to conserve this wooded
area, which is under considerable urban
pressure.
The Collserola range offers visitors
the chance to feel as if they were in
the middle of a forest, a place where
all you hear is birdsong and the gentle
murmur of small brooks, all a mere fifteen
minutes from the centre of Barcelona.
The park is spread out over close to
8,000 hectares, releasing 60,000 metric
tons of oxygen every year and eliminating
80,000 of carbon dioxide. It contains
some 10 million trees, 1,000 different
species of plants and close to 190 species
of vertebrates.
The park has four educational facilities.
The Information
Centre shows the visitor how best
to enjoy the area. A quick visit to
the information centre and a stroll
around Parc de Vallvidrera will give
you a good idea of what is to be found
in Collserola. The Mas Pins and Can
Coll educational centres offer a
variety of educational programmes for
groups, while the Documentation Centre
at Can Coll offers the visitor more
specialised information on the resources
that can be found.
Within the park's boundaries you can
find natural areas of special interest
such as Font Groga or la Rierada. In
the park, mixed woods combining pine
and oak predominate. Less numerous river-side
woods are found in humid areas and by
river banks. On a walk you will often
find fields and thickets; areas that
have a special role for hibernating
fauna. One of the park's greatest assets
is the large number of springs, some
of which are very well known locally,
such as Font
de la Budellera and Font d'en Ribes.
Aside from its natural wealth, Collserola
is also rich in human activity from
the remote past. The name itself comes
from medieval times, being a combination
of coll, or 'pass', plus the old article
sa and erola, the ancient term for a
clearing. It is believed that the strategic
position of Coll Serola, on the medieval
route that joined Barcelona and Sant
Cugat, gave the name to the range running
between the rivers Besòs and
Llobregat. This explains the existence
of some interesting old farmhouses and
chapels in the park, such as Sant Medir,
Sant Bartomeu de la Quadra, Santa Creu
d'Olorda and Sant Iscle de les Feixes,
among many others. At Can Coll you can
visit the Rural Life Museum and the
permanent exhibition, "Man and
the Mountain Range". |
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| Carretera
de les Aigües |
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| Font de
la Budellera |
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