Camprodon is a town with 2,344 inhabitants situated in the region of Ripollès covering 102.99 square kilometers.  It is found in a very beautiful, mountainous area with interesting monuments and has an active commercial center with various high-quality boutiques (especially for clothing and food) offering exquisite regional specialties. 
Camprodon also has important medieval, Renaissance, and Modernist monuments in addition to being a mountaineering and hiking base.  A few kilometers away, the ski slopes of Vallter 2000 near the neighboring village of Setcases add yet another attraction: the opportunity to engage in various winter sports.

Its Name: The name “Camprodon” seems to derive from the Latin campus rotundus (round field), describing the field enveloped by mountains.

Physical Geography: The town is situated at the confluence of the Ter and Ritort rivers at an altitude of 988 meters.  The confluence of these rivers divides the town into two different areas, the Vila de Dalt (Upper Town), which served as the ancient monastic center of town, and the Vila de Baix (Lower Town), whose ancient walls encompassed the old castle and its grounds--today in ruins--the area around the modern-day Plaça de Espanya, in which can be found the church of the fourteenth-century Carmelite convent, and the seventeenth-century Renaissance Casal de Can Marquès near the Catalan Gothic Ajuntament (town hall) with its 16th-century Renaissance facade.
The New Bridge, built between 1196 and 1226, arches over the Ter River.  It was partially rebuilt during the 14th century and restored again in 1930.  It is a stone bridge of a single arch that supports an imposing wide path of double gradient united to a solid defensive tower on the edge of town.  The bridge is the most emblematic element of Camprodon and has been declared a Historical-Artistic Monument of National Interest.

History: The town has its origins with the tenth-century construction of the monastery of Sant Pere (St. Peter); the church of Santa Maria was later consecrated as the parochial church.  Ramon Berenguer III granted a market concession to the town in 1118, and after numerous disputes between counts and abbots, Camprodon was finally united to the crown in 1251.  It was occupied from 1464-1472 during the war against Joan II and later occupied by the French under the Duke of Noailles in 1689. 
Finally, it came into the hands of the Generalitat at the end of the War of the Spanish Succession, and then, together with the territories of the Catalan Countries and the Crown of Aragon, it passed to the Crown of Spain under the Decree of Nova Planta.  For a brief stint in 1794, Camprodon was again occupied by French troops, this time under General Dagobert.
During the Carlist Wars of the nineteenth century, it was occupied on various occasions by the forces of the pretender to the throne of Spain.
 

Monuments, Buildings and Points of interest: Camprodon, apart from its natural beauty, has interesting structures that have defined its personality throughout history.  Among them, the following stand out within the urban center:
El Pont Nou (New Bridge), which is probably the most characteristic monument in town.
El Monestir de Sant Pere (The Monastery of St. Peter), the last remnants of the ancient Benedictine monastery established in 950 by the Count of Besalú.  It has been a Historical-Artistic Monument since 1931.
The Esglèsies de Santa Maria de Camprodon (Church of St. Mary), built in the Gothic style during the fourteenth century, and del Carme (Church of Carmen), dating from 1352.
Can Marquès, Renaissance-style mansion dating from the 17th century, but now in ruins.
The Ajuntament (Town Hall), also Gothic, but with a Renaissance facade added in the sixteenth century.
Various Modernista-style (Catalan Art Nouveau) houses (see the page on Art Nouveau in Camprodon.
Summer houses on the Passeig Maristany, near the Font Nove, and others (Can Wincke, El Casal, Can Oliveda, Can Conde, Can Maristany, the Vora del Ter chalet, Can Guasch, etc.).
The sculpture Piano Suite, by Alfons Alzamora i Gras (grandson of Albeniz), situated in the Forcarà roundabout.
The sculptures of Joaquim Claret and other artists that can be found along the town’s streets.
Fountains such as La Font Nova (New Fountain) and la Mare de la Font (Our Lady of the Fountain)

Within the municipal boundaries, but outside of the urban center, the following should be visited:
L'esglèsia de Sant Miquel de Cavallera (Church of St. Michael of Cavallera), a Romanesque structure dating from the twelfth century.
La Torre Cavallera (Cavallera Tower), a defensive tower probably built in the early thirteenth century in a strategic location about the Ter valley.
El Mas Pomer.
The old Freixenet neighborhood.
Fountains such as the Font of St. Patllari, del Boix, del Botàs, de Can Moi, de la Forcarà, del Ferro, de Llandrius, del Vern, etc.

Beyond downtown, but still within the territory of Garrotxa, there are also interesting monuments, such as: 
The Romanesque church of Sant Cristofol (St. Christopher) and the magnificent Crist Majestat in the town of Beget, and the castle, hermitage of Sant Valenti de Salarca, Santa Maria de Bolos, and Sant Antoni in the town of Rocabruna.

Festivals and Market Days: Visit the town's website at http://webspobles.ddgi.cat/sites/camprodon/default.aspx
Isaac Albéniz Music Festival: in July and August at the Monastery of St. Pere at 10 pm.
Festa Major on June 21, in honour of the patron saint of the town of Sant Patllari.
Processo dels Sant Misteris (Procession of the Holy Mysteries), held during Easter at 7 pm, beginning in the Plaza de Santa Maria.
Fira del Dibuix i l'artesania (Painting and Artisanal Craft Fair), celebrated the first Sunday in August in the Plaça de Santa Maria.
Purissima Fair (Festivity of the Purissima Mother of God), observed on December 8.

Communications:
By road: From Barcelona (124km), take highway C-17 (highway until Vic, road until Ripoll) and then the C-26 to the Olot exit, and then road C-38 to Camprodon.
From Girona (77km) take C-66 to Besalu, then N-260 to Olot (30km).  From Olot, take the C-26 to the intersection with C-38 and from there to Camprodon.
From Perpignan (92km), take either the A-9/E-15 or the N-9 to El Perthus, and from there take either highway PA-7/E15 or the N-11 to Figueres.  From Figueres, take the N-260 to Olot, then the C-26, and finally the C-38 into Camprodon.
By train: From Barcelona, take the Puigcerda line to Ripoll station and then take the road into Camprodon.
By plane: From the Girona-Costa Brava Airport, take the road to Camprodon. 
From the Barcelona airport, take either  the highway to Camprodon or the train to Ripoll, and then continue by road into the town.

  Websites with General Information:
  http://webspobles.ddgi.cat/sites/camprodon/default.aspx  Town Hall Website  
  http://www.valldecamprodon.cc/  Website for excursions into the Camprodon Valley