Guimerà

Guimerà's origins lie in the Christian reconquest of the Iberian peninsula, and the village may take its name from a Visigothic founder called something close to Wigmar. The first written record appears in 1038, in a legal deed concerning its castle. The settlement grew downhill from that stronghold toward the river and eventually crossed to the far bank.

Population peaked at over 1,600 in the mid-19th century, but like much of the surrounding rural area it has steadily emptied out, reaching around 320 residents by 2011, with many of its old buildings now used as holiday homes.

Guimerà's historic centre was registered as a protected national monument in 1975, with the castle following in 1988. The Generalitat de Catalunya lists 24 heritage structures within the village and its municipality — a high count for a place of this size.

The medieval street plan survives largely as it was: limestone buildings packed tightly on the hillside, connected by narrow lanes, staircases, and tunnels. Stretches of the town wall and several of its gates are still standing.

The castle dates from the 11th century. It was badly damaged in a battle during the First Carlist War in 1835, but restoration work begun in 1984 has brought much of it back. The watchtower, the most visible part of the complex, is now open to visitors.

The parish church of St. Mary, a large 14th-century building immediately beside the castle, is the most significant surviving structure in the village. It once held an elaborate early-15th-century altarpiece, now kept at the Episcopal Museum of Vic. A replacement altarpiece was made in 1940 by the architect Josep Maria Jujol.

About 1.5 km west of the village, close to La Bovera, stand the ruins of the Vallsanta convent. Cistercian nuns founded it in the 13th century after moving from their previous site at La Bovera. It was abandoned around 1600 and its remaining fabric shows a mix of Romanesque and Gothic work.