Guided tours of the heritage of Vandellòs and Hospitalet de l’Infant, from June 26 to September 13

To see the Coll de Balaguer Hospital, the Petit Museu Escola Àster Antonio Bonet, the Molí de l’Oli and the Masia de Castelló

The Department of Culture of the City Council of Vandellòs and Hospitalet de l’Infant has organized guided tours of the heritage for this summer. Specifically, from June 26 to September 13, at the Coll de Balaguer Hospital; from July 3 to September 12, at the Petit Museu Escola Àster Antonio Bonet Castellana and Poblat Hifrensa; and from 4 July to 12 September, at the Molí de l’Oli in Vandellòs and in the medieval village of Castellón.

These visits will be offered in small groups of up to 10 people; and respecting safety measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The use of the mask will be mandatory for participants.

In the guided visits to the Hospital de Coll de Balaguer for the general public, scheduled for Fridays, at 7 p.m .; for Saturdays, 12 noon and 7 p.m .; and on Sundays, at 12 noon, there will be a visitor center, located within the walls of the old fortress hospital, founded by Infante Pere d'Aragó in 1344 to defend, secure and populate the territory and the passage through the Coll. This museum space explains the characteristics and history of this monumental complex, the origin of the town of Hospitalet de l’Infant.

In the guided tours of the Petit Museu Escola Àster Antonio Bonet, recommended for adults and scheduled for Thursdays and Saturdays at 7 pm, you can see a replica of a classroom of the old Escola Àster, the work of the rationalist architect Antonio Bonet Castellana; and take a walking tour of Poblat Hifrensa, the last industrial colony in Catalonia, built in the early 1970s to house the families of the workers at the Vandellòs I nuclear power plant. The value of all the collective facilities and housing lies in a modular and integrated conception in the landscape, a unique example in our country of the work of the rationalist architect.

A different experience will be offered to the families in the visit called “When the past revives: Castellón and the Oil Mill of Vandellòs”, scheduled on Saturdays, from 5 to 8 p.m. This is a guided tour of the Vandellòs oil interpretation center which includes an oil tasting and an aromatic oils workshop; and a series of ancient craft workshops in the medieval town of Castellón, to show how ancestors lived a hundred years ago. Transportation will be provided, so they can enjoy an entire afternoon in the middle of nature.

To take part in any of the guided tours, you must make a prior reservation through the website www.culturaalabast.cat. It will be possible to make arranged visits in case of disagreement on the scheduled dates, for groups of 5 to 10 people.

Commissioning of the tourist train

The Department of Tourism will launch the tourist train service on Friday 26 June, with security measures for the Covid-19. Until September 11, the train will leave every day (except Mondays) from Plaça de Catalunya in Hospitalet de l’Infant, at 11.30, 12:30, 18:00; 19:00 and 20:00 hours and will tour the village. On Tuesdays it will only run in the afternoon.

Users must wear a mask and pay 2 euros per adult and 1 euro per child (from 4 to 10 years). The tourist train will be free for children from 0 to 3 years old and will be disinfected after each tour.

More information: www.vandellos-hospitalet.cat