Pals
Encyclopedia
Pals is a medieval town in Catalonia
, northern Spain
a few kilometres from the sea in the heart of the Bay of Emporda on the Costa Brava
. It lies on the C31 Palafrugell
-L'Estartit
road.
tower built between the 11th and 13th centuries, known as the Torre de les Hores (Tower of the Hours).
The Gothic Quarter of the town has been substantially restored and there are cobbled streets interrupted by semicircular arches, façades with pointed arched windows and stone balconies. The town wall contains four square towers which date from the 4th century. The Josep Pla
viewpoint (from which can be seen the fields of Empordà
and the Medes Islands), the Plaça Major, the tombs in the Carrer Major and the church of Sant Pere are other features of the town. There is an Archaeology Museum.
On the edge of the main town is Masos de Pals, which has a thriving urban centre and is popular as a location for holiday homes Platja de Pals ("Pal's Beach") is also a popular holiday location.
Jordi Bilbeny among others, argue that Christopher Columbus
on his first trip, he left Palos de la Frontera
, says the official story, but the old port of posts today disappeared. In 1492 the Pals had a major seaport that could even fit an issue as important as the discovery of the New World .
According Bilbeny, the town of Pals became, thanks to the censors of the crown, the Palos de Huelva. The town of Pals de l'Emporda is well documented since ancient times as a royal town and major port. Similarly, this researcher, relates the Pinzon brothers with Pinçon the village of Pals, according to a letter of Directors of Barcelona
were corsair
s attacked and Barcelona in 1479.
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...
, northern 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...
a few kilometres from the sea in the heart of the Bay of Emporda on the Costa Brava
Costa Brava
The Costa Brava is a coastal region of northeastern Catalonia, Spain, in the comarques of Alt Empordà, Baix Empordà and Selva, in the province of Girona. Costa is the Catalan and Spanish word for 'coast', and Brava means 'rugged' or 'wild'...
. It lies on the C31 Palafrugell
Palafrugell
Palafrugell is a municipality in the Mediterranean Costa Brava, located near Palamós in the comarca of Baix Empordà, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. With 22,365 inhabitants it is the largest city of its comarca...
-L'Estartit
L'Estartit
L'Estartit is a small town and seaside resort on the Costa Brava, on the north-eastern coast of Spain.The town is situated between the foothills of the Montgrí Massif and the Mediterranean Sea, and is part of the borough of Torroella de Montgrí, in the Baix Empordà county, Girona province,...
road.
Main sights
Pals has a historic centre on a hill surrounded by plains with a medieval RomanesqueRomanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
tower built between the 11th and 13th centuries, known as the Torre de les Hores (Tower of the Hours).
The Gothic Quarter of the town has been substantially restored and there are cobbled streets interrupted by semicircular arches, façades with pointed arched windows and stone balconies. The town wall contains four square towers which date from the 4th century. The Josep Pla
Josep Pla
Josep Pla i Casadevall was a Catalan Spanish journalist and a popular author. As a journalist he worked in France, Italy, England, Germany and Russia, from where he wrote political and cultural chronicles in Catalan.His figure is somewhat controversial for present day Catalans...
viewpoint (from which can be seen the fields of Empordà
Empordà
Empordà is a historical region of Catalonia divided since 1936 into two comarques, Alt Empordà and Baix Empordà....
and the Medes Islands), the Plaça Major, the tombs in the Carrer Major and the church of Sant Pere are other features of the town. There is an Archaeology Museum.
On the edge of the main town is Masos de Pals, which has a thriving urban centre and is popular as a location for holiday homes Platja de Pals ("Pal's Beach") is also a popular holiday location.
Pals, place of departure of Christopher Columbus
Some historians such as catalanCatalan people
The Catalans or Catalonians are the people from, or with origins in, Catalonia that form a historical nationality in Spain. The inhabitants of the adjacent portion of southern France are sometimes included in this definition...
Jordi Bilbeny among others, argue that Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
on his first trip, he left Palos de la Frontera
Palos de la Frontera
Palos de la Frontera is a town and municipality located in the southwestern Spanish province of Huelva, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is situated some from the provincial capital, Huelva...
, says the official story, but the old port of posts today disappeared. In 1492 the Pals had a major seaport that could even fit an issue as important as the discovery of the New World .
According Bilbeny, the town of Pals became, thanks to the censors of the crown, the Palos de Huelva. The town of Pals de l'Emporda is well documented since ancient times as a royal town and major port. Similarly, this researcher, relates the Pinzon brothers with Pinçon the village of Pals, according to a letter of Directors of Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
were corsair
Corsair
Corsairs were privateers, authorized to conduct raids on shipping of a nation at war with France, on behalf of the French Crown. Seized vessels and cargo were sold at auction, with the corsair captain entitled to a portion of the proceeds...
s attacked and Barcelona in 1479.