Girona is the pearl of Catalonia and one of the most beautiful historic cities in the region. It has a beautiful medieval walled Old Town. The most famous views of the city are the colorful houses overlooking the Onyar River.
The history of the city dates back to the 1st century BC. It also developed dynamically in the early Middle Ages and was one of the most important trade and craft centers in the region. From the first centuries, a Jewish community lived in the city, as is today recalled by the El Call district with its cobbled streets and characteristic built-up passages connecting the houses. There is now the Museum of the History of the Jews here.
The center, including El Call, is surrounded by Girona's City Walls with picturesque gardens, including Jardins dels Alemanys. You can walk on their crown, watching the panorama of the city from above, with the church towers towering above the houses. The most important of them is the Gothic Girona Cathedral with the adjoining Monastery of the Girona Cathedral and the Cathedral Treasury Museum. Other important churches of Girona are the Basilica of Sant Felieu with numerous sarcophagi from the medieval period, the Romanesque monastery of St. Daniel, Chapel of St. Nicholas of Girona, the Church of Sagrat Cor de Girona and the Church of Sant Lluc de Girona.
The axis of the city is the Onyar River, whose banks are joined by numerous bridges, incl. Stone Bridge and Peixateries Velles Bridge. Colorful, yet modern tenement houses stand on the shore. They always look most beautiful in the light of the setting sun, and the facade of the cathedral is visible above the houses as an additional decorative element.
Girona is full of amazing buildings and interesting museums. One of them is the Arab Baths, which are a remnant of the Moorish occupation of these lands for several centuries. Currently, they house an art gallery. Among the most interesting museums are the Museum of Archeology of Catalonia in the Romanesque Benedictine monastery, the Museum of History of Girona, the Girona Museum of Art, the Cinema Museum, and the modern CaixaForum Girona Art and Culture Center.
