Banyoles () is a city of 20,168 inhabitants (2021) located in the

province of Girona Girona (; es, Gerona ; french: Gérone) is a province of Spain, in the northeastern part of the autonomous community of Catalonia. It is bordered on the northwest by the province of Lleida, on the southwest by the province of Barcelona, on the ...

in northeastern

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the no ...

, 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 the nearby city of Girona (12 km to the south). Banyoles was connected to Girona by the gauge Palamós–Girona–Banyoles railway, which reached it by 1928. Service on the line continued until 1956.

Lake

Banyoles is most famous for the Lake of Banyoles, a natural lake located in a tectonic depression.

Venues

It was the venue for the

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically ...

events in the

1992 Barcelona Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

. The " negro of Banyoles", a controversial piece of

taxidermy Taxidermy is the art of preserving an animal's body via mounting (over an armature) or stuffing, for the purpose of display or study. Animals are often, but not always, portrayed in a lifelike state. The word ''taxidermy'' describes the proc ...

, was at Darder Museum ( ca)( fr).

Events

Each year a triathlon Premium European Cup (or even an IFC Canoe Marathon World Championship in 2010) is held in Banyoles, the hometown of the Spanish 2011 Champion Carolina Routier. National and regional events take place as well throughout the year, such as the Spanish triathlon championship and the Championship of Catalonia.

Notable people

* Andreu Fontàs football player * Salvador Oliva i Llinàs poet and translator * Irene Rigau politician

References

External links

Official Website of Banyoles

Banyoles, information and culture

Government data pages
Municipalities in Pla de l'Estany Populated places in Pla de l'Estany {{Girona-geo-stub