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Saldes Castle, strategically situated in the Pyrenees, is first mentioned in historical records between 1068 and 1095, when Galceran, son of Sicardis, swore loyalty to Guillem Ramon, count of Cerdanya. The site of Saldes had already appeared in 839 in the act of consecration for the cathedral of Urgell, confirming its longstanding regional significance. In the subsequent centuries, the castle played a key role in the feudal dynamics of Catalonia. Control shifted between powerful noble families, most notably the Pinós lineage from the 12th century, and at times the counts of Barcelona. The castle was the scene of legal controversies, donations, and leases, reflecting the fluid nature of medieval land tenure. Throughout the 14th century, various administrative changes and construction activities took place, including repair work on the lord’s residence and census records of its population. By the 17th century, ownership passed to the Duke of Alba, and the castle's significance diminished. Restoration and archaeological work began in the mid-20th century, culminating in further excavations and conservation in 2001 that revealed architectural details such as the slab flooring. The Saldes castle complex is made up of a series of buildings and structures: 1) The church of Santa Maria is located in the easternmost corner of the casteller enclosure, it is a Romanesque building, documented from 1288, which initially consisted of a single nave covered with a pointed barrel vault, topped by a semicircular apse with the door to the south and crowned to the west by a one-eyed chair bell tower. In modern times the building would undergo modifications such as the opening of a new opening to the west with a linteled door and wooden beam, the apse took on an oval shape and was covered with ceramic tiles. 2) The fortified body is the most important remnant of the castle, preserved on the opposite side of the chapel. It is a rectangular body 14.25 m long and between 5.9 and 6.2 m wide, structured on two levels. The north wing outbuildings are to the north of the fortified body and there are remains of walls and natural rock carvings that indicate the use of this space as secondary outbuildings with the wall as an external wall, attached to the residential body on the south side. Two levels can be distinguished: the lower one formed by a room covered with an ogival vault, and the upper one, half ruined. The lower body consists of a room with an access door to the east that is the result of a modern renovation, and the southern wall preserves three loopholes, although it has no roof. Of the upper floor, located above this vault, only some perimeter walls remain that allow us to find out that it was divided into several rooms and in which loopholes are also preserved. 3) The courtyard is to the east of the residential body, it is a large open space delimited to the south by the walled enclosure, to the east by the chapel and to the north by a building of large proportions. 4) The walled perimeter is preserved in fairly good condition with considerable heights on the south and west sides of the sovereign enclosure.
La Dou del Bastareny
There is parking.
Prat de Cadí, an ancient lake of glacial origin filled with sediments, now converted into a majestic meadow at the foot of the north face of the Cadí mountain range. Access by the Estana - Prat de Cadí - Canal del Cristall route: The total length of the route is 12 km, with an elevation gain of 1,100 m, and the journey requires approximately 5 hours for the ascent and descent. The excursion begins in Martinet, an area where the granite base of the axial Pyrenees is visible, and continues upwards along the road to Estana. Along this path, the route traverses the entire sequence of pre-Hercynian Devonian rocks, which have been displaced southward during the movement of the Cadí mantle. Travelers must pass through the village of Estana and park their vehicle at the Pallers pass parking area, situated at the edge of the natural park. By car, part of the significant elevation difference between the Cerdanya plain and the Cadí ridge is already overcome; this topographical transition mainly results from the subsidence of Cerdanya roughly 10 million years ago during the Miocene, which was shaped by a complex fault system.
Places of interest: Fonts del Llobregat. These are underground water springs, fed by snow and rain water. Church of Santa Maria de Castellar de n'Hug. It is a Romanesque church that preserves the characteristic bell tower, a four-storey tower with semi-circular arch windows and a 12th-century door with Romanesque fittings. It was transformed in the neoclassical era. Church of Sant Vicenç de Rus. It is an 11th-century Romanesque building, consecrated in 1106. It consists of a single nave, barrel vault and semicircular apse that shows Lombard arches on the outside. Completely renovated, it displays paintings from the 12th and 14th centuries. Asland Cement Factory, located in Clot del Moro, a municipal district of Castellar de n'Hug. It was a modernist factory promoted in 1901 by Eusebi Güell and Bacigalupi. It was the first industrial cement factory in Catalonia, and remained operational until 1975. In 1992, it was converted into the Asland Cement Museum, which is attached to the Museum of Science and Technology of Catalonia. In 2005 it was declared a Cultural Asset of National Interest. The Shepherd's House, also known as the Shepherd's Museum, with the history of this sector.