Traveling through time is a desire that has fascinated humanity since time immemorial. Books have been written, films and even plays have been developed on the subject. Even some currents exposed by various scientists point out that moving to another era could become a real possibility. Beyond the obviously exciting theories, there is a town located in the region of Catalonia that gives us the chance to feel – at least for a while – in the Middle Ages. This is Besalú, a fortress escorted by two rivers, the Fluvià to the south and the Capellades to the north. A true beauty.
To visit the historic site you have to travel approximately 130 kilometers from Barcelona or about 35 from Girona. Upon arrival, the surprise is immediate. To enter the town, it is essential to cross a Romanesque bridge more than 100 meters long, built from enormous stones and completed by giant irregular arches. Be careful, before entering the town, a defensive tower watches over us and, if we were in the Middle Ages, our access would be subject to the decision of the guard on duty.
There are many who claim that Besalú is one of the best preserved towns in Spain and, why not, in Europe. Its cobbled streets, the historic buildings that rest there and the metal armor that we can come across, attest to this. The fortress was an important site between the 10th and 11th centuries and became home to the monastery of Sant Pere, the hospital church of Sant Julià, the church of Sant Vicenç and the house of Cornellà, among other historical gems.
Game of Thrones setting
When David Benioff and Daniel Weiss decided to create the Game of Thrones series, inspired by the saga of novels “A Song of Ice and Fire” by American writer George Martin, they did not imagine that the story that combines drama and medieval fantasy would lead to unprecedented success. Or maybe yes. The truth is that to tell the story that captivated millions of people around the planet, the creature’s parents filmed in different parts of Europe and Besalú was one of the chosen sites.
Although the creators of GOT opted for various places in Spain To represent different moments of the series, the province of Girona was one of the favorites for the producers. In this context, the fortress, in which some 2,500 people currently reside, was the protagonist of several scenes such as, for example, the dungeons of Casterlly Rock.
The Jewish history of Besalú
In addition to its fascinating architectural heritage, Besalú keeps within its walls one of the most representative and preserved Jewish quarters that can be found in the Iberian country. The fusion with the Romanesque marks that the place gives us, caused the town to be declared a National Historical Site in 1966. The presence of Jewish culture in the place should not draw attention, since it was part of the region between the 9th centuries until the 15th century, when the population was expelled.
In fact, when you tour the fortress, it is possible to visit the remains of what was once a synagogue and observe the miqveh, the traditional space where the purification baths established by Judaism are performed, discovered in 1964. The fact is not minor. , if you take into account that we are talking about one of the best preserved sites of these characteristics that the old continent has.
A circus museum in a medieval city
As if the medieval architecture, the locations used to give life to enormous audiovisual productions and the marks of the Jewish community’s passage through the region were not enough, Besalú holds one last surprise. Next to Casa Cornellà, there is a curious place: the Circus Museum. It is a three-story building that traces circus history and is presented as the first dedicated to this theme in all of Europe.
Its founder, Genís Matabosh, offers a tour that gives us more than 50 thousand details about the characters, stories, characteristics and stories of circuses. Without a doubt, another attraction to visit Besalú, the town that allows us to travel back in time.
