Banyoles
Encyclopedia
Banyoles is a city of 17,309 inhabitants (2006) located in the province of Girona
in northeastern Catalonia
, Spain
.
The town is the capital of the Catalan comarca
"Pla de l'Estany
". Although an established industrial centre many of the inhabitants commute to nearby Girona (12km to the south).
Banyoles is most famous for the Lake of Banyoles
, a natural lake located in a tectonic depression. It was the venue for the rowing
events in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics
as well as the "negro of Banyoles
", a controversial piece of taxidermy
.
Girona (province)
Girona is a province of north-eastern Spain, in the northern part of the autonomous community of Catalonia. It is bordered by the provinces of Barcelona and Lleida, and by France and the Mediterranean Sea....
in northeastern Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
The town is the capital of the Catalan comarca
Comarques of Catalonia
This is a list of the comarques of Catalonia . A comarca is roughly equivalent to a US "county" or a UK "district". However, in the context of Catalonia, the term "county" can be a bit misleading, because in medieval Catalonia, the most important rulers were counts, notably the Counts of Barcelona...
"Pla de l'Estany
Pla de l'Estany
Pla de l'Estany is a comarca in Catalonia, Spain. Its name means "plain of the lake", the lake in question being the Lake of Banyoles. Banyoles is also the name of the capital of the comarca and home to over half of its people...
". Although an established industrial centre many of the inhabitants commute to nearby Girona (12km to the south).
Banyoles is most famous for the Lake of Banyoles
Lake of Banyoles
Lake of Banyoles is a natural lake located in the comarca "Pla de l'Estany", Province of Girona, in northeastern Catalonia, Spain. It is named after the nearby town of Banyoles, to which it belongs entirely. On the western shore it borders with the town of Porqueres...
, a natural lake located in a tectonic depression. It was the venue for the rowing
Sport rowing
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
events in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
as well as the "negro of Banyoles
Negro of Banyoles
The "negro of Banyoles" is a controversial piece of taxidermy of a bushman which used to be a major attraction in the Darder Museum of Banyoles . In 2000, the remains of the man were sent to Botswana for burial.-History:...
", a controversial piece of taxidermy
Taxidermy
Taxidermy is the act of mounting or reproducing dead animals for display or for other sources of study. Taxidermy can be done on all vertebrate species of animals, including mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians...
.