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The Plaça Major of Olot
The Plaça Major of Olot
Flag of Olot
Coat of arms of Olot
Coat of arms
Olot is located in Catalonia
Location in Catalonia
Coordinates: 42°11′N 2°29′E﻿ / ﻿42.183°N 2.483°E﻿ / 42.183; 2.483
Country  Spain
Community  Catalonia
Province Girona
Comarca Garrotxa
 • Mayor Josep Maria Corominas (CiU)
 • Total 29.13 km2 (11.25 sq mi)
Elevation 443 m (1,453 ft)
Population (2009)
 • Total 33,524
 • Density 1,200/km2 (3,000/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Website http://www.olot.cat/

Olot (Catalan pronunciation: [uˈɫɔt]) is the capital of the comarca of the Garrotxa, in the Province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain.


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.[1] Another theory, more spread, 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 Olot has a wing in reference to the name of the city.[1]


The municipality 29,12 km2 and includes the city of Olot and the town of Batet de la Serra (annexed in 1971). The term is located at 443.4 meters above sea level and is approximately 50 km from Girona, the capital of the province of the same name. It is bordered by Sant Joan les Fonts (north east), Santa Pau (south east), Les Preses (south west), Riudaura (west) and La Vall de Bianya (north west).

The municipality consist of the original city of Olot and old towns and neighbourhoods that now form a conurbation around the city (Sant Roc d'Olot, Sant Cristòfol de les Fonts, Sant Andreu del Coll, Closells) apart from different urbanisations (les Fonts, Mas Bernat, les Planoles, etc.) and the old municipality of Batet de la Serra, which was independent until 1971.

Panorama of Olot from Montsacopa volcano

Geography and climate[edit]

Olot is located on a plain surrounded by the mountain ranges of Valentí, Aiguanegra, the plateau of Batet, Marboleny and Sant Valentí de la Pinya. The plain is crossed by the Fluvià river and the Riudaura stream. There are four volcanoes in the city of Olot: the Montolivet, the Montsacopa, the Garrinada and the Bisaroques.

The Fluvià discharges 1.07 m3/s into the Mediterranean Sea.

The area of Garrotxa is generally more humid than neighbouring regions. The annual rainfall is around 1000 mm. Popularly, it is said that "if it isn't raining in Olot, it isn't raining anywhere" (Si no plou a Olot, no plou enlloc in Catalan). The minimum in Olot in January is around 0 °C, and the maximum in August is around 28 °C.


Historical population of Olot
Year 1718 1787 1860 1900 1930 1960 1981 1991 1996 2001 2004 2006 2008 2009 2010
Population 2627 9146 10262 7938 11615 17185 24892 26713 27482 28060 30306 31932 32903 33524 33589

Arts and culture[edit]




Famous people from Olot[edit]

Twin towns[edit]

