Olot
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Olot is the capital of the comarca of Garrotxa, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. It is located at 443 metres above the sea, in an area with many extinct volcanoes. Population 27.482 (1996).
Olot and the city limits lie within the protected area of the Natural Park of the Volcanic Area of the Garrotxa. The urban area includes two volcanic craters.
The exceptional value of this area was recognised by the Parliament of Catalonia in 1982, when the Law of Protection conserving this important volcanic landscape as well as the plant species of the area which lend the region its unique beauty, was passed unanimously. The Natural Park covers an area of 119 square kilometres, of which 9 square kilometres belong to the twenty-five nature reserves which protect the best preserved volcanic cones, as well as the famous beech forest of La Fageda d'en Jordą.
The city of Olot has a rich cultural heritage. There are several fine examples of Modernist architecture and the "Claustres del Carme", the Carmelite Cloisters, which date back to the Renaissance.
With regard to painting and sculpture, the importance of the "Olot School" should not be left out. This artistic movement is well represented in the Museu Comarcal de la Garrotxa (the regional museum). Painting, sculpture and ceramics being the key elements in the art of Olot, not to mention the tradition of the Nativity Scenes or "pessebres" and the world famous sculptures of saints.