Igualada

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Igualada is a city of 41,000 people (2021) in Barcelona (province), and a stage in the Catalan Way of St. James. Igualada is the capital and central market of the Anoia comarca, a rich agricultural and wine-producing district.

Understand

It is located on the left bank of the Anoia River and at the western end of the Igualada-Martorell-Barcelona Railway.

The city consists of an old town, founded in the 11th century, with narrow and irregular streets, including the remains of a fortress and ramparts, plus a new surrounding town with regular and spacious streets and many fine houses.

The city is 65 kilometres (40 miles) west of Barcelona and 20 kilometres (12 miles) west of the famous mountain and monastery of Montserrat.

Get in

By plane

Aaerodrom Igualada-Òdena

• 1 Aeròdrom d'Igualada-Òdena General Vives. The airfield has a lot of sport aviation traffic, in which the Igualada-Òdena Sailing Club, the Airbet company, several schools and ultralight clubs operate, as well as a pilot school. (updated Nov 2023)

By train

Igualada's railway station is the terminus of a line connecting with Plaça d'Espanya in Barcelona. The A-2 motorway between Madrid and Barcelona bypasses the town.

By car

• The A-2 (north-east motorway) connects to Lleida and Barcelona.
• The C-37 connects with Manresa to the north
• The C-15 connects with AP7 (motorway to france) and Vilanova i la geltru to the south
• The C-433 connects with Valls in Tarragona (province)

See

• 1 Igualada Leather Museum (Museu de la Pell d'Igualada). Opened in 1954, it was the first leather museum in Spain and the third in Europe. The collections are displayed in two nearby buildings in Igualada: the "Cal Boyer" building, a former cotton textile factory from the late 19th century, and the "Cal Granotes" building, an 18th-century tannery. (updated Nov 2023)
• 2 Muleteer's Museum (Museu del Traginer). It explains the evolution of transport using animals such as mules, horses, oxen, and the different relationships that paved the way for the profession of muleteer. It is distributed into three main thematic areas: professions, saddles and bridles, and carriages. (updated Nov 2023)
• 3 Igualada Cemetery. The new Igualada Cemetery was designed by the architects Enric Miralles and Carme Pinós after winning an architectural competition in 1984. Constructed between 1985 and 1994 as a replacement for the old "Cemetery Vell", it has become widely regarded as one of the most poetic works of the 20th-century Catalan architecture. Enric Miralles, who died in year 2000 is buried in one of the tombs. (updated Nov 2023)

Santa Maria (Igualada) - Gàrgoles

• 4 Basilica of Santa Maria, Igualada (Santa Maria d'Igualada). The Basilica of Santa Maria is the most important historical building of Igualada. The first settlement of Igualada is dated around year 1000, in the location were the current church lies today, which was at that time a crossing of two routes which were linking Barcelona with Aragon, and north of Catalonia with its south. Santa Maria church origin is from the 11th century, but the current building is mainly from the 17th century. During the Spanish Civil War it was converted into a market, and was restored after the war, under the guidance of the architect Cèsar Martinell. In 1949 Santa Maria obtained the title of Minor Basilica granted by the pope Pius XII. (updated Nov 2023)
• 5 Nursing home "Asil del Sant Crist". The asil del Sant Crist is one of the most special buildings in Igualada and serves as a nursing home of elder people. Construction started in year 1931 thanks to a donation from Magdalena, Dolors and Concepció Castells and finished in 1941 after the Spanish Civil War. It was designed by Joan Rubió i Bellver, pupil of Antoni Gaudí, in late modernisme style, mixed with influences from the traditional Catalan architecture. (updated Nov 2023)

Do

Igualada hosts the European Balloon Festival, the largest hot air balloon festival in Spain and one of the largest in Europe. It has taken place every year, since 1997, at the beginning of July. The city also hosts the Aerosport airshow, which takes place every year in April or May.

Fairs and festivities

• January: the Festa dels Reis d'Igualada is the oldest in Catalonia and the second oldest in the Spanish State, with references to its beginning in 1895. It is characterized by the spectacular parade of the entourage on the 5 in the afternoon of January, formed by the floats of the three Magi of the East, the page Faruk and more than 500 pages behind, carefully dressed, who use wooden ladders to climb the balconies of the homes and distribute the gifts throughout the city, handing them directly to the children.
• January: the Tres Tombs d'Igualada are the oldest in Catalonia, carried out continuously since 1822 and exemplify the importance that the Sant Antoni celebrations continue to have. The historical significance of the porters of Anoia have turned it into a very special day, declared a holiday of national tourist interest in 1981. It highlights the importance of the Ancient Guild of Porters of Igualada and the Igualada-Barcelona stagecoach .
• March/April: the Feast of Sant Crist in Igualada is celebrated on Easter Tuesday. It commemorates the miracle that happened on April 20, 1590 when the bloody sweat of Sant Crist d'Igualada took place. The girl Coloma, the widow Masarda, Miquel Quadres, Gaspar Sanjust were witnesses, whose statements are documented. A liturgical service is held with the presence of the bishop of Vic and a traditional religious procession.
• March/April/May: the International Organ Festival is a musical event that takes place between the months of March and May at the Basilica of Santa Maria in Igualada. Several international and local organists allow you to enjoy the sound of the organ that has presided over the church since 1758. The artistic director of the festival is Joan Paradell, from Iguala, titular organist of the Basilica of Santa Maria Major in Rome.

