Castellers de Vilafranca facts for kids

The Castellers de Vilafranca is a cultural and sporting group from Vilafranca del Penedès, a town in Catalonia, Spain. Their main goal is to build amazing human towers, called castells (pronounced: kas-TEL-yuhs). These towers are a unique and exciting Catalan tradition.

First torre de nou amb folre carregada in history, Castellers de Vilafranca

First tres de deu amb folre i manilles carregat in history, Castellers de Vilafranca

First quatre de nou sense folre by Castellers de Vilafranca

First pilar de vuit amb folre i manilles carregat in the 20th century, Castellers de Vilafranca

History of the Castellers de Vilafranca

Quatre de nou amb folre i l'agulla, Castellers de Vilafranca

First torre de nou amb folre i manilles descarregada of Castellers de Vilafranca

The Castellers de Vilafranca group started in September 1948. It was founded by Oriol Rossell because many people in Vilafranca del Penedès were interested in building human towers. This tradition has been around since the 1700s.

When they first started, the group built towers up to seven levels high. They worked closely with other casteller groups. At first, their shirts were rose-colored, then red.

In 1957, the group reorganized and chose to wear green shirts, which they still wear today. Between 1957 and 1968, seven-level towers were common. The cinc de set (five-level tower of seven) was their highest achievement.

From 1969 to 1974, the group began building eight-level towers. They achieved the torre de set (tower of seven), quatre de vuit (four-level tower of eight), tres de vuit (three-level tower of eight), pilar de sis (pillar of six), and the torre de vuit amb folre (eight-level tower with a base support).

In 1972, the Castellers de Vilafranca won the Human Towers Competition in Tarragona. This competition happens every two years.

In 1985, they built their first cinc de vuit (five-level tower of eight). In 1987, they achieved their first tres (three-level tower) and quatre de nou amb folre (four-level tower of nine with a base support) that were carregat (meaning the tower was completed but fell during dismantling). By 1989, they successfully built and dismantled their first tres de nou amb folre (descarregat). In 1990, they did the same with the quatre de nou amb folre.

Between 1995 and 2004, the group reached even higher levels. They successfully built and dismantled the torre de nou amb folre i manilles (nine-level tower with two support bases), pilar de set amb folre (pillar of seven with a base support), and pilar de vuit amb folre i manilles (pillar of eight with two support bases). They also achieved the quatre de vuit amb l’agulla (four-level tower of eight with a needle inside).

A historic moment was when they built the quatre de nou amb folre i l’agulla (four-level tower of nine with a base support and a needle inside) for the first time ever. They also built the cinc de nou amb folre (five-level tower of nine with a base support). For the first and only time in history, they built the tres and quatre de nou amb folre at the same time.

Towers that were carregats (completed but collapsed during dismantling) included the torre de vuit (tower of eight), quatre de nou (four-level tower of nine), and the tres de deu amb folre i manilles (three-level tower of ten with two support bases), which was the first of its kind in history.

The Castellers de Vilafranca have won the Tarragona Human Towers Competition many times: in 1996, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2012. In 2005, they achieved the torre de nou amb folre (nine-level tower with a base support), which is thought to be one of the most difficult towers ever built.

By 2010, the Castellers de Vilafranca had about 400 active members who helped build these amazing human towers.

Amazing Castells Achieved

The Castellers de Vilafranca have achieved many impressive human towers throughout their history. The table below shows the different types of towers they have built and the dates they were first successfully completed (Descarregat) or completed but collapsed during dismantling (Carregat).

Cal Figarot: The Group's Home

Yard of Cal Figarot, Castellers de Vilafranca headquarters

Cal Figarot is the official home of the Castellers de Vilafranca. It's a beautiful building with a special old-fashioned style, built in the late 1800s. The group bought it in 1983. Later, in 1998, they bought a large building next door. Both buildings were fixed up. The new building has a huge open space, perfect for training. All their practice sessions happen in the courtyard.

Castellers de Vilafranca Around the World

Quatre de vuit in Santiago de Chile, Castellers de Vilafranca

Quatre de vuit in Vatican City, Castellers de Vilafranca

The Castellers de Vilafranca have traveled to many countries to show off their amazing human towers. They have performed in places like France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Chile, India, and even New York City.

In 1988, they performed in Italy to celebrate a special anniversary of Catalonia. In 1992, they were part of the Universal Exposition in Seville, Spain. They also performed in Brussels, Belgium, in 2010 to support the idea of castells becoming a UNESCO World Heritage. A very exciting moment was when they performed at the opening ceremony of the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona in 1992!

The group has also toured many times in the Països Catalans, which are areas where Catalan is traditionally spoken:

• They have performed six times in Perpignan, France, and in other towns in Northern Catalonia.
• They have visited Andorra four times.
• They have toured the Valencia Region twice, performing in cities like Alcoi and Alicante.
• They have also performed in Palma, Majorca, and Manacor, Menorca.
• They even performed in Alghero, Italy, in 1978.

Gallery

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  First quatre de vuit carregat by the Castellers de Vilafranca, 12/10/1969

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  First tres de nou descarregat by the Castellers de Vilafranca, 30/08/1989

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  First pilar de vuit descarregat in history, Castellers de Vilafranca, 28/09/1997

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  First torre de vuit sense folre carregada in history, Castellers de Vilafranca, 1/11/1999

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  First pilar de vuit amb folre i manilles descarregat in Barcelona, Castellers de Vilafranca, 25/09/2005

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  First torre de vuit amb folre and pilar de set amb folre descarregats simultaneously in history, Castellers de Vilafranca, 31/08/2006

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  Tres de deu amb folre i manilles by the Castellers de Vilafranca

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  Torre de set in Pisa, Castellers de Vilafranca, 1988

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  Torre de set in Paris, Castellers de Vilafranca, 1993

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  Pilar de sis in Copenhaguen, Castellers de Vilafranca, 1996

See also

In Spanish: Castellers de Vilafranca para niños