Castellers de Zürich
Castells [kəsˈteʎs] (Catalan for ‘castles’) are human pyramids (human towers) that are traditionally erected at numerous festivals in Catalonia.
The participants, called ‘castellers’, climb onto the shoulders of those below them until a certain height is reached. They are organized into groups called ‘colles castelleres’. Since 2010, castles have been Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
More information on Wikipedia.
The colla castellera of Zurich (Castellers de Zurich) was founded in March 2024 with the goal of bringing this tradition to our city and enjoying it together. We want to form castells, but above all, we want to build a community of Catalans and their international friends to share our culture with others and celebrate it together.
In our colla there’s a place for everyone: regardless of age or physical condition, everyone is welcome to participate in castells. There are many ways to participate in this Catalan tradition – whether at the base of the tower supporting the structure (pinya), in the tower itself (tronc), playing instruments like gralles and tabals, taking photos… or helping us with the organization. Families and children are also welcome to join in!
The activity is free for members of the Casal Català de Zúric (Catalan Association of Zurich)*. Even if you are not, we invite you to come and try it for free and without any obligation, everyone is welcome! 😊
The trainings (assajos) take place every Friday from 18h to 20h at the Hirschengraben School (Hirschengraben 46, 8001 Zurich). Located in the heart of the city, 10 minutes from Zurich HB. You can subscribe to the colla’s calendar so you don’t miss any events.
To stay up to date, feel free to follow us on Instagram. You can also reach us via email at castellersdezurich (at) gmail.com. We’ll be happy to answer your questions.
Don’t hesitate to share it with your friends, family and acquaintances. As we say in Catalan: “com més serem, més riurem!” (the more of us there are, the more we will laugh!) 😊
We look forward to seeing you soon! 🙌
The current management and technical teams are as follows:
Junta Directiva (Board)
Presidency
Jordi Cluet i Martinell
Secretary
Carla Naudó Ribas
Treasury
Xavier Garcia Tormo
Infrastructure and Swiss relations
Simone Allemann
Communication and design
María Ripoll Vives
Head of internal events
Yaiza Aragonés
Head of external events
María Ripoll Vives
Head of welcoming and recruitment
Natàlia Badia
Health and security commission
Xavier Garcia Tormo
Laura Espinosa Molina
Equality commission
Gemma De Ramon Francàs
Laura Espinosa Molina
Xavier Garcia Tormo
Comissió Tècnica (Technical team)
Heads of the Technical team
Joana Maria Peralta Ferrer
Alex Dautel
Pinyes (bases)
Alex Dautel
James King
Jordi Cluet i Martinell
Xavier Garcia Tormo
Troncs i pilars (towers)
Joana Maria Peralta Ferrer
Gerard Masllorens Fuentes
Léo Willig
Luna Bloin-Wibe
Pau Rubirola
Tim Steiger
Canalla (children)
Laura Espinosa Molina
Carla Naudo Ribas
María Ripoll Vives
Head of musicians
Roger Bordoy Molina
And you, are you interested? Contact us! 😊
Musicians
In the group we also have another essential piece: the group of musicians (grallers and tabalers) who accompany our castells and dances. Rehearsals are every Friday from 18:45h to 19:45h at Seilergraben 53, 8001 Zürich. Write us an email if you want to participate. We look forward to seeing you there!
*All regular members of the colla must be members of Casal Català de Zúric, with any of the current dues in good standing. A member is considered regular if they attend more than 3 rehearsals in a 6-month period.