Amposta, the Ebre delta all year round
The city of Amposta and its surrounding area has a lot to offer. From the Montsià mountain range to the sea at the mouth of the river and passing through the Ebre delta, it is a large area where nature plays a central role. “Amposta is a territory that speaks of traditions, culture, sea, mountains, rivers and history. It talks about gastronomy linked to a landscape and people. Amposta is natural, spectacular and captivating, and people fall in love with it at first sight.” That is the bold introduction that the city makes to the visitor.
With an area of 320 km², the Ebre delta is one of the most important aquatic habitats in the western Mediterranean. It consists of two areas separated by the Ebre River with several settlements on its banks existing alongside a delicate natural aquatic ecosystem. In 1983, the Catalan government approved the creation of the Delta de l’Ebre Natural Park. Amposta is one of the main gateways to discover the charm and biodiversity of the park and the wide range of activities that are available throughout the year, from birdwatching to riding a boat through the Encanyissada lagoon. This lagoon is the largest in the delta and is surrounded by freshwater vegetation. Nearby is the Camí de Sirga, or towpath trail, which runs parallel to the river for 22 km from Amposta to the mouth of the river.
Also worth visiting are the Ullals de Baltasar, groundwater springs fed by the rain that falls in the Montsià mountains, the Ports massif and the Boix-Cardó mountain range. When the groundwater from these mountains reaches the delta area, it encounters the clayey and impermeable materials of the sediment and creates the circular or eye-shaped ponds that give the place its name.
City attractions
Amposta is about more than nature, however, and the city has a number of attractions that are well worth the visit. One of them is the 24-metre tall and 134-metre long suspension bridge connecting the two banks of the River Ebre. It was the second suspension bridge built using reinforced concrete in the world after New York’s Brooklyn Bridge, from where it takes its inspiration.
Then there is the Terres de l’Ebre Museum in Amposta, which is one of the main cultural centres in the region, and is dedicated to the history, ethnography, ecology, economy and geography of the Ebre delta and Terres de l’Ebre. The museum, which is housed in an old public school building designed by the Catalan architect Ramon Salas i Ricomà, covers the different cultures that have inhabited Terres de l’Ebre going back to prehistory.
out & about
The taste of the delta
Amposta is a city born from the union of the sea and the mountains, the riverbank and the scrubland. This combination has produced a rich landscape that provides a variety of local products, and these, in turn, give rise to a quality cuisine that has garnered international prestige. Fish dishes are a speciality of Ebre cuisine and in particular the highly recommended rice dishes. As well as rice, among the region’s star products are oysters, mussels, eels, and clementines.
