SEARCHING THE LEGENDARY DRAGON OF BANYOLES

The Grandma is arriving to Banyoles

The Grandma wants to visit Banyoles. She has a meeting with Claire Fontaine, Joseph de Ca'th Lon and Tina Picotes.

Banyoles is a city located in the province of Girona in northeastern Catalonia. The town is the capital of the Catalan county El Pla de l'Estany. It is most famous for the Lake of Banyoles, a natural lake located in a tectonic depression. It was the venue for the rowing events in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics Games. 

Banyoles is a very important place thanks to the Darder Museum, La Draga Achaeological Park and the Farga d’Aram, a mill where handmade paper is created.

If you visit Banyoles, before sailing along the lake, you must know the legend of the dragon. Later, it's your option if you want to continue sailing or you prefer staying at the ground to avoid this fierceous creature.

During the trip from Barcelona to Banyoles, The Grandma has been studying two new lessons of her Intermediate Language Practice manual (Vocabulary 19 & 20).

More information: Tools and technology & Everyday objects

Tina Picotes has already arrived to Banyoles. She’s in the cloister of Sant Esteve’s Monastery waiting the arrival of Joseph de Ca'th Lon, Claire Fontaine and The Grandma. She’s reading the ancient legend of the dragon of the lake...

Tina Picotes in Sant Esteve's Monastery

At the end of the 8th century, a fantastic creature, enourmous, scared the people of Banyoles. It lived in a cave between the lake and the town  known as 'Clot del Drac' nowadays. It was a cave scarved on the rocks. 

Some years later, this place was dried and it became in a large cultivation land, known popularly as 'La Daga'. It was in the north of the current city and to the left of the Besalú's road.

The monster was similar to the Prehistoric animals because of its giant measures and it was very horrible. It had all the body covered by spines of bones that helped it to protect itself. It had long wings and a pointed dorsal spine from the neck to the tail. It could expulse fire by its eyes and it had a bad-smelt breath. In fact, when it blew, the plants dried; the fountains were poisoned; the lands smelt badly and it infected diseases to animals and people. He also was always hungry and there were no animals near it because it was able to eat them with only one bite.

People were scared and Banyoles seemed a damn town. Its poor inhabitants lived with fear and they repeated crying:

-The dragon! The dragon!

Visiting the lake of Banyoles and searching the dragon

They had the home doors closed and all their animals protected because of the dragon that had devoured all people and animals that it had found in its way.

People left the town day by day and the little place became a desert. The population thought that they must arrive to a deal with the dragon and it demanded a child to be eaten. Every day, a child was offered, one day a boy another day a girl. It was horrible but it was the only way to keep the rest pf the population saved.

This story was listened by Charlemagne and his army. Many of his soldiers tried to fight against the dragon but they were eaten by the creature. Charlemagne tried to kill the dragon by himself but he lost his sword although saved his life. It was a miracle but the emperor realized that it was impossible to win with humans methods.

They needed a religious man and they found Saint Mer, an old eremite who accepted the proposal. He went to the dragon’s cave and started to pray. He took his cape and he threw it against the dragon which lost all its fury. Later, the eremite finished with the creature that had tortured the people of Banyoles.

Claire Fontaine wants to visit La Farga, an industrial building rectangular and gable roof located on the route of the main canal, south of the town of Banyoles. Originally only had two plants, disposal of industrial and material used as a dwelling. Built from slabs and blocks of travertine. Banyoles forge copper is mentioned in a document from 1685 where the mayor general of Catalonia granted the establishment of a forge copper.

Claire Fontaine at La Farga d'Aram, Banyoles

It was later extended and passed down to direct or indirect heirs until, in the late 19th century, the Escatllar family carried out its last conversion into a paper factory. The two activities coexisted until it was closed in the mid-20th century.

In 1983, the building passed from the Farga d’Aram to Banyoles Town Council, which has adapted the ground floor to producing handmade paper. It's a fantastic way to mix the ancient art of creating paper and the real need of recycling.

Sastres Paperers currently manages the use of this mill and produces completely traditional paper, but it also carries out activities and workshops for disseminating this profession and providing training in it, for private individuals, schools and/or groups.

More information: Sastres Paperers

After sailing along the lake, the four friends have visited La Draga Achaeological Park, an important  Neolithic village that Joseph de Ca'th Lon knows very well.

La Draga is located in one of the banks of the lake of Banyoles. Some important material, dated on the VI millennium BC, was found 20 years ago in this Neolithic village.

Joseph de Ca'th Lon visits La Draga, a Neolithic village

This site is exceptional for its preservation in an aquatic environment. Some wooden tools, basketry and pottery objects and other items related to the daily life of the community were discovered in perfect condition. La Draga is an exceptional example of the Neolithic period in Catalonia.

The archaeological park offers the opportunity to visit some of these huts have been rebuilt near the lake. There are workshops and activities that reproduce the life and activities of the Neolithic.

The inhabitants of La Draga belong to a group linked Cardial culture. These early farmers were Mediterranean have created new tools.

La Draga Neolithic site is the only one on the Iberian Peninsula have been recovered intact wooden handles like adzes, sickles, stems arrow, bows, spears, digging sticks, spindles, spoons, stirrers and wedges. It also found fragments of vessels of wood, baskets and plant ropes and numerous objects of personal adornment.

More information: Patrimoni GenCat

It makes a big difference to recycle.

It makes a big difference to use recycled products.

It makes a big difference to reuse things, 

to not use the paper cup and each time you do, 

that's a victory. 

Emily Deschanel