• April: the Mostra - Children's and Youth Theater Fair is the Catalan fair of reference in theater and performing arts for all audiences, and has been held in April in Igualada since 1990. The aim of the Mostra is the dissemination of the best Catalan children's and youth theater productions in order to provide the programming of the municipalities of the Catalan-speaking territory. The Exhibition also devotes attention to a selection of the best children's and youth theater from the rest of the State and other European areas. The Mostra was born promoted by the Moviment Rialles de Catalunya, a delegation of Òmnium Cultural. Since 1995 it has been organized by the Network Foundation. The 2009 edition brought together 51 companies, a hundred performances and 17,000 spectators including the general public and programmers.

• May: Aerosport is a sports and corporate aeronautics fair that has been held annually since 1993 at the Igualada-Òdena General Vives Airport, organized by Fira d'Igualada and the Catalan Aviation Federation (FAC), together with the Generalitat of Catalonia through the public company Aeroports de Catalunya. It is the only fair in the entire State that is dedicated entirely to general and sports aviation.

• May: on the third Sunday of May, the May Tree Festival is celebrated. The party consists of cutting down a pine tree and transporting it to the town hall square. There is a climbing competition where you compete to be the fastest to climb the tree. Although the festival had been celebrated since medieval times, towards the end of the 19th century the tradition fell into disuse. In 2012, it was decided to bring back the popular festival.

• July: The European Balloon Festival is the most important hot air balloon gathering in Spain and southern Europe, and has been held in Igualada every year during the month of July since 1997.

• August: Igualada's Festa Major is celebrated in honor of Saint Bartholomew the Apostle (August 24), the city's patron saint. Among the many activities are children's and youth theater, visits to unique buildings in Igualada, presentation of the city's Salero and Saleret, tribute to the city's Bartomeus, reading of the pregón for children and the pregón for the elderly, lighting of the thunder, parade of the saint, dance of the Àliga d'Igualada, Ball of Cercolets, fork and knife breakfast, correfocs, popular rounds of Catalan bowling, sardanas, concert of the Banda de Música d'Igualada castella exhibition with the Moixiganguers of 'Igualada and invited gangs, popular revetlla of the five squares, havaneras and a final pyromusical.[25] The popular retinues of the main festival include the Giants of Igualada (1943), giants of Sant Ignasi, giants of the Barri del Poble Sec (1950), Àliga of Igualada (2005), Nanos of Igualada (1943/2007) , Pinxo and Iaia (1943/2008), Tadpoles Rufus the Snorer, Petra the Enchantress, Martingales the Musician and El Mosca the Aviator (1983), Dragon of Igualada (1981), Víbria of Igualada (1988) , horse dance of Igualada (1990), stick dance of Igualada (1687/2009) and the devils of Igualada and the twine of the city, giants Conxita Teixidora (2002), Tonet Blanquer (2001) and Pia i Tomeu (2005), Drac Mal Llamp (1989), Víbria Jove d' Igualada (2006), Bufarot, petit drac d'Igualada (2003), Guita d'Igualada (2003) and Cavall d'Igualada (2006).

• September: Igualada's September Fair has been held since 1954 and is organized by Fira d'Igualada. In its origins, it was an agricultural and livestock fair of regional scope and later became multi-sectoral. Among the traditions that continue to be maintained are the proclamation of the Pubilla de la Fira and its ladies of honor, the tribute to the oldest couple of grandparents in the region, the offering of the fruits of the field and the parade with the pairs of heirs and pubilles. Since 2014 the fair has been held before summer.
• November: on the weekend closest to November 20th, the Feasts of Sant Faust are celebrated, the major winter festival restored in 2007.

Hiking

• Catalan Way of St. James - Catalan segment from El Port de la Selva or Llançà to Montserrat (Spain) passes the city.

Eat

• 1 l'Ou com balla. 
• 2 Canaletes. 
• 3 El Rovell de I'Ou, Plaça del Pilar 12-13, ☏ +34938045327, vane_batalla_2@hotmail.com. cuisine regional (updated Mar 2024)
• 4 Restaurant Munich. 
• 5 Exquisit. 
• 6 Bindu, Rambla de Sant Ferran 42, ☏ +34 93 777 60 71. vegetarian (updated Mar 2024)
• 7 Sushiko Igualada, Avinguda Barcelona. cuisine japanese (updated Mar 2024)
• 8 Catalunya. 
• 9 L'Antiga Masia, road N-2 km 556, ☏ +34 938 03 20 27, lantigamasia@gmail.com. (updated Mar 2024)

Drink

• 1 La Paloma - Bar, restaurant, cafeteria. 
• 2 Cal Roure. 
• 3 es Moss. 
• 4 Kiosk del Rec. 
• 5 Idò. 

Sleep

• Cal Maco (Alberg de pelegrins Cal Maco), Plaça de la Creu, 18, ☏ +34 93 516 40 16, info@albergcalmaco.com. (updated Nov 2023)

Go next

• Cervera
• Manresa
• Montserrat (Spain)

Routes through Igualada

Castellnou de Seana ← Cervera ←

w  E

→ Montserrat (Spain) → Manresa