Vilacolum offers a clear cultural focus: its fortifications, the parish church of Sant Esteve, and the history of the former lakes reveal different periods in the town’s past. If you are planning a trip focused on local history, you can use these themes as a guiding thread. The sequence of dates is particularly revealing: the fortifications are thought to date from the 13th and 14th centuries, Sant Esteve is from the 18th century, and the former lakes were drained in the mid-19th century. This chronology connects architectural history with a tangible transformation of the landscape.

Fortifications and Church Architecture

The fortifications of Vilacolum are classified as a Bé Cultural d’Interès Nacional (BCIN), or a Cultural Asset of National Interest. The designation dates from 1949. This recognition should be distinguished from the presumed construction date: 1949 refers to the classification, not the construction of the fortifications. A well-preserved portal in the medieval fortifications serves as a passageway to the parish church of Sant Esteve.

East of Vilacolum’s square is a round-arched portal built with voussoirs. It leads into a vaulted passageway to the church and cemetery. The round arch describes the shape of the entrance, while the voussoirs describe how it was constructed; the vaulted passageway is the adjoining section leading to the church and cemetery. The portal and passageway are distinct architectural features and help to identify the entrance more precisely.

Sant Esteve is an 18th-century church with a single nave, side chapels, and a polygonal apse. A single-nave building has one main nave; the side chapels complement it, and the polygonal apse forms the end of the church with several sides. These terms describe the church’s floor plan, while its date provides a separate chronological context. This makes it possible to distinguish the 18th-century church from the fortifications, which are thought to have been built in the 13th and 14th centuries.

Archaeological finds also add to our understanding of Sant Esteve: excavations inside the church identified nine storage pits. The site was interpreted as a non-religious place before the 10th century. This interpretation relates to an earlier phase of use and should be distinguished chronologically from the 18th-century church. For a cultural and historical understanding of Vilacolum, architectural forms, a cautiously worded dating of the fortifications, and an archaeological interpretation from different periods can therefore be considered together.

The History of the Former Lakes

The former lakes associated with Vilacolum were drained in the mid-19th century to create fertile farmland. They included the lakes of Siurana, Sant Tomàs, and Vilacolum. A steam pump and a system of canals and drainage ditches were used to drain them. The system also served for irrigation. The water was channelled to the Rec Sirvent and ultimately to the mouth of the Fluvià.

The history of the landscape is therefore not only about draining the lakes, but also about how the water was channelled and how the transformation was connected with the aim of creating fertile farmland. This focus differs from the study of the fortifications and the church: here, the emphasis is on pumping technology, canals and ditches, and the course of the water. For your trip planning, these offer two distinct ways to explore local history—the development of the built environment and the transformation of the landscape.

Getting There and Choosing a Focus for Your Stay

The C-31 passes through Vilacolum between La Bisbal d’Empordà and Figueres, providing a specific reference point for planning your drive. For your stay, you can choose a cultural focus based on whether you are more interested in the fortifications and church architecture or the history of drainage. These two perspectives differ in subject matter and complement each other as aspects of local history.

For the broader travel overview: Torroella De Fluvià.