The Serra de Queralt runs through the municipality of Bellprat. Visitors interested in castle history, Romanesque architecture or hiking will find specific points of interest here: Castell de Queralt, several churches with different features, and named trails with clearly identified start, end and route points.
Serra de Queralt and trails
The trails differ mainly in where they lead and which landmarks are mentioned. The route from Bellprat to Castell de Queralt starts and ends at Bellprat Town Hall. The GR 7-2 CamĂ de Bellprat passes by the castle before entering the municipality of Santa Maria de Miralles. Conditions on the GR 7-2 may change; check them before setting out.
The GR 172 long-distance trail starts in Bellprat and ends in La Mussara. Along the way, it follows the Serra de Miralles-Queralt and takes in its landscapes and natural features. These are distinct trail connections: a route that starts and ends at the town hall, the GR 7-2 route passing by the castle, and the two endpoints of the GR 172. This information can help you choose a hiking theme, without specifying a walking time or difficulty level.
Castell de Queralt: layout and history
Large sections of the wall circuit at Castell de Queralt have survived. Other remains include walls from the residential area, traces of a cistern and stables. The description of the complex therefore covers both the surviving wall circuit and structural remains from other areas.
The castle’s history can be traced indirectly back to the rule of Count Guifré, between 880 and 897. In 976, Count Borrell II and his wife Ledgarda sold the castle to Guitard, Viscount of Barcelona. The castle stood on the borders of the Marca against Spain. These key dates provide a historical context for the complex that extends beyond its surviving walls.
Churches and Romanesque architecture
Sant Esteve dels Ferriols is a rectangular church with a single nave and a lean-to roof. Its south portal has an undecorated round arch made of wedge-shaped stones. The Inskulturen are located immediately in front of the entrance to the Romanesque church. These architectural details and this nearby site are distinct aspects of the church complex; no particular visitor route is implied.
Sant Jaume de Queralt dates from the first half of the 11th century. It is a Romanesque church with a single nave spanned by a barrel vault. Lombard pilaster strips and blind arches decorate the exterior. Pilaster strips are narrow, vertical bands on a wall; blind arches divide a façade with arches that do not form openings. At Sant Jaume, visitors can therefore observe both the interior layout and the design of the exterior walls. By contrast, the present-day parish church of Sant Salvador de Bellprat dates from 1641. Comparing these dates places the Romanesque church of Sant Jaume in a different historical period from the current building of Sant Salvador.
Bellprat, Vila del Llibre and a festival date
The “Bellprat, Vila del Llibre” festival began in 2008 as an initiative of the AssociaciĂł d’Amics de Bellprat. Across nine editions, it featured six antiquarian bookshops on the ground floors of houses, a second-hand book market, and contributions from fifty independent publishers from Catalonia, Aragon, PaĂs ValenciĂ and Andorra. This combination of a book market and contributions from publishers gives the festival a distinctive cultural connection to Bellprat, without implying that a current edition is taking place.
The Diada de les Castelleres is dated 12 October. If you would like to plan your trip around this date, check in advance whether an event is taking place on that day.
Discover more destinations: Palau-solità i Plegamans, Les Fonts, Sant Martà Sesgueioles, L'ametlla Del Vallès, Torrelletes, Vallgorguina, Monistrol De Calders, Viver.
For the main travel overview: Barcelona.
