OPEN-AIR MUSEUM DEVOTED TO LLORET’S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SEA

Lloret de Mar’s close relationship with the sea can be seen in the architecture of the Indianos (emigrants who returned home after making their fortune in the Americas), in the building where fishing nets were dyed and in the Tirada a l’Art celebration, a tribute to the hard life of local fishermen.

– Chapel of Santa Cristina (41.687703, 2.816253)
Chapel built in gratitude for a fishing concession – Lloret de Mar
Santa Cristina Beach. 3.5 km from Lloret de Mar. Reached along the GI-682 road (Blanes – Lloret). Free admission, subject to opening hours.

The earliest mention of the Chapel of Santa Cristina dates back to 1354. It is dedicated to the town’s patron saint, Saint Christina of Bolsena, protector of seafarers. When Lloret de Mar became wealthy thanks to overseas trading in the Americas in the 18th century, it expressed its gratitude to Saint Christina by extending the chapel, which became a sanctuary with the markedly neoclassical appearance we see today. Noteworthy elements include the main altar and several ex-votos placed there in gratitude to the saint, along with a collection of miniature boats.

– Dona Marinera (Seafarer’s Wife) (41.695224, 2.844852)
Sculpture dedicated to the wives of fishermen and sailors – Lloret de Mar
Coastal footpath to Banys Cove.

Standing 2.4 metres tall, the Dona Marinera (Seafarer’s Wife) by Ernest Maragall is also known as the “Venus of Lloret”. This bronze sculpture, of a female figure who is waving to someone as she looks out to sea, is a tribute to the wives of fishermen and sailors.
It stands at one of Lloret de Mar’s main vantage points, above the southern section of the town’s Platja Gran (Main Beach), with views of this beach and of Banys Cove. Legend has it that whoever makes a wish while looking out to the horizon and touching the statue’s right foot will see their wish come true.

– Maritime Museum (41.699584, 2.850767)
Museum of Lloret’s maritime history – Lloret de Mar
Can Garriga. Passeig de Camprodon i Arrieta, 2. Admission subject to opening hours and applicable price.

Can Garriga is a building dating from the end of the 19th century. Its construction was commissioned by Enric Garriga i Mataró, a native of Lloret who made his fortune in the Americas. This Indiano house is now home to the Maritime Museum. The museum is structured into five themed sections: “Sons of the Sea”, “Mediterranean”, “Gateway to the Ocean”, “Lloret after Sailing Ships” and “Beyond the Beach”.
The Maritime Museum also constitutes the gateway to discovering Lloret’s maritime heritage, integrated in a route comprising various sites of interest, known as the Open Museum of Lloret – MOLL.

– Es Tint (41.700803, 2.851984)
Old building where fishing nets were dyed – Lloret de Mar
Carreró de St. Miquel, 6 – Lloret de Mar.

In order to improve the durability of nets, generally made of hemp, esparto and, later on, cotton, they were dyed in a liquid produced by boiling water with pine bark in a cauldron. This practice, common throughout the Mediterranean region, declined with the emergence of nylon nets. The adoption of this artificial material signalled the end of the net dyeing industry and the dyeing facilities gradually closed down. All that remains of the industry on the Costa Brava are two facilities turned into visitor centres, one of which is located in Lloret de Mar.

– Sa Caleta (41.699832, 2.859092)
Mooring zone for fishing boats on the beach – Lloret de Mar
Sa Caleta.

This cove, overlooked by En Plaja Castle, is tucked away on the northern edge of Lloret de Mar Beach. It used to be a mooring zone for Lloret’s fishing boats, managed by the Lloret Fishermen’s Guild, and a few leisure fishing boats still moor there today. The winch, located within the cove is still operational and serves to pull boats onto the sand from the sea. At the back of the cove there are some small fishermen’s huts that are used to store fishing gear.

– Canyelles Cove Port (41.704129, 2.880757)
Non-urban beach with the only port in Lloret de Mar
Cala Canyelles – Lloret de Mar. Accessed from the road that leads to Tossa de Mar. In high season, visitors must leave their vehicles in one of the official parking zones.

Canyelles Cove is the furthest beach from Lloret de Mar town centre. It is located to the north of the town and is a coarse sand beach with the only port in Lloret de Mar. In fact, it comprises two small coves separated by a large rock known as the Roca del Mig (Middle Rock) or Carquinyoli Rock. Until the end of the 1940s, it was one of the places where the tirada a l’art fishing technique was practised, consisting of casting nets from small rowing boats positioned a few metres from the shore and then dragging them onto the beach by hand from the shore. Today it is home to what remains of Lloret de Mar’s fishing fleet.