Main attractions in Andorra

House of the valleys.
The three-story building of the House of the Valleys in the style of rural Catalan architecture was erected in 1580 and originally belonged to the noble and wealthy Busquets family. The House of the Valleys is a medieval Catalan manor with towers, embrasures, hinged loopholes, battlements and steel bars on the windows. In 1702, the building was purchased by the General Council of Andorra. For three centuries, before the construction of a new building, the parliament sat within its walls. During this period, the House of the Valleys was rebuilt several times until it took on its modern look.
At one time, the House of the Valleys (Casa de la Val) at the same time contained the chapel of San Ermengol, a court, a prison and a hotel. It is worth noting that the prison was privileged, so only residents of Andorra were imprisoned here.
The house of the valleys has a rather severe and ascetic appearance and resembles a fortified castle or a small medieval fortress. Its walls are built of durable and unworked gray stone. The decor here is completely absent. On one side, a rectangular tower with a sharp roof adjoins the building, which simultaneously served as a lookout post and a dovecote. The flag and coat of arms of the Principality of Andorra are kept in the chapel.
Today, the House of the Valleys is a museum, the interior of which can be viewed by everyone. The austerity of the interior of the house is in perfect harmony with the general appearance of the building. Inside the house, there are wooden benches around the perimeter. Of particular interest to visitors are the ancient frescoes of the 16th century. in the main hall, copper candlesticks and an old dining room with preserved antique utensils. On the lower floor of the building there is the Hall of Justice - the only court in the country, on the second - the Council Hall and the Postal Museum with a philatelic collection.

La Margineda Bridge.
La Margineda Bridge is an ancient artificial structure, which is a magnificent monument of medieval engineering architecture and one of the most interesting historical architectural sights of Andorra. The medieval bridge, laid across the main river of the country - Valira, is located in the district of Andorra la Vella, in the small village of La Margineda, on the site where the high-altitude "royal road" once passed, which connected Andorra la Vella and the community of Sant Julià de Loria.
This Romanesque-style stone bridge has an interesting centuries-old history. La Margineda was built in the XII century. and today is the largest, at the same time the narrowest and best preserved bridge of its kind in Andorra.
The bridge is an ascetic arch thrown over the Valira River. The length of the arch is 33 meters. The total height of this medieval structure is 9.2 meters. The width of the bridge on one side reaches 5.3 meters, on the other - 7.8 meters, and at its narrowest point - only 2.5 meters. La Margineda was made of stone cobblestones and a special cement mortar. On both banks of the Valir, two stone pillars were built, connecting the spans of the bridge in the form of a semicircular arch. Closer to the center, the bridge rises and becomes thinner, so the middle of the stone bridge is located somewhat higher than the supports and is its thinnest part. Based on photographs from the beginning of the 20th century, the bridge did not undergo any major changes.
During the construction of the bridge, no decorative elements were foreseen; the main purpose of its construction was durability, reliability and monumentality.
Near the La Margineda bridge, there is a modern monument erected in honor of the First Congress of the Catalan Language and Literature. The monument, consisting of two arches, symbolizes the past and future of the country. The author of this work was the Valencian sculptor Vicens Alfaro.
La Margineda Bridge is the cultural heritage of Andorra and one of the country's most popular attractions.

The old town of Andorra la Vella.
Andorra la Vella is the capital of Andorra, whose history dates back to the time when the most ordinary village was founded in a picturesque mountain valley. Today this place is called Barry Antik, which translates as the Old Quarter.
Barri Antique is the historic center of the city, which, despite the rapid economic and tourist development of Andorra la Vella, has managed to preserve the spirit of the past and its individuality. Walk through small squares and cobbled narrow streets with ancient stone houses, as well as visit local shops will allow tourists to get acquainted with the history and culture of Andorra.
In the Old Town of Andorra la Vella, time seems to have stopped. The spirit of the Middle Ages is felt in the narrow dead-end streets and lanes. Colorful old two- and three-storey houses made of rough-hewn stone with wooden balconies have narrow slit-windows. It's hard to believe, but at the beginning of the twentieth century. almost all the inhabitants of Andorra la Vella lived in this ancient quarter.
Barry Antique is home to the main attractions of Andorra la Vella. At the entrance to the oldest district of the capital is the Church of St. Stephen (San Esteban). Due to the fact that the temple was repeatedly rebuilt, from the ancient building of the XII century, made in the Romanesque style, only the apse and part of the nave wall have survived to this day.
At the same time, the pride and main asset of Barry Antique is the "House of the Valleys" (Casa de la Val) - a legendary historical building erected in 1580. Initially, the house belonged to the wealthy Baskets family. But in 1702 the building was purchased by the General Council. In 1761, for three centuries, the house housed the official residence of the Andorran Parliament. In its appearance, the building is very reminiscent of a small fortress or a medieval castle. There is a watchtower nearby. Also in the Old Town, not far from the “House of the Valleys”, among the old granite buildings, there is a national library.

Central Park
The central city park in Andorra la Vella is a small green corner in this small city, sandwiched between mountain ranges.
The author of the project of the central park was the architect Daniel Gilbert Fontova. Magnificent alleys with comfortable benches, trees and shrubs, clean ponds with clear water look very beautiful against the backdrop of mountain peaks. Over time, the park has become a favorite vacation spot for both local residents and visitors to the city of Andorra la Vella. People come here to relax, unwind and enjoy nature.
The Central City Park of Andorra la Vella is the largest public park in the capital. In the park, everyone can find an interesting activity for themselves. Someone can take a walk in the shade of park alleys among picturesque flower beds, and someone can feed the ducks that swim in a small pool. The youngest visitors can have fun on the playground, those who are older - in a special area for youth games. For adults in the central park, there is a bar-restaurant with a terrace with a unique panoramic view. The park also has a huge car park.
Among other things, in the city park of Andorra la Vella there is a wonderful rock garden with an amazing rock garden where you can get to know natural treasures better. Stones from all over the country are collected in the rock garden. Here you can see granodiorite, travertine, phyllite, lita, conglomerate, gneiss, two types of quartzite, shale of all varieties, volcanic rocks and much more. The tablets indicate where this or that stone was mined. Visitors can learn how a particular rock was formed, and how many millions of years it actually took for this long process to be completed.

The ruins of the castle of San Vicenç.
The San Vicens complex is located on a hill, at an altitude of 150 meters. As a strategic object, the castle was used in the 9th-12th centuries. The best preserved church was built in the 9th century and used for its intended purpose until the 19th century. Preserved ancient tombs.

Church of San Esteve.
The Church of San Esteve is one of the main historical sights of Andorra la Vella. The temple is located in the historical center of the city, among the ancient granite houses of traditional architecture, near the administration building of the commune.
The Romanesque church of San Esteve was built in the 12th century. and consecrated in honor of Saint Stephen. The building of the church and its interior were repeatedly completed and remodeled. And the temple underwent serious architectural changes already in the 20th century, having lost its original appearance. Of the original building, only the semicircular Romanesque apse has survived intact, as well as wall paintings, which are currently kept in the National Museum of Art of Catalonia and in several private collections. It is in the museum that you can see the frescoes depicting the wedding in Cana, Jesus Christ before Pilate and the winged bull, which were previously located in the church of San Esteve. To date, from the works of the Roman era, the temple has two of the most interesting altarpieces made in the Baroque style.
The latest church changes underwent construction in 1969. The architect Joseph Puiga supervised the construction work, as a result of which the building of the ancient temple was significantly increased in size. Externally, the church stands out for its magnificent Lombard-style decoration of the apse, as