Berga


Berga is the capital of the comarca (county) of Berguedà, it it located approximately 75 mi (120 km) north of Barcelona, depending on the route you chose and the time of day, the drive can take about 2 hours.

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The first inhabitants were the “Bergistani” an Iberian tribe that predated the Roman conquest. They also battled Hannibal in 218 BC. Today Berga is a combination of old and new, the older part of the city has buildings which date back to the middle ages. Radiating outward from the historic district one can find buildings from all periods up to modern times.

Berga is in a mountainous region and is 2,300 ft (700 m) above sea level, the mountains above Berga climb even further, the Santuari de Queralt (Queralt Sanctuary) built in 1386 is located at 4,000 ft (1,200 m) above sea level. The parking lot there offers stunning views of the city and surrounding areas.

Berga is probably most famous for its traditional “La Patum” a traditional festival that is celebrated each year during Corpus Christi which lasts five days. It consists of a series of dances by townspeople dressed as mystical and symbolical figures, and accompanied by the rhythm of a drum and band music. The dances are marked by the ample use of fire and fireworks.

The streets in this part of town are cobble stones decorated with tiles which are engraved with some of the figures mentioned above.

The costumes are gigantic, some being double the height of a person, they are also very heavy, just a head can weigh over 25 lbs (12 kg). Some costumes and masks are well over 100 years old.

The festival dates back to 1454 and is held in the Plaça Sant Pere, a small square which I haven’t measured but is probably less than a half an acre (2,500 sq m). I’ve seen the festival on TV and it is most definitely not for outsiders as the plaza is absolutely packed with what I could swear are all 16,000 inhabitants of the city of Berga.

Here are a couple of videos (not mine) you can watch:

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La Patum was declared a Traditional Festival of National Interest by the Government of Catalonia in 1983, and as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2005.

Berga also has all sorts of restaurants, from casual coffee shops with Formica tables to the white table cloth establishment. Often, as is customary in Spain, older buildings are brought up to date without removing the original design of the building, you can walk into a building that is obviously very old but looks like it was built yesterday.

One of my favorite places, which I recommend, is La Notta Pizzeria and Grill. The restaurant is on Carrer de Puig-reig 4, which is an extremely narrow passage with cobble stones, no more than three people can walk here side by side. Inside, the original bare stone columns, the brick arches, the tile floors, the heavy wood tables and chairs, plus excellent food and service make this a place worth visiting.




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