Olot (; ) is the capital city of the comarca of Garrotxa, in the Province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. The city is known for its natural landscape, including four volcanoes scattered around the city center. The municipality is part of the Zona Volcànica de la Garrotxa Natural Park. Olot is also well known for its cultural activity, with historical art movements like Olot school or factories of religious imagery, which contributed to the location in the city of the main Design and Arts & Crafts school of the province of Girona, the Escola d'Art i Superior de Disseny d'Olot.

Between 1911 and 1969, Olot was linked to Girona by the narrow gauge Olot–Girona railway. The line has since been converted into a greenway.

Etymology

The etymology of Olot is not clear and there are several hypotheses. According to the Crònica Universal de Catalunya, Olot was founded by Ulo, former king of the dynasty of Atlanteans, (then called Siculus), with the name of Ulot. Another theory, more widespread, is that the name comes from ala (wing in Catalan), because the city has been documented with the names Aulot and Alot. For this reason, the coat of arms of Olot has a wing in reference to the name of the city.

  • Josep Clarà, sculptor.
  • Luis Riu Bertrán, hotel businessman.

Twin towns

  • Notre-Dame-de-Bondeville, France
  • Thuir, France

References

Further reading

  • Panareda Clopés, Josep Maria; Rios Calvet, Jaume; Rabella Vives, Josep Maria (1989). Guia de Catalunya, Barcelona: Caixa de Catalunya. . .
  • Government data pages