Montealegre Botanical Garden

ES | GL Parque botánico de Montealegre

Montealegre (Happy Mountain) is the pretty name given to Ourense’s great forest park, an always-sundrenched hill that closes the city on the East, overlooking the valley and seeing now the three rivers flow and come together. Along the columns of smoke rising into the sky during the celebration of the Magostos, perhaps its most characteristic image is that of its stone pines: this is the farthest northwestern Mediterranean forest in Europe.

Despite the multiple attacks it has suffered throughout its history, Montealegre is today one of the environmental references of the city. Since 2011 a large part of its surface (over 37 acres) has been set as a forest and botanical park that preserves biodiversity: there are more than 240 floral species and about 132 fauna species. At the same time, it has opened a teaching and research space that reconciles the city with its mountain and delves into the knowledge and protection of the environment.

Montealegre Botanical Garden has a reception and research centre and an open-air auditorium, spectacularly carved into the rock, being a good example of the work carried out for the recovery and value of the quarries and water mines (some of the assets preserved in the park).

Perhaps the best link between the park and the city is its viewpoint, near the Montealagre cross, where we can see the entire valley and the urban development in one of the most beautiful views of the city. Next to the viewpoint, there is a bench strategically placed that has come to receive the title of “the most beautiful bench in Ourense”.

The Botanical Garden is a place of knowledge and for experiencing nature. In addition to the children’s orchards, there is a seasonal programme of visits, workshops and other educational activities that are worth taking a look.