El Parc Nou

  PAST AND PRESENT

The Parc Nou is an old stately home which, in 1932, became a municipal property and opened to the public on the 30th of May 1943 as an Olot municipal park.
At present, the Parc Nou covers around four hectares.
The complex houses Torre Castanys, presently the Casal dels Volcans, home to the Museu dels Volcans (Volcanoes Museum) an information centre for the Natural Park of the Volcanic Area of La Garrotxa and one of the administrative areas for the nature park.

  THE BOTANICAL GARDEN

The Parc Nou is a marvellous garden which has become a captivating romantic spot with English garden features alongside fascinating woods containing local species.
The large plant variety in the park and the need to preserve the pedunculate oak grove led to the creation of the Jardí Botànic de Vegetació Natural Olotina (Olot Natural Vegetation Botanical Garden) in 1986. There are presently around twenty species of shrub and grass in the Parc Nou complex.
The botanical garden offers a large collection of diverse species basically belonging to humid oak groves. In the same way, complex and changing life in the humid forest can be seen with its annual life cycles. In spring, the ground is covered by a carpet of flowers and, in summer, the welcome shade of the trees can be enjoyed.
The recommended trail means the pedunculate oak grove and a large selection of diverse tree, shrub and grass species common to the area can be discovered. There are signposted trees and plant species along the route showing the common name, scientific name and the botanical family they belong to.

One of the highlights is the presence of trees over 250 years old. Their habitat is the mature wood and they are another feature making this natural area in the town an incomparably beautiful must-see spot.

  MEDICINAL PLANTS

A new space located outside the walls of Parc Nou was opened to the public in May 2005 (between the monumental pedunculate oak grove and that belonging to Mas Pau). The space houses: the medicinal plant garden and the restoration area for a pedunculate oak grove.
The medicinal plant garden contains some of the plants La Garrotxa locals have used throughout history as medicinal aids.
The area has all wild plants of La Garrotxa, as well as all medicinal plants popularly grown.

The aim is to offer a representative sample of medicinal plants. Most are local to La Garrotxa and others, such as lemon verbena, the Madonna lily or grass are grown by people in small gardens or plant pots.

  THE ORCHARDS

The Mas Tarut orchards, located at the Parc Nou exit heading to La Moixina, have become part of the park. The horticultural space is divided into around 60 rectangular plots measuring 90 m2 each. Parc Nou maintains the farming area, providing horticulturalists with a space to grow with the consequent therapeutic and major habitat changing benefits for their health.

  PARC NOU BIRDS

Parc Nou is an urban park housing great birdlife. Species typical of open spaces such as the hoopoe Upupa epops share this habitat with wood species such as the nuthatch Sitta europea and mixed species such as the blackbird Turdus merula.
Due to there being many mature old trees, there are abundant birds feeding off their trunks such as the short-toad treecreeper Certhia brachydactyla, the green woodpecker Picus viridis and the great spotted woodpecker Dendrocopos major. The fruit trees in the recreation area and the mixed deciduous forest also enrich the park’s biodiversity.

  THE WEATHER STATION

The Parc Nou weather station has been running since 1988. It is station 0390 D in the territorial weather centre of Catalonia and houses the following equipment: mercury barometer, barothermograph, weathervane and anemometer with the corresponding indicators, a maximum and minimum thermometer, hygrometer, pluviometer and pluviograph.
The weather cabin has a glass side allowing visitors to see the apparatus inside accompanied by a small explanation on their use, functioning and reading.

  IN SEARCH OF PEACE /QUIET

Parc Nou also has a more playful and pleasant side meaning visitors can go for quiet walks, play on the grass or bask in the fresh shade. The geese keep visitors coming to the park company.