For plant lovers, the botanical gardens are a good option to spend the day. They are not only very striking for their plant diversity, but also for the combination of natural elements and human architecture. A good example of this is the Santa Catalina Botanical Garden, which stands out mainly for preserving the ruins of a convent.
So if you are in the Basque Country and you would like to make a nice excursion, this is a great idea. So that you know a little where you get into, We are going to talk in this article about the Santa Catalina Botanical Garden and its history. In addition, we will give you some practical information regarding the visits, schedules and prices of this park.
What is the Santa Catalina Botanical Garden?
When we talk about the Santa Catalina Botanical Garden, we refer to an environment of approximately 32.500 square meters located in the Sierra Badaya de Álava, specifically in the municipality of Iruña de Oca. This beautiful extension of land in the Basque Country is part of the Ibero-Macaronesian Association of Botanical Gardens.
It all began in the Middle Ages, a time during which the convent of Santa Catalina was still very impressive. However, with the passage of time it fell into oblivion. Over the years, the undergrowth has been devouring its structure until it was decided to recover the building in the XNUMXst century to create a Botanical Garden without equal.
History
In the XNUMXth century, the descendants of the most notable and powerful family of Iruña de Oca had their tower house built, which would be the origin of Santa Catalina. Approximately a century and a half later they moved to the Torre de Doña Otxanda in Vitoria, making it their new residence. At that time, the family decided to give their old house to a closed monastic Catholic religious order, called the Jerónimos.
After a few years, the building became the property of the Augustinian monks. They were the ones who converted that house into the monastery of Santa Catalina. Basically they attached a church next to its cloister, keeping the tower. In 1835, due to the Confiscation of Mendizábal, the monks abandoned the monastery and it was left to the mercy of nature. It was converted into a troop barracks during the first Carlist War, but after its fall, the Carlists decided to burn it down and turn it into ruins.
It was in 1999 when the city council of Iruña de Oca decided to take charge of Santa Catalina and install the botanical garden that we know today. This was inaugurated in 2003. Nine years later, in 2012, the decision was made to free the ruins of the convent from nature and recover it. It was quite a difficult task, since all the walls that had been supported by the vines for a long time had to be kept standing.
In 2015 it was the first park to be named a Starlight stellar park in the whole world. It received this honor because it happens to be an ideal place to observe the stars and other astronomical phenomena. In fact, special events related to astronomy are still held today.
Santa Catalina Botanical Garden: Visits
The Santa Catalina Botanical Garden contains different routes and spaces in its around four hectares of land. These areas are divided into three climatic zones: Solana, shady and valley area. As for the vegetation that we can find on the route, this is usually native to the Sierra de Badaya, but there is also a lot of flora native to other continents. Thus, the combination of the botanical garden and the convent creates a unique space that is well worth visiting in Álava.
There are several types of visits that we can make in the Santa Catalina Botanical Garden. Obviously, we can also go for free. The ticket is valid daily. That is to say: As long as we keep the ticket, we can come and go as many times as we want during that day, respecting the schedules, of course.
It should be said that we can go to see this beautiful natural space accompanied by our dog. However, there are a couple of rules that we must adhere to. In the first place, the dog must be tied by means of a leash of a maximum of one and a half meters in length. In addition, those dogs that have been aggressors in previous situations or that can be potentially dangerous, must go with a muzzle. Taking this into account, let's see what types of visits we can make in this botanical garden:
- Guided tours: As in many tourist places, guided tours are characterized by having an experienced guide who informs about what we see. For this extra, you have to pay an additional €3 at the entrance. The duration of this option is one hour and a half.
- School visits: It is a good option for schools that want to do a guided tour for children during school hours.
- Dramatized visits for children: It is the best option for the little ones. It is a theatrical guided tour in which the little ones tour the park with the protagonists of the comic called "The Garden of Butterflies". This is how they teach them, in an entertaining way, what the flora and history of the park are.
- Functional diversity visits: These are designed for people with disabilities, including those who are blind, have low vision, have limited mobility and are deaf. Special guides, directional bars and all-terrain chairs are made available to them at no additional cost.
Times and prices
If you are enjoying it and you are thinking of going to visit the Santa Catalina Botanical Garden, it is important that you take into account schedules and prices. This park opens its doors at the following times (although throughout the year 2022 it is closed for renovations):
- Monday to Friday: From 11: 00 to 15: 00.
- Saturdays and Sundays: From 10: 00 to 20: 00.
Regarding prices, it must be said that children under ten years of age enter for free. The rates for the others are as follows:
- Self-guided visit for an adult: €3
- Self-guided visit for large families: €2
- Self-guided visit for registered residents in the municipality of Iruña de Oca: €1,50
- Reduced free visit with student card: €1,50
- Reduced self-guided visit for groups of at least ten people: €2
- Guided tour: €3 additional to the price of admission.
If you have the opportunity to visit the Santa Catalina Botanical Garden, do not hesitate to do so. It is the ideal place for nature lovers!