Manresa

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Manresa is in Barcelona (province), located 57 km from the capital, with a population of 77,558 inhabitants. Positioned in the geographical centre of Catalonia and in close proximity to the Montserrat Mountain, Manresa boasts a significant historical and monumental ensemble, and is a stage in the Catalan Way of St. James.

Understand

Manresa is the capital of the Comarca of Bages, and crossed by the river Cardener. It is an industrial area with textile, metallurgical, and glass industries. The houses of Manresa are arranged around the basilica of Santa Maria de la Seu.Saint Ignatius of Loyola stopped to pray in the town on his way back from Montserrat in 1522. He also read in solitude in a cave near the town for a year, which contributed to the formulation of his Spiritual Exercises. As such, the town is a place of pilgrimage for Catholics.

Get in

By train

Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat (FGC): The R5/R50 line from Barcelona reaches one of Manresa's three stations. The first station upon arrival is Manresa-Viladordis, connecting to urban bus line 8. The second station is Manresa Alta, where the Manresa bus station is located, providing connections to various destinations. Finally, the train concludes its journey at Manresa-Baixador, conveniently situated near the city centre.

RENFE Cercanías Line C4 from Sants-Barcelona: Manresa has a single RENFE station located in the southern part of the city. The station features a bus stop for Line 8 and a taxi stand.

By car

Roads: From Barcelona, take the C16 highway (Barcelona-Terrassa-Manresa). From Lleida and Girona, use the C25 road (Eix Transversal).

By plane

Barcelona-El Prat Airport: From Barcelona Airport, take the C2 line train to Sants-Barcelona station, then transfer to Line C4 to Manresa. Alternatively, a taxi from the airport to Manresa costs around €100.

Girona-Costa Brava Airport: The Eix Bus (Lleida-Girona line) departs from the airport to Manresa twice a day, at 08:45 and 17:45.

See

Manresa from la Balconada viewpoint

Three bridges cross the Cardener River. The 14th-century basilica of Santa Maria de la Seu stands on a rock above the oldest bridge.

La Seu is the principal monument of Manresa. The church we can see today was designed by Berenguer de Montagut who also designed Santa Maria del Mar, Barcelona. The architectural style is characteristic of Catalan Gothic. The work began in 1325, but the church was not finished until the end of the 15th century. The municipal museum is housed in the cloisters of the 17th-century church of Sant Ignasi. This church is part of the Sanctuary Cave of Saint Ignatius (in Catalan Cova de Sant Ignasi), built over a cave in which Saint Ignatius of Loyola is said to have prayed and meditated.

• 1 Museu Comarcal de Manresa, Via Sant Ignasi 40, ☏ +34 938 741 155. The Manresa Regional Museum is a pluridisciplinary museum. Medieval ceramics painted in green and purple from the 14th century, polychrome carvings from the Baroque period of the 17th and 18th centuries, a fine archaeological sampling of objects from the Neolithic Period up to Romanisation and different religious objects from the 10th and 16th century. There is also a space dedicated to modern and contemporary art with an impressive collection of dioramas and paintings by Josep Mestres Cabanes, set designer for the Gran Teatre del Liceu, and paintings and engravings by Alfred Figueras. (updated Mar 2024)
• 2 Technology Museum of Manresa (Museu de la tècnica de Manresa), Masia de Can Font Ctra. de Santpedor, 175, ☏ +34 93 877 2231, infoparc@parcdelasequia.cat. The Water and Textile Museum (MAT) in Manresa occupies the spaces of the Old Tanks that collected and stored the water from the Séquia. The site has three large stone depots, built between 1861 and 1865, which are now completely restored and which host a multipurpose room and two permanent exhibitions, one dedicated to the Séquia de Manresa and the other to the world of cinteria. (updated Mar 2024)
• 3 Museu de geologia Valentí Masachs, Av. Bases de Manresa, 61-73, ☏ +34 93 877 72 41, +34 93 877 72 00, geomuseu@upc.edu. Dr. Valentí Masachs Alavedra was its first curator. His private collection of fossils and minerals and the samples gathered by the museum’s staff were used to set up the first mineralogical and paleontological displays with which the Museum was opened to the public. (updated Mar 2024)
• 4 Santa Maria de Manresa, Baixada de la Seu 1, ☏ +34 93 872 15 12, gestio@seudemanresa.cat. The church of Santa Maria is documented from the year 890. During the 14th century, Manresa underwent a large expansion, and a new Gothic structure was thus added above the pre-existing church.The crypt was built in 1578, followed by the Chapel of the Holiest in 1657. The bell tower, with a quadrangular shape, dates to 1592, while the Baroque cloister was built in the early 18th century. (updated Mar 2024)
• 5 Cave of Saint Ignatius (Cova de Sant Ignasi). is a sanctuary declared as a Local Cultural Heritage that includes a baroque church and a neoclassical building in Manresa (Catalonia), which was created to honor the place where, according to tradition, Saint Ignatius of Loyola shut himself in a cave to pray and do penance during his sojourn in the city from March 1522 to February 1523, where he wrote the Spiritual Exercises returning from his pilgrimage to Montserrat. (updated Mar 2024)
• 6 Pont Vell. The bridge has suffered several destructions. It is a faithful reconstruction of a medieval bridge also rebuilt in the twelfth century, of which only the bases of the central arch are preserved. The bridge, which was destroyed in 1939 and rebuilt between 1960 and 1962 (updated Mar 2024)

