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 north ...
, 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
Lake of Banyoles (or Estany de Banyoles) is a natural lake located in the ''comarca'' "Pla de l'Estany", Province of Girona, in northeastern Catalonia, Spain. It is named after the nearby town of Banyoles, to which it belongs entirely. On the we ...
, a natural lake located in a tectonic depression.
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
The Negro of Banyoles ( ca, negre de Banyoles, es, link=no, negro de Banyoles or ) was a controversial piece of taxidermy of a San individual, which used to be a major attraction in the Darder Museum of Banyoles (Catalonia, Spain). In 2000, the r ...
", a controversial piece of taxidermy, 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.
Salvador Oliva i Llinàs
Salvador Oliva i Llinàs (1942-12-06, Banyoles, Pla de l'Estany) is a translator, poet, and retired university professor. He received a licentiate in romance philology and a doctorate in Catalan philology from the University of Barcelona. He was a ...
poet and translator
*
Irene Rigau
Irene Rigau i Oliver is a Catalan politician from Spain, born in Banyoles (Pla de l'Estany County) in 1951.Official Website of Banyoles