En Catalonia, in the municipality of Alto Arán, the largest in the entire valley, hides the town of baguergue, a charming destination that since 2019 is counted among «The most beautiful villages in Spain».
Between forests and mountains, let's get to know Baguergue today, its history and its attractions.
baguergue
The people It is located at about 1418 meters of altitude already at that height It is the highest in the Aran Valley. It is on the left bank of the Unhòla river and its picturesque historic quarter is part of the Architectural Heritage of Catalonia.
The name of the town already appears in documents from the beginning of the XNUMXth century, and from them it is known that its men swore allegiance to the King of Aragon. It is a small place, with few regular inhabitants, just over a hundred.
It is beautiful for its typically Aranese architecture, with stone houses, slate roofs and wooden openings. Being a high altitude town, the views are the best it offers its visitors, in addition to some treasures that reveal its history.
What do we see then Baguergue, one of the most beautiful towns in Spain? The Church of Sant Felix draws attention for its stone walls of the XII century, you will ask that they are irregular to each other. The building has changed over the years and has undergone style renovations. Inside rests the baguergue cross, something very typical among the local towns, and which takes center stage at the Santa Cruz festivities. When is that? May 3.
Saint Felix is the saint to whom the church is dedicated. The building has a central nave, two chapels on the sides, so now it has the shape of a cross, and a square presbytery that replaced a semicircular one in the reforms of 1724. Later the Bell tower, in 1763, with a square base and octagonal shape, and eight windows under a pyramidal roof.
Of the original structure of the building, only two windows remain, but these have been boarded up. One is located on the west side, elongated and walled up already with the construction of the bell tower. The other is located on the north side and today it has been transformed into a niche with a semicircular arch. Also on this side, on the wall, there is a cornice on corbels, and below it are arcades supported by stones that, some of them, resemble felines.
The door of the church is oriented to the west and three turns are observed that are lowering the wall so that the door appears. The truth is it is a very picturesque church at any time of the year. In summer the colors are stone gray and slate and green, but in winter the snow covers everything. The tombstones and crosses in its small cemetery are picture postcard at this time of year.
Another site that tourists can visit is the Eth Corrau Museum, with more than 2500 pieces that portray the daily life and rustic Aranese crafts. This museum was an initiative of the Moga family and opened its doors in 1999. To learn about traditional Aranese life it is a very good place. It works inside an old corral and its collection is varied, ranging from ancestral handicrafts from the Valley to household goods and everyday objects.
On the lower floor of the museum there is everything related to life in the countryside, and the upper floor concentrates on the most domestic scenes, those related to skiing and also childhood. What elements is the collection of this museum in Baguergue made up of? As there shoemaker's and carpenter's tools, desks, high chairs, mule collars, old skis, shearing machines, scythes, horseshoes… and even a collection of banknotes that is very well framed.
A good part of the museum's collection has belonged to the Moga family, others were bought and others appeared in markets, for example, the scale from Val d'Aran that was found in the Mercat dels Encants, in Barcelona. One of the promoters and founders of the museum is Philip Moga, an older man who has kept his promise to his father in regards to keeping his family items as much as possible, although his first job was as a ski instructor (he was even for King Emeritus Juan Carlos I, King Felipe VI and his two sisters).
Once you have seen the museum and are a little more immersed in the customs and history of the town, you can simply walk through it, admiring its streets and its little houses. Among the most important houses in the town we can name the House is from Pansart and Menginat House, For example. In the case of Casa Menginat, it is a beautiful residential building from the 30th century that is on Carrer Major, XNUMX.
It was built in 1804, it says so on its portal, and it belonged to a family of the minor Barcelona nobility that spent a few seasons here, the Roigs. Around 1900 it would pass into the hands of Nenè Moga. It has two floors, windows and little balconies and a beautiful door presided over by sculptures, a crown, the sun, the moon and two rampant lions. And a sundial on the floor.
There is also the cheese factory building, the highest cheese factory in the Pyrenees, and the Hermitage of Santa Margalida, although for that you will have to travel a kilometer north of the town. But it's worth it, it's a quiet place, with great views.
Now, speaking of seasons, we cannot fail to remember that in spring flowers appear everywhere in Baguergue, one of the most beautiful towns in Spain. In 2018, he had the honor of winning the highest distinction of Viles Florides for the third time in a row, a project that wants to promote the transformation of towns and cities in Catalonia through flowers and plants, so that regional landscapes come to shine, live and become famous.
Baguergue has signed up for the project and this has multiplied the number of visitors, especially in August. Added to the flowers of spring and summer are the festivals that take place between July and August: the pilgrimage of Santa Margarida (on July 20), and the Feast of San Felix.
But the truth is that for some time now the main idea is precisely Seasonalize tourism. In other words, Baguergue is famous in winter because it is a super beautiful place, it is nestled in the mountains and it has ski centers nearby, nothing better for the winter season, but The intention is to open it up to other times, to weekend getaways.to, for example.
That is why they work with other neighboring towns, such as Roda de Isábena or Ainsa, both in the Pyrenean area of Huesca, to promote a route through the most beautiful towns, but in the Pyrenees. Good idea. So what can we recommend about Baguergue? Well, you can visit it at any time of the year, it always has something nice to see or do!
There is history, beauty and fun. In spring or summer you can walk in the surrounding mountains and meadows, and in winter you can practice skiing or other mountain sports.