A walk through the city centre

Strolling along Passeig de Pere III is a typical activity for newcomers to the city. This promenade features a central pedestrian island with rows of trees on either side. In the lower section, it is entirely pedestrian, and in summer, it is filled with terraces where locals and tourists alike enjoy refreshments at outdoor tables. Along this walk, you'll find the Casino, now transformed into a library, once the social venue for the city's upper bourgeoisie. Just a few meters away is the reconstructed Teatre Kursaal, hosting numerous theater plays and concerts. As you reach the lower part of the promenade, you'll encounter Teatre Conservatori, another significant hub for the city's theatrical life. A few meters away lies Plaça de St. Domènec, featuring two noteworthy buildings, Casa Torrents and the Jorba building. From this square, important and bustling streets like Carrer d'Àngel Guimerà, Born, and Nou emerge. In summer, during the Festa Major celebration, numerous exhibitions and concerts take place in this square.

Do

The Fira Mediterrania in Manresa is held the first complete weekend in November every year. It is the main meeting point and trade fair of the mediterranean world, folk and roots artists with distributors, organisers, agencies, labels, export offices, instrument makers and dealers, journalists and other professionals.

Hiking

• Hike the Maresa channel (Sequia de Manresa)

Long-range

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

Eat

• Restaurant Las Vegas

Born, 21 08241 Manresa Telf. 93 872 11 14 (market cuisine, Catalan cuisine, author cuisine)

• Restaurant Cal Spagetti

Cra. de Vic, 157 08243 Manresa Telf. 93 873 51 16 (market cuisine, author cuisine, fish and shellfish )

• Restaurant Vermell

Les Piques,3 08241 Manresa Telf. 93 872 25 15 (market cuisine)

• Restaurant G...Astrònom

Cap del rec, 20 08241 Manresa Telf. 93 8721996 (market cuisine)

Drink

• El Sielu Pl. Valldaura, 1
• La Carpa del Riu Passeig del Riu, davant Hotel Pere III
• Skellos Nou, 8 08241 Manresa
• Silenci Sector "Els Trullols"
• Dainzu Pub Karaoke Vilanova,15
• La Maduixa St. Francesc, 11
• Toni's Pl. Major, 16
• Gris Bar Arcs de Sta. Llúcia, 14
• Que de Que C. Vic, 65
• Saroka Circunval·lació, 7
• Moe's Joc de la Pilota, 9
• Mojito Era Firmat, 30
• 9Gala Botí, 4
• Bis Cafè Era Firmat, 37
• Boracay Bonsuccés, 7
• Abbey Road Canonge Muntanyà, 7
• The City Arms Canonge Muntanyà, 4
• Voilà Cafè Teatre (Música en vivo) Cos, 74
• La Peixera (Música en vivo) Codinella,15

Sleep

• Hotel Els Noguers http://www.hotelsearch.com/hotel/els-noguers-i-manresa.es.html

Ronda de Manresa / C-55 km.29 Els Trullols, 08243 Manresa

• Hotel 1948 http://www.1948hotel.com/

Cra. de Santpedor, 54-58 08243 Manresa

Go next

Routes through Manresa

Montserrat ←

W  E

→ Artés → Vic