Autumn is slowly settling in the Mediterranean Pyrenees, adorning the landscapes with shimmering colours and offering a beautiful spectacle to visitors. It is at this time of year that the Turtle Route in Catalonia reveals all its magic, inviting travellers to an original adventure through the Pyrenees, the Albères and along the Mediterranean coast to Barcelona.
This iconic road takes its name from a remarkable phenomenon: the unexpected return of tortoises to our region. After being declared extinct in France in 1986, the Hermann's tortoise of the species Hermanni Hermanni des Albères has reappeared, almost forty years later, in the Albères massif. This surprising return is accompanied by other equally extraordinary events:
La Valley of the Turtles in Sorède, founded in 1998, already houses an impressive collection of land tortoises, ranging from local species to the giant Aldabra tortoises from the Seychelles weighing up to 300 kg.
But the summer of 2024 marked a historic turning point with multiple births on Catalan beaches, both on the French and Spanish coasts. The beach of Saint-Cyprien even saw 61 baby loggerhead turtles hatch, a first in France!
On the trail of turtles between Perpignan and Barcelona
Le Perpignan Natural History Museum houses a cast of the giant tortoise, nicknamed "the Perpignan tortoise", discovered in 1887 on the paleontological site of Serrat-d'en-Vacquer during the construction of a fort. This tortoise is one of the largest known, both living and fossil. One can imagine processions of these tortoises continuing through the Pyrenees and along the Mediterranean towards Barcelona. The landscape bears witness to their passage: at the Darnius dam, the Mirador de la Tortuga owes its name to the particular shape of a rock overlooking the valley. In Cadaqués, the inhabitants name the rocks of Cap Creus according to their resemblance to animals, including that of the tortoise. In the Cap Creus Nature Reserve, you can come across the Hermann's tortoise and, more rarely, the green sea turtle. In addition, many sculptures and works of art mark the Turtle Route between Perpignan and Barcelona.
A marquee of the Cloister of Saint-Genis-des-Fontaines illustrates the local fauna: rat, owl, trout and turtle. The latter often appears in religious contexts, such as in the holy water font of Arles-sur-Tech or supporting temples in India and China.
As a cosmophoric animal, the turtle carries the universe on its shell, like the Greek Atlas in mythology. This symbolism is also found in Europe, notably in Florence, Palma de Mallorca and on the Plaza del Obelisco in… Port-Vendres!
Turtles adorn various emblematic monuments of Catalonia
In Figueres, they decorate the facade of the Dali Theatre-Museum and inspire local buns. In Girona, they have been decorating the Plaza Independencia since 1945. In Barcelona, we find them on the Sagrada Familia, supporting the Nativity Towers, as well as Gaudí's Casa Batlló. The Gothic Quarter is home to a turtle sculpted on the mailbox of the Casa de l'Ardiaca, while Eduard Batiste Alentorn's Turtle Fountain (1915) adorns Sepulveda Square.
The turtle also inspired many artists on both sides of the Pyrenees. In Barcelona, the Joan Miró Foundation exhibits paintings of turtles, as does the Dali Museum in Figueras and the Salvador Dali and Gala Museum House near Cadaques.
In France, Henri Matisse painted “Bathers with Turtle” in 1908 in Collioure, depicting a small red turtle surrounded by bathers. This work may have influenced the massive red turtle in Michael Dudok de Wit's animated film (2016), where the animal prevents a castaway from leaving the island on which he has stranded.
Because beware of anyone who ventures onto the turtle route... On the Franco-Spanish border, the dog watches, the deer wanders and wrong kills!
As part of the Autumn Mar i Munt Week, we invite you to take part in a series of activities focused on the turtle. These events will allow you to understand the crucial importance of its protection, not only as a living species, but also as an emblematic symbol of Catalan heritage.
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