Ulldecona

Habitants: 5.152   Altitude: 133  m

Origin/Meaning:
The arms show traditionally two eyes (a canting element: an eye is said "ull" in Catalan), the local castle and a cross of Malta. The castle of Ulldecona, originally Muslim, was conquered in 1148 by Ramon Berenguer IV, count of Barcelona, and given later (1173) to the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, who made it the centre of the Command of Ulldecona in 1227. These arms have been officially granted on 2nd April 1990.

 

 

click to enlarge

This route discovers the architectural and cultural heritage of the town of Ulldecona through a variety of Mediaeval and Gothic styles, where you can also view 5,000-year-old cave paintings.

The itinerary takes you around the town of Ulldecona, which you can easily reach from the A-7 motorway and the T-331 road. First of all, you can visit the Gothic-style Parish Church of Sant Lluc. Then you can make a visit to the Casa de la Comanda and the Town Hall. The old centre of Ulldecona breathes a modern air, despite being full of echoes of the past.

 

Next, you can make for the outskirts of the town, where you can see the magnificent Castle of Ulldecona, located at the top of the hill where the ancient nucleus of Ulldecona la Vella used to stand. Worthy of note is the slim, round and aesthetically beautiful silhouette of the main tower, surrounded by a fortified wall, and the tower of the former palace of the Order of the Hospitalers.

Lastly, the itinerary takes you along the T-331 road in the direction of Santa Bārbara where, a quarter of an hour later, you come to the eleven Neolithic shelters in the Ulldecona Archaeological Zone, in the Sierra de la Pietat, one of the most important cave painting collections in Catalonia, which contains paintings dating back to 5,000 B.C.

To bring the visit to a close, you can take your car as far as the Church of La Pietat in the heart of the Serra de Godall, where on Easter Monday a celebrated fiesta takes place. To make the trip, you take the same T-331 road in the Santa Bārbara direction as far as Les Capelletes, from where a track leaves to the right in the direction of the church.

 

USEFUL ADDRESSES AND TELEPHONE NUMBERS

Consell Comarcal del Montsiā
Av. Santa Bārbara, s/n
43870 Amposta
Tel. 977 70 43 71
Fax: 977 70 59 46
 jeferre@montsia.altanet.org

Ulldecona Town Council
C/ Major, 49
43550 Ulldecona
Tel. 977 57 30 34
Fax: 977 72 06 22
 jogonzalez@ulldecona.altanet.org

 

PUBLICATIONS

Map: Montsiā, ICC,
1:50 000
 


 PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Distance: 3 km.

Suitable clothing and footwear should be worn.
 

 

The Cave Paintings of ULLDECONA

The cave paintings of Ulldecona were found in the area of the Godall Mountains. They give a picture of the life and the surviving techniques of the people, who lived in this region, 8.000 years ago. They are held as the most significant structure of wall paintings in Catalonia, since they were discovered, 20 years ago. The subjects of these paintings are mostly human being and animals, as it was usual in the late old stone age. The figures are generally small, between 10 and 30 cm, more static and only in few cases you can recognize related structures.

Address: Ulldecona Tourism Office      C/Major, 49      43550 ULLDECONA
Telephone/Fax (+34) 977 57 30 34
Opening hours: Pleas, ask in the Tourism Office

 

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