Les Borges Blanques
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C/ del Carme, 21
25400 Les Borges Blanques - 973 14 28 50
- 973 14 31 70
- ajuntament@lesborgesblanques.cat
- https://www.lesborgesblanques.cat
Les Borges Blanques is the administrative capital of the region (comarca) and has 6,248 inhabitants (2022). It is located between the plain, irrigated by Urgell Canal, and the plains in the central depression. Being called the Catalan capital of the olive oil production, in 1918, it was home to 62 oil mills and 90 hydraulic presses.
In the vilage, you can visit the Macià Space, where the career of President Macià is explained, and his personal items are on display. You can witness the most important moments of the president’s life in virtual reality. In the village, there is also the old Cal Gineret oil mill, the interpretation center of the Civil War and the oil industry. It has thirteen monumental cisterns and an old shelter that was used to safeguard the civilian population from bombings.
You can also visit the baroque chapel dating from 1743, that originated as a chapel of the old medieval hospital. A central square, Plaça de l’U d’Octubre will impress you with its wide porticos and Renaissance elements. The Parish Church of the Assumption, (L’Església Parroquial de l’Assumpció), built in baroque-neoclassical style, was decorated with monumental paintings from the New Testament at the beginning of the nineties, and from its bell tower you can see the Pyrenees, the Urgell and the Segrià.
Passeig del Terrall is the true green lungs of the village thanks to its botanical garden. There are two natural ponds with a great diversity of natural fauna and flora. The park of Terral is home to a unique relic- the oil press from the 17th century. There are also the monuments: the first one to Sardana (Catalan dance), the work of Víctor Pérez Pallarés; and the other monument commemorates victims of Mauthausen, who originated from Les Garrigues.
The Festa Major is held on the first weekend of September, especially spectacular are the Walk of Giants and the Meeting of Correfocs. It is recognized as a Popular Festival of Cultural Interest. The Extra Virgin Quality Oil Fair is held in las Borges Blanques during the month of January and is the main event of the sector in Catalonia.
