The Forest of Galicia is located on the slopes of Monte Gaiás and is part of the actions carried out in the vicinity of the Cidade da Cultura complex to enhance its connection and integration with the urban environment of Santiago de Compostela.
This new area in the Galician capital, promoted by the Xunta de Galicia, aims to consolidate as a new green lung that extends over 24 hectares and nearly 3,000 square meters.
This natural environment, conditioned between 2015 and 2016, presents about twelve thousand trees of native species, such as oaks, chestnuts, willows, birches, alders, spindles, rowan trees and laurels. Dozens of citizens and schoolchildren participated in the planting work.
The objective of the Galician Government is to increase the attractiveness of the Gaiás complex, to enhance the biodiversity of the area and to encourage the city’s residents and tourists to visit it on foot. In fact, the route is made up of a 5-kilometer network of pedestrian paths, which favors both walking and outdoor sports activities.
The structure of this branch of trails allows the ascent to Gaiás through smooth itineraries and with various alternatives for all visitors. In addition, it has numerous rest areas and a viewpoint at the top where you can see a complete panoramic view of the Galician capital.
The entire area in which this green area is installed has a low consumption LED system, which facilitates the enjoyment of these paths in hours of low natural light and, at the same time, offers a soft and functional lighting that avoids light pollution.
In fact, the Cidade da Cultura organizes, in the summer months, a series of activities aimed at observing the night sky of Compostela through the program ‘Astronomical Visits’.
On the other hand, the integration of the Bosque de Galicia with the Gaiás complex allows visitors to enjoy the proximity of outstanding museum spaces and the architectural work designed by Peter Eisenman.
