Places of interest
L’Assut. The most significant historical project in the River Ebro, the construction of this weir stretching across the river was probably started by the Moors and eventually completed in the fifteenth century. Seven metres high and 370 metres across, it was designed to collect water for the two irrigation canals which run parallel to the river from this point.
Sixteenth century flour mill at l’Assut. One of the few Renaissance-period industrial buildings still standing in Catalonia, it was built in 1575 to grind wheat for nearby villages using the force of the water running over l’Assut.
The Assumpció i Sant Martí church. The first church was built here in 1325 when Xerta separated from the nearby town of Paüls, but the current building is a result of extensions and reformations carried out in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Noteworthy elements include the Baroque chapel and the Neo-Romanesque church tower with its four stone figures of dogs and an elaborate lightning rod designed in an Art Nouveaux style.
Historical family homes. Several impressive houses built by well-off families and business people in Xerta’s past now form part of the town’s historical heritage. Examples include Casa Ceremines, Casa Ravanals and Casa Navarro, built between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, the remains and chapel of Casa Sentís (sixteenth century), Casa Pau (eighteenth century), and the spectacular nineteenth-century Villa Retiro, now home to a top-class hotel.
Civil war trenches in Fornets ravine. A series of excavated war trenches from the Spanish Civil War located beside the Green Way, they formed a defensive line around a small hill. They have been cleaned out and restored to help recover the historic memory of the area and show people sites and constructions related to the war.
The trenches encircle a small hill and were dug out unevenly between depths of 60 and 150 cm, with a width of 60-70 cm.
Built by Italian volunteers fighting for the Nationalist faction, the trenches had eleven different fire bays facing the river which was the front between them and the Republican army towards the end of the Civil War.
Riverside walk. The stunning riverfront in Xerta can be enjoyed following the walk and track between the river and the irrigation canal. It also has a boat landing with facilities and easy access for people with disabilities.
The old railway station on the Green Way. Bike-hire and other services for cyclists. Located at the old Val de Zafán railway station, the building is now a centre for bike-hire and other services for cyclists using the Green Way. There is also a visitor exhibition on the history of Xerta and its connection to the river.
Routes
The Val de Zafan Green Way – Tortosa-Deltebre Nature Trail
Saint James’ Way. On foot or by bike. The Ebro stretch of the long-distance Saint James’ Way starts out in Deltebre and meets the Val de Zafan Green Way in Xerta.
Natural springs route. A seven-kilometre route for mountain bikes, visiting different natural water sources such as the Llac d’Osseres and Nova springs, among fields of cattle herds.
The riverside route. A walk beside the riverside allotments and fruit and vegetable gardens, especially recommended in springtime to enjoy the wonderfully fragrant orange blossom.
