The great Catllaràs

The northern slope of the Massif of the Catllaràs is an extensive area practically uninhabited most of the year, beyond the villages.

Between Sant Julià de Cerdanyola, Malanyeu, Sant Jaume de Frontanyà and La Pobla de Lillet, a large square of 30 km2 extends without practically any house permanently inhabited all year round, although there are some establishments open during boom times (such as Falgars).

Livestock is limited to the summer months and there is hardly any cleaning and removal of firewood during the harsh winters in the Catllaràs. But at the beginning of the century there had been several coal mines in this area (as at the beginning of the Ardericó track and in the vicinity of the track that goes up from La Pobla to Falgars) with numerous workers. There were also some farms that lived in the countryside (such as Montclús, Ardericó, Arderiu or Vallfogona). In an age where life in the Catllassos was in very harsh conditions, intense daily activity was developing, with farmers, ranchers, shepherds and miners moving up and down the northern slope of Catllassos, nothing to do with what is currently tourist activities in the area.