| Parque del Gafos | |
|---|---|
 Park path and LED landscape bollard light | |
 | |
| Location | Pontevedra, Spain |
| Coordinates | 42°25′27″N8°38′20″W / 42.42408°N 8.63897°W |
| Created | 2007 |
| Operated by | Municipality of Pontevedra |
| Status | Public park |
The Gafos Park is a public park located in Pontevedra, Spain. It is a linear park surrounding the Gafos River, which runs through the south of the city from east to west.
The crystal-clear waters of the Gafos River were the chosen place for washing clothes in the city since the 19th century, [1] which is why there were five lavoirs. [2] In 1970, the Gafos River was covered in the Campolongo district for a length of 500 metres, a tunnel was built to canalize its waters [3] and a large promenade was created above it in December 1970. [4] With the accelerated growth of the city, the degradation of the Gafos river and its banks during the last decades of the twentieth century, made the citizen conscience wake up for their care, being the most important association for their defense the Vaipolorío association, created in 2001. [5]
From 2001 onwards, the idea of reclaiming the river banks was adopted resolutely. [6] The Galician Government launched a recovery project for the creation of a park along its right bank as it passed through the city, which ended with the creation of a linear park inaugurated on 29 November 2007. [7]
In 2019, the idea of uncovering the riverbed as it passes through the Campolongo district has been revived, which would allow the creation of an 81,000 square metre linear park around it. [4] [8] In March 2019, the Gafos River was declared a protected area, specifically a Natural Area of Local Interest (ENIL). [9] [10]
The park is 6.5 kilometres long and two kilometres in its urban part. [11] The banks of the river have been transformed in some places into large recreational and rest areas.
The park has three well-defined areas from south to north : [7]
In this linear park there is undergrowth (lichens, ferns, mosses, brambles), bushes and native trees (laurel, alder, willow, oak, ash, birch, poplar and chestnut). [16] As for the fauna, the park has many birds such as warblers, swifts, cuckoos, swallows, tits, hoopoes, turtle doves, goldfinches and starlings. [16]
The Covo Island, better known as the Island of Sculptures or Illa das Esculturas in Galician, is a park and island located near the mouth of the Lérez River, in Pontevedra, Spain. It has an area of 70,000 m² and is connected to both banks of the river by footbridges and pedestrian bridges. It is the largest and most important open-air museum in Galicia and one of the most important in Spain.
The Palace of the Counts of Maceda, or Casa del Barón in Pontevedra, Spain, is an original Renaissance pazo dating from the 16th century. It is currently a four-star hotel belonging to the Paradores network.
The Palm Trees Park, also known simply as Las Palmeras, is a public park in the heart of Pontevedra in Spain. It is the most representative and emblematic green area in the city centre, together with the Alameda de Pontevedra.
The Natural Park of the Marismas de Alba, the Alba Marsh or the Xunqueira de Alba, is a natural park and wetland in the city of Pontevedra in Spain, and one of the few Marshes in the Ria de Pontevedra. It is a park used as a place for walking, cycling and observing the fauna and flora.
Campolongo is a neighbourhood in the city of Pontevedra (Spain). It has a residential, administrative, educational and commercial function.
The Café Moderno is an art nouveau and eclectic building located in St. Joseph's Square in Pontevedra, Spain. It is the building with the most important Art Nouveau interior in the city. It is currently the headquarters of one of the socio-cultural centres of Pontevedra Afundación, owned by the Abanca bank.
The Pazo de García Flórez is an 18th century baroque pazo located between Sarmiento Street and Plaza de la Leña in the city of Pontevedra, Spain, in the heart of the old town.
The Pazo de Castro Monteagudo, is an 18th-century baroque pazo in Pasantería Street, next to the Plaza de la Leña in the city of Pontevedra, Spain, in the heart of the old town.
The Pontevedra Exhibition Centre is a complex for events such as exhibitions, fairs and conventions. It is in the Rosalía de Castro Park, near the banks of the Lérez River in Pontevedra, Galicia (Spain).
The Botanical Garden of Lourizán is an arboretum of some 54 hectares in the municipality of Pontevedra in Spain. It has more than 850 catalogued species and one of the largest collections in Spain. It is the most important botanical garden in Galicia.
The Plaza de Teucro is a square of medieval origin located in the heart of the old town of Pontevedra (Spain). It is the most harmoniously proportioned medieval square in the city.
The Central Market of Pontevedra is a covered market located in Pontevedra, Spain. It is located at the north-eastern edge of the historic centre, close to the Burgo Bridge. It overlooks the banks of the Lérez river and was inaugurated in 1948.
Méndez Núñez Square is a square of medieval origin located in the heart of the historic centre of Pontevedra (Spain).
The historic centre of Pontevedra (Spain) is the oldest part of the city. It is the second most important old town in Galicia after Santiago de Compostela, and was declared a historic-artistic complex on 23 February 1951.
The Convent of St. Francis is a Franciscan convent located in the city centre of Pontevedra (Spain), overlooking the Plaza de la Herrería. The Gothic church of San Francis is attached to the convent on the southeast side.
The Castelao building is a modern architectural building from the beginning of the 21st century located on the corner of Padre Amoedo Carballo and Sierra Street in Pontevedra, Spain, on the edge of the historic centre. It belongs to the Pontevedra Museum.
The Puente Sampayo Bridge is a medieval bridge that crosses the Verdugo River between the civil parish of Ponte Sampaio in the municipality of Pontevedra and the civil parish of Arcade in the municipality of Soutomaior in Spain.
St. Joseph's Square is a 19th century square located in the centre of the city of Pontevedra (Spain), in the first urban expansion area, near the Campolongo neighbourhood.
A Moureira is the old seafarers' and fishermen's quarter of the city of Pontevedra (Spain), where the Seamen's Guild lived, near the Lérez river, the Pontevedra ria and the Gafos river. Nowadays, it is part of the city centre.
The Chapel of the Holy Souls in Purgatory is a small neo-Gothic Catholic religious building located in the old town of Pontevedra (Spain), in Ánimas Street, near Curros Enríquez Square.
