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19-398: The northern half of Berguedà, known as Alt Berguedà (“Upper Berguedà”), consists of the upper Llobregat Valley and the mountainous areas surrounding it. Its northern border is a veritable mountain barrier: Berguedà is separated from Cerdanya by a chain of 2,000-meter peaks. These include the mountain ranges of Cadí , Moixeró , Puig d' Alp and Puigllançada . In this area the population

38-419: A key factor in reducing emigration from Alt Berguedà. Many farmhouses have been converted (in whole or in part) to tourism-related uses. The current Berguedà population as of 2019 is 44,632 people. Berguedà is well known for Pedraforca Mountain (traditionally considered a meeting place for witches' covens), for its pastoral and mountain scenery, and for its many Romanesque churches. Another oft-visited sight

57-593: A mere 40,555 today. Currently, industrial activity is located mainly in between Berga and Puig-reig . The opening of the Cadí Tunnel and the general improvement of the roads in recent (as of 2004) years may improve the economic potential of the Llobregat Valley and of Berguedà in general. Agriculture, cattle ranching and forestry have proven generally complementary to one another and compatible with tourism . The growth in tourism has provided some jobs and has been

76-725: A secondary peak, el Calderer , at 2,496.4 m in height. The lower peak, the Pollegó inferior is 2,444.8 m tall, while the Enforcadura' s highest point lies at 2,356.2 m, with a scree field ( tartera in Catalan) on both faces of the mountain. Located within the Cadí-Moixeró Natural Park , Pedraforca has been declared a Natural Site of National Interest by the Generalitat de Catalunya . The closest villages to Pedraforca are Gósol to

95-401: Is 700 to 900 mm (28 to 36 inches), with very little precipitation in the summer. Average annual temperatures fall between 11 and 13 °C, with cold winters, but without excessively hot summers. The naturally occurring vegetation is carrascara ( round-leafed oak , Quercus ilex subsp. rotundifolia ) in dry areas with poor soil and oaks where there is better soil and more rain. In

114-473: Is centered mainly in the Llobregat Valley and the valleys of the rivers Bagà , Bastareny and Saldes . To the east are the mountain ranges of Catllaràs and Rasos de Tubau , to the west the high ranges of Pedraforca , Verd , Ensija and Rasos de Peguera . The more populous Baix Berguedà ("Lower Berguedà") is the southern part of the comarca. It lies along the foothills of the Pyrenees , transitioning into

133-639: Is certainly the Patum , a week-long celebration held in Berga every summer. During the Patum, representations of different mythological beasts and historical figures take to the streets, and concerts and banquets are also organized in the town. Another well-known celebration is the Fia-faia, held every Christmas Eve in Bagà and Sant Julià de Cerdanyola . This pre-Christian tradition marks

152-534: Is heavily managed in its lower course and water that was previously lost to the sea is now pumped upstream to increase the natural flow, recharge the river delta wetlands and control seawater incursion . The main tributaries of the Llobregat are: Pedraforca Pedraforca ( Catalan: [peðɾəˈfɔrkə] ; Spanish: [peðɾaˈfoɾka] ) is a mountain in the Pre-Pyrenees , located in

171-511: Is the Mountain of Queralt (home to a sanctuary housing the Comarca's patroness, Our Lady of Queralt), which is served by many hiking trails and offers views of much of Berguedà and the surrounding comarques. The comarca also boasts many medieval bridges and has preserved many old town centers, most notably those of Berga and Bagà. Berguedà is well known for its many traditional festivals. The most famous

190-531: The comarca of Berguedà . The mountain's rare form, along with the fact that it is not visibly connected to any other adjacent mountains or ridges, has made it one of the most famous and emblematic mountains in Catalonia , the northeasternmost region of Spain . The mountain has a peculiar, forked shape composed of two parallel peaks (the pollegons ) joined by a neck (the enforcadura ). The loftier peak, called Pollegó superior , has an elevation of 2,506.4 m, with

209-428: The center and to the west, Portuguese oak ( Quercus faginea ) dominates, to the west and north downy oak ( Quercus pubescens , syn. Q. humilis ). Nowadays, these are intermixed with Scots pine and Aleppo pine . Berguedà has always been sparsely populated. In 1860 there were 31,544 inhabitants, but by 1887 the population had fallen to a low of 23,257. The 1900 census showed a slight rebound to 27,217 inhabitants. For

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228-572: The limits of Castellar de n'Hug municipality, Berguedà comarca . The total length of the river is over 170 kilometres (110 mi). At Martorell , the Roman Via Augusta crosses the river on the Devil's Bridge , which dates from the High Middle Ages in its current form. The C-16 highway is also known as the 'Llobregat Axis' ( Catalan : Eix del Llobregat ) for its largest stretch follows

247-457: The next 60 years, growing opportunities in mining , textiles , forestry , cattle ranching, and agriculture led to a slow but steady increase, with 39,600 inhabitants in 1930, 41,938 in 1950 and 47,953 in 1960. Then, with a decline in the local economy (especially a fall-off in mining) coinciding with greater opportunity elsewhere, another decline of the economy and population set in, with the population falling to 44,446 in 1970, 42,152 in 1981, and

266-571: The plains of the Catalan Central Depression . In addition to towns of medieval origin such as Gironella , Casserres , or Puig-reig , it includes a large number of industrial colonies built along the Llobregat river after the Industrial Revolution . Alt Berguedà is rainy and (by Catalan standards) cold, with snow in the winter on the higher peaks. Average annual precipitation exceeds 1000 mm (40 inches), mostly in

285-603: The second longest river in Catalonia , Spain , after the Ter . It flows into the Mediterranean south of the city of Barcelona . Its name could have originated in an ancient Latin word meaning 'dark', 'muddy' or 'slippery', or simply from its ancient name Rubricatus , literally 'red'. The Llobregat originates at an elevation of 1,259 metres (4,131 ft) in the Serra del Cadí , within

304-583: The valley of the Llobregat. The river ends in the Mediterranean Sea forming the Llobregat Delta , in the municipality of El Prat de Llobregat , near Barcelona on the left bank. The delta provided a large extension of fertile land close to the city of Barcelona, but is now largely paved, urbanized and covered by infrastructure such as the Barcelona–El Prat international Airport . The Llobregat

323-446: The warmer seasons. The vegetation consists mainly of forests of Scots pine and oak . Shadier areas have European beech and, less often, silver fir . Above 1700 meters, Mountain Pine dominates and above 2200 meters the vegetation consists primarily of alpine meadows. The southern half of Berguedà consists of lower valleys, with a dry Mediterranean climate. Average annual precipitation

342-468: The west and Saldes to the east. Pedraforca marks the boundary between the two municipalities, as well as between the provinces of Barcelona and Lleida . Pedraforca is, along with the mountains of Montserrat and Canigó , one of the emblematic mountains of Catalonia. This fame has made Pedraforca a popular destination for hikers and rock climbers, as well as being used by the comarca of Berguedà in its coat of arms . This Spain -related article

361-399: The winter solstice, with participants carrying lighted bundles of Cephalaria leucanta from a bonfire in the mountains to the west of either town (where the sun is seen to set) to the main square. 42°06′25″N 1°50′18″E  /  42.1069°N 1.83833°E  / 42.1069; 1.83833 Llobregat The Llobregat ( Catalan pronunciation: [ʎuβɾəˈɣat] ) is

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