Before houses had running water and sinks for washing (and later on, electric washing machines), all of which came in the mid-20th century, the weekly wash had to be done in washing places located beside a water course. In Banyoles, these washing places used the network of small channels that branched off the irrigation canals that crossed the town. 

One of the largest washing places remaining in the town centre is the washhouse of the Plaça del Teatre, one of the town’s oldest squares, close to the monastery of Sant Esteve and on the route taken by the Rec de la Figuera d’en Xo. You’ll find this well-preserved, roofed public washhouse tucked away in a corner.

Location