Cardona and the Salt Mountain

The Castle of Cardona crowns the promontory on which this community is based, whose golden years were during the Middle Ages thanks to the salt trade. Although the precious mineral was being mined as early as the Neolithic period, it was the Cardona Population Charter, which sets out the perpetual right to mine salt, which ultimately allowed wealth to flood its streets. The mines again became very important in the early twentieth century, and were still in operation until 1990. Following their closure, a cultural park was set up to protect the former mining operation. Today, you can discover the Castle of Cardona and the Salt Mountain Cultural Park through two guided tours and two theatrical tours: “The true story of the Minyona Tower” and “Alchemy Project”: the secret of the Liber Salis. On the first, we will discover the most important spaces of the old city castle, including the church of Sant Vicent and the legends that have emerged between its walls. On the visit to the mine we are accompanied by two scientist explorers following in the footsteps of a fifteenth-century alchemist. It’s very exciting to follow in the miners’ footsteps and enter the galleries, 86 metres deep. Interestingly, Cardona was the location for some of the main scenes from Orson Welles’ film Chimes at Midnight.