Holiday cottages in La Vajol

Are you passionate about history and nature? La Vajol, a small town in Alt Empordà located on the border with France, has it all. On the one hand, it is located in Les Salines - Bassegoda and, on the other, it is a town closely linked to the republican exile during the Spanish Civil War. You can, therefore, practice hiking, mountain biking routes, enjoy its viewpoints or visit the monuments linked to the war.

Year 1937. The president of the government of the Republic, Juan Negrín, decides that La Vajol, this small place on the border, is the ideal place to keep the treasure of the Republic, in case of losing the war. Negrín confiscates the Mina Canta and adapts it to house the gold of the Republic and works of art from the Prado Museum in Madrid. Works that, subsequently, when the war was already being lost, were transferred to the League of Nations in Switzerland. In addition, during the last days of the dispute and before going into exile, Negrín himself settled in Vajol, specifically in Can Barris . And, subsequently, it was done by Manuel Azaña, president of the Republic. La Vajol, therefore, was the last capital of Spain during the Second Republic.

If you like history, in La Vajol you have a few unmissable places: For starters, the Canta o d'en Negrín mine, known for housing the treasure of the Republic and works of art from the Prado Museum. Since this small border town with France was also one of the paths of the Spanish exile, you will find a monument to the exile there. A bronze sculpture that pays tribute to the refugees of the Civil War and depicts a man and his daughter, who has lost a leg. You can also visit Can Barris, one of the farms in the area and the place where, for a short time, Juan Negrín, president of the government of the Republic, settled.

La Vajol is part of Les Salines - Bassegoda and, therefore, its mountainous terrain is ideal for hiking or mountain biking. On the one hand, if you go by bike you can choose the route that goes from La Vajol to Les Salines. On foot, you can take the route from Coll de Lli to Coll de Manrella or, if you like history, opt for the Exile Route. It can be done on foot, by bicycle or by car and passes through the most emblematic places of the exile of 1939. Finally, it is worth going to the Empordà viewpoint, located on the road that goes to Maçanet de Cabrenys and from where you can see one of the best views over the Empordà plain.