Web oficial de CALDES DE MALAVELLA

ROMAN SPRINGS AND THEIR SURROUNDING AREA

Historical monument of national interest. The best preserved remains of the ancient Roman town of AQUAE CALIDAE, now known as Caldes de Malavella. The water operating mechanisms remain almost intact. The building is made up of a central pool surrounded by a series of rooms for receiving health treatments. The three spaces at the back, which were initially believed to be baths, are in fact rooms where oils were applied. They were eminently used for healing purposes and were mostly likely linked to the worship of Apollo or one of the other curing deities.
Also located in this area is the church of Sant Grau, a stretch of the medieval town’s walls and other remains (Cal Ferrer de la Plaça and Can Trelles). Can Manegat and Ca l’Estapé (Casa Rosa) are two examples of the area’s Modernist architecture.

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CROSSROADS C/LLIBERTAT - C/PL.PETITA I ENTORNS

The crossroads between these two streets was the nucleus of the town in medieval times, being the point that led to the town’s four entrances: the entrance from Girona (North), Cassà and Llagostera (East), Camí Ral(Royal Road) to Santa Coloma (West) and Camí Ral (Royal Road) to Vidreres (South).

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FONT DE LA MINA

Also known as Raig d’en Mel, Font de la Mina is one of the town’s best known fountains. It appeared as a result of a soil extraction to dry some marshy land. At the end of the small depression the thermal springs gush at a temperature of roughly 60ºC into small tanks that collect the surplus water from the fountain. It is common to find people from the entire region lining up to collect water from Caldes, which demonstrates its magnificent healing, digestive and culinary properties.

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RAMBLA RECOLONS AND RAMBLA D’EN RUFÍ

A boulevard conceived as a peaceful place for strolling. Mr. Bartolomé Recolons promoted the construction of a number of buildings that housed the summer residents who visited the town to benefit from its waters. These Modernist and Noucentist buildings, like others from the same period, show a prevailing taste for rounded shapes and iron and ceramic features. There are a number of examples such as Casa Mas i Ros, Xalet d’Antoni Mas, Casa Motlló, Colònia Rodríguez, Bell Estar, Torre Can Sala and Vil•la Rosario, also known as the Torre del Alemanys (Tower of the Germans). The boulevard is an ideal place for a peaceful stroll.

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LA GRANJA AND LA FONT DE LA VACA

La Granja was created in the 1920s with the development of a new residential area. The entire boulevard and its surrounding area is full of Modernist, Noucentist and Eclectic chalets including Villa No. 2, Villa Catalina and the Torre dels Cavalls. Right in the middle of the area is a public park with the Font de la Vaca, a traditional gathering spot. The Casinet building, formerly a tearoom located in the park, near the fountain, is a pleasant, relaxing location and the best place to enjoy the fresh summer air.

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CHURCH OF SANT ESTEVE AND ITS VICINITY

Church from the 11th century dedicated to Sant Esteve. It only conserves the large Lombard Romanesque apse and basilican plan from its origins. It has been restored a number of times and what we see today is mostly from the 17th century. The facade is in the Renaissance style. On the lower end of both sides of the portal you can see large cauldrons, one of the Caldes’ symbols, and to the left of the portal, a sarcophagus reads: “In the year of our lord 1267 on the sixth day of January Berenguer Lambardi passed away having confessed to God. Berenguer Lambardi lies in this tumulus, a man dearly remembered. May his soul be in the glory of paradise in the company of saints, amen. I ask you: pray for me, on this day: paternoster”.
The church is located in the middle of Plaça de Sant Esteve and surrounded by Modernist, Neo-classical and Eclectic buildings, the most notable being Casa Quintana. The surrounding streets feature more emblematic buildings such as the municipal Theatre-Casino and Can Perxachs.

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BALNEARI PRATS AND THE VECINITY

Thermal establishment from the second half of the 19th century. What we see today is the result of restoration and expansion work carried out by Eusebi Bona in 1912. A large portal leads to the interior gardens. Notable features include the detailed design of floral ornaments on the windows and the roses on the facade. It is also worth noting the good condition of a number of lounges and dining rooms inside the spa, reflecting the elegance and style of the time. Neo-classical Casa Pla i Daniel, from the late 19th century, can also be seen in the area. Other notable houses on Avenida Dr. Furest are the house of poet Francesc Matheu, Torre dels Ocells and Torre de les Punxes.

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BALNEARI VICHY CATALAN AND AVINGUDA DEL DOCTOR FUREST

One of the biggest spas in Catalonia. Building began in 1898 under the initiative of Dr. Modest Furest i Roca. The project of the Neo-Mudejar building was largely designed by Gaietà Buigues. There is a small chapel inside dedicated to Saint Josep and Saint Esteve. Particularly noteworthy are the entrance door and details on the inside. The main dining room conserves the Modernist decor from the early 20th century.
Avinguda del D. Furest is the road that will lead you from the train station to the town, featuring a number of houses with Modernist and Noucentist elements that are well worth seeing.

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SANT MAURICI AND CASTELL DE MALAVELLA

Documented in the year 1057, the castle was built on an elevated area to control the territory. Its origin lies in the repopulation of these lands following feudal models. Its remains, from the 12th century, are black due to the basalt stones that form the same hill, the remains of an ancient volcanic chimney. According to a legend, a “mala vella”, or cruel old lady, once lived in the castle, and this explains the town’s name. The hermitage is right next to the remains of the castle and it was mostly likely built to continue the old church’s religious work in the area. Dedicated to Sant Maurici, the general of the Roman legions who was killed for defending Christian faith, it was privatised following Mendizábal’s confiscation. The church dedicated to Sant Maurici was built taking advantage of the castle’s structure. Every 22 September, the saint’s day, a large traditional gathering is held during which people dance sardanes and the recently recovered Ball de l’hereu Riera.
CAMP DELS NINOTS ("field of dolls")

Camp dels Ninots is one of the most important archaeological sites in Catalonia and the Iberian Peninsula.
The Camp dels Ninots site, located in an old 500-m-diametre crater that owes its name to the capricious shapes of the opal stones that abound in the area, has become a treasure mine.
Never before have such a concentrated number of early Pleistocene remains been found in one area, in such a large number and in such an extraordinary condition. There are also numerous examples of lithium primitive tools that demonstrate the existence of hominids in this area of La Selva over one million years ago.
Plant fossils, a rhinoceros, and bovid and micromammal remains such as rodents and hedgehogs, as well as birds, turtles and fish have been found in clay at a depth of two and a half metres. They will enable scientists to draw the earliest comprehensive sequence of human and animal occupation ever documented in Catalonia, from the early to the middle Pleistocene.
So far, three excavations have been carried out by a team of archaeologists and palaeontologists from the Universitat Rovira i Virgili’s Institute of Human Paleoecology. The first took place in September 2004, the second in October 2005 and the last one, during which a third bovid and a rhinoceros were found, in May 2006.
MEDIEVAL TOWN OF CAULERS

Dating from the 8th and 9th century, when a group of people repopulated the area. They used the ruins from a Roman watchtower to create a small settlement. It presents the typical plan of Catalonia's settlements that bordered on Islamic Spain.
The remains are from the 9th century and hint at a rectangular one-nave church with a square apse that was accessed through a lateral door. The apse and nave are connected by a semicircular arch, and they are the remains of a Pre-Romanesque church, the only exponent of the period in our region.
TREES OF LOCAL INTEREST

The Caldes Town Council has drawn up an inventory of singular trees of local interest that includes twenty specimens located around our municipality. The study includes the trees’ characteristics, their size, history, possible diseases and defects and plans for their conservation.
The highest are four pine trees that can measure up to twenty metres. Notable specimens include the well-known Pi de can Teixidor or Can Llimona, which due to its height, stands above the neighbouring trees and can be seen from many points of our municipality. The tree with the largest perimeter is the Can Roig cork tree (5 metres), while that of the Mas Pla pine is 3.5. Lastly, the oldest trees are the Can Roig cork tree, approximately 250 years old, and Mas Pla fig tree, between 200 and 250 years old.
Being declared of local interest means that these trees are specially protected and felling or uncontrolled actions are forbidden.

List of trees of local interest +