Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park

Nature conservation the Garrotxa Volcanic Zone ( Catalan: Parc Natural de la Zona de la Garrotxa Volcanic ) located in the northeast of Catalonia in Spain.

Description

The nature park was established in 1982 by the Catalan Government. It has an area of 120 km ² and comprises eleven municipalities, more than 40 volcanoes, lava flows and more than 20 integrated 20 different protected areas. All volcanoes are considered to be inactive, but not as extinct. The last eruption of this volcano is located about 10,000 years ago. The largest community, the city of Olot ( 30,000 inhabitants), located approximately in the center of the national park. This nature park integrates 26 separate nature reserves ( including the Fageda d'en Jorda, a characteristic of the southern Pyrenees foothills Buchenwald), the volcano and the volcano Croscat Montsacopa ). The aim of the Catalan government is to harmonize conservation with economic development in this area. In particular, one wants to protect the area against a too strong reduction of volcanic rocks and pumice sand or pumice from. The area has a diverse flora (1200 species of plants ) and fauna to 237 ( vertebrates ), both of which differ greatly from those in the rest of the Iberian Peninsula. It is a very characteristic landscape. In this area, approximately 40,000 inhabitants live. 98 % of the area is privately owned.

Information opportunities for volcanism in the Garrotxa offers (Museu dels Volcans ) in Olot, Parc Nou, the volcanological museum. The museum is a department of the Natural History Museum of the Garrotxa ( Secció de Ciències Naturals Museu Comarcal Garrotxa ) in Olot.

The Garrotxa one next to the Eifel, the French Massif Central and the central Spanish volcanic area of Campo de Calatrava to the major European volcanic regions. A Wegvariante the Camino de Santiago Camino Catalán leads through the nature reserve of the Garrotxa.

The volcanic rock gardens of Vora Tosca

The Vora Tosca also Bosc de Tosca is called a bizarre and beautiful landscape between Olot and Les Preses within the natural park that leaves the impression of a lunar landscape. The landscape was formed about 11,000 years ago by the last eruption of the volcano Croscat. The area is rather extensive agrarian used in the form of about two hundred volcanic rock gardens and fields. The fields are dry stone walls of the volcanic stones lying around ( katalan.: rough porous volcanic stone: pedra tosca, German ) includes. These dry stone walls are through archway - put the same stones - broken. To the dry stone walls around leads a maze of paths. There are some natural but also artificial, built of volcanic rock caves ( katalan.: barracas ) on the edge of the fields that are used by gardeners and farmers as a carport or as weather protection. The fields are actually not very productive because the humus layer is very thin. The gardeners on site, however, have succeeded with their long experience, yet sufficiently wring the ground corn, potatoes and beans. Until the 1960s, this wine has even grown. On the bike from Olot to Les Preses already on the district of Les Preses the two municipalities mentioned a volcanic stone park ( Parc de Pedra Tosca ) created in which the visitor can hike through this bizarrely beautiful scenery.

Individual volcanoes

  • Santa Margarida (Volcano)
  • Croscat
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