Getaway to Bages: Treasures of Cardona and Súria

First we are going to Cardona, a town with a long history and an imposing castle that dominates the region. However, we will visit the castle tomorrow. Today we will discover a mountain that for almost the whole of the 20th century was the main source of work for the people. This is the Salt Mountain, today known as the Salt Mountain Cultural Park, and that from 1929 to 1990 was the Mina Nieves, one of the most important potassium salt mines in the world. The white colour is everywhere and there is something magical about this place where, on a guided tour – including the option of a dramatised tour –, they will explain the exceptional geological features of the site and the importance of salt for humanity over the centuries. A tour that will interest both adults and children, bearing in mind that, wearing a miner’s helmet, we will cover half a kilometre of galleries, with stalactites and stalagmites of impossible shapes that have taken centuries to form drop by drop awaiting our arrival.

From the beauty that nature can create we move on to the beauty that human beings can build. Not far from the Salt Mountain, on a hill top, stands Cardona Castle, much of it now used as the national tourist hotel but with many other parts that can be visited, such as the ducal courtyard, the cloister or the round Minyona tower. We recommend that you join a guided tour to explore the interiors of the castle and the adjacent canonical church of Sant Vicenç. You will see a site of unquestionable historical, strategic and cultural importance (the canonical church of Sant Vicenç is considered a masterpiece of early Catalan Romanesque), and also religious significance, as Saint Raymond Nonnatus died here in 1240.

This afternoon we will stay in Cardona. Everything we have seen so far is on the outskirts of the town but the historic centre of Cardona really deserves a long visit. Quite rightly these medieval streets and squares have been declared Cultural Asset of National Interest.

We recommend that you go to Cardona Medieval Centre, in Plaça de la Fira, and join a guided tour. If you prefer to explore alone, we suggest you take Carrer de la Fira, which leads to the square and the chapel of Santa Eulàlia, with a beautiful Gothic front door. There, under an arcade, is the Josep Arnau Salt Museum, which exhibits the work made from salt by this Cardona craftsman. Next we are going take Avinguda del Rastrillo, just in front of the Tourist Office and opposite the castle, but we will go back into the historic centre through Carrer dels Escasany, above and in parallel to Carrer de la Fira. Several half-hidden alleyways link these streets, while the Gothic windows and plaques on the façades of some houses tell us that they have been here for half a millennium. We reach the porticoed Plaça del Mercat, where traders have set out their stalls since the 10th century, and right there is the temple of Sant Miquel, a notable Gothic church with a single nave, and which in the 14th century replaced the old Romanesque building.

Let’s take Carrer del Convent towards the Mirador de les Hortes, where we have a fantastic view of Cardona Castle, some of the town roofs and the surroundings. We are going to the Forn de la Munició park and from here we can take Carrer de Francesc Moragas, and appearing before us in Carrer Major is a magnificent Gothic palace. A little further down, we turn right on Carrer del Teatre and reach Plaça del Vall.

We will spend our last morning in Súria, specifically in the oldest part, the Poble Vell, which we reach it through an arcade. In this medieval Súria, the streets are cobbled and the houses still bear the names they have had for centuries. Wander at leisure along Carrer de Mura, de Sant Climent, Carrer Major... The latter boasts El Casinet, one of the most outstanding buildings, parts of which are on the old wall. You will reach Plaça Major, the centre of the village and site of the old Town Hall, where during the First Carlist War the pretender Carlos V stayed in 1837. Finally, you will come to the church, attached to the castle, the high point of Súria and the origin of everything.

If you still have time and energy, we suggest a nature route to the small village of Coaner. The route is simple, barely six kilometres and can be done in just over 75 minutes. You have to take the Súria Path (PR-C 134) and, following the white and yellow signs, after the 2.60 kilometre point you will find the diversion to Coaner (PR-C 134-1). You will pass by the Font del Ferro spring and along the way you will enjoy leafy pine forests and magnificent views of Rasos de Peguera and Port del Comte. The crowning point of the path is the arrival in Coaner, in the municipal area of Sant Mateu de Bages. It is a beautiful place and of particular architectural interest: the small village still has the Romanesque church of Sant Julià and the sanctuary of the Virgin del Coaner, with a baroque altarpiece. You will also see a round tower that formed part of a medieval castle. Leaving Coaner behind, follow the stream and soon you will rejoin the PR-C 134, at the 3.40 kilometre point, from where you can reach Súria.