Once in Cardona, a visit to the Salt Mountain is a must, and not just because it has become the symbol of the population, this mountain is a unique phenomenon in Europe that came naturally ago about 40 million years, at the same time as the formation of the Pyrenees.

"Montaña de Sal" (the Salt Mountain), which already worked in Roman times, was a mine in operation for most of the twentieth century. In 1990, as a result of industrial development, mining activity is over and the mountain opened to the public. Currently, both the salt mines as the Castle of Cardona, located at the entrance of the population (viewed from the C -55A), receive many visitors.

Inside the mountain

The process by which salt will make its way through the rocks and reach the surface adopting various forms is known as diapir. Currently, the Cardona diapir is active, which means that the salt level of the mountain is growing at about 3 or 4 cm each year.

You can explore the mine with 4x4 guided tours. This is where the show of stalactites and stalagmites created by the salt with the passage of time begins. They have acquired many different profiles and colors of all ranges. In total, 400 m long and 800 m deep that are distributed in galleries. Each has a different name: the Sistine Chapel for the beauty of its tone, the Coral in form of circle or Santa Barbara because it still has a figure of the patron saint of miners. During the tour everything that refers to the natural creation of these caves is explained and visitors are shown the different types of salt that is mined - not all salts have the same applications: some are used to make soap, others as fertilizer and even just some salts as components of explosives. On the other hand, it is not hard to see the hidden corners of a bat that has been found in the mountain its perfect habitat.

A castle with a legend

From the mine and on the way to the center of the population you may find the Cardona castle. Constructed in 886 by order of Guifré el Pilós, is an excellent combination of Romanesque and Gothic. Since 1976 it has been a "Parador" (state-run tourist hotel), but you can visit the walled enclosure and move to the canonical San Vincente, an example of early Romanesque in Catalunya which was consecrated in 1040 and has been declared a national monument.

Not daring to say that Cardona Castle is famous worldwide. And, even it has been visited by Hollywood celebrities: Orson Welles was seduced by the castle in a visit to Bages, and among all the world's fortresses, Cardona was chosen to shoot some sequences of Falstaff. There are also some legends. Thus, the current room 712 is known as the ghost stanza, as many guests have reported seeing at night the figure of a character dressed in monk who walks in the shadows, and even some argue that the furniture in the room change place.

* Text from the RACC GUIDE FOR RURAL TURISME 1.