Discover Ripoll

Ripoll can be explored through a range of themes: the founding of the Monestir de Santa Maria, medieval manuscripts, Romanesque sculpture, and the history of crafts and industry. Museums offer their own perspectives on agriculture and livestock farming, while signposted routes lead to viewpoints. When planning a stay, you can therefore choose between architectural history, writing culture, the industrial past, and outdoor activities.

Monastery history and medieval writing culture

The Monestir de Santa Maria de Ripoll was founded in 879 by Count Guifré el Pelós. Its Portalada dates from the 12th century and is one of the major sculptural works of European Romanesque art. The founding of the monastery and a later work of art thus represent two notable cultural and historical aspects from different centuries. The Església de Sant Pere offers another perspective on Ripoll's early religious architecture: it was consecrated as a parish church in 890. The dates mark different events: the founding of a monastery on the one hand, and the consecration of a parish church on the other.

The Scriptorium de Ripoll focuses on the work involved in producing manuscripts. Its interactive permanent exhibition covers their creation and copying at the Monestir de Santa Maria de Ripoll from the 10th to the 12th century. There, you can learn how parchment was made, how a goose quill was prepared for writing, and how a medieval codex was bound; afterwards, you can try your hand at the role of a copyist. The program also includes courses in calligraphy and palaeography, as well as cultural programs on the medieval world. The Scriptorium thus combines an account of medieval book production with practical activities and courses on writing and history.

Collections and crafts

The permanent exhibition at the Museu Etnogràfic de Ripoll includes collections on sheep farming and agriculture. Alongside the themes of monastery history and manuscripts, it also offers insights into rural work and livestock farming.

The Arxiu Museu Folklòric de Ripoll was founded in 1929 and set up in the attic rooms of the former Església de Sant Pere. It was Catalonia's first ethnographic museum. This early museum history is a distinct historical point of reference among Ripoll's many cultural themes.

The manufacture of portable firearms also shaped the city's history: in the 17th and 18th centuries, it was one of Ripoll's most prestigious and important industries, owing to the quantity and quality of its production. The surviving features of La Farga Palau include water-powered trip hammers, hammers, a coal storage room, a furnace, and a forge on the ground floor. Together, the collections and surviving equipment offer a progression from agricultural themes to different forms of urban production.

Routes and views

Ripoll has four signposted routes leading to four viewpoints. They explore the natural surroundings and offer views of the town center from the nearby hills. These routes thus combine views of the landscape with a perspective on the town.

The Camí de Ronda was designed on the basis of a model at the Museu Etnogràfic de Ripoll, which draws on sources from the 17th century. Another route, suitable for walking and cycling, is part of the Vies Verdes network and follows the route of the former Ripoll–Sant Joan de les Abadesses (Toralles) railway line. The points of reference differ: the four routes focus on viewpoints and natural surroundings, the Camí de Ronda on the museum model, and the Vies Verdes route on the former railway line.

Discover more destinations: Torroella De Fluvià, Verges, Lladó, Bescanó, Sant Miquel De Fluvià, Pontós, Les Planes D'hostoles, Planoles

For the broader travel overview: Girona.