Reading Life in the Rocks

This project contributes to the dissemination of the natural and cultural heritage of the UNESCO World Geopark Origins, with a community working approach to the territory. The project proposes different actions, in the technical and work aspect, focused on heritage cultural and in the natural-landscape heritage of the counties of "Pallars Jussà" and "Pallars Sobirà". The host municipality will be Salàs de Pallars this year, next to the lake for international young people, it becomes a very surprising, enriching and motivating contrast. The municipalities where the actions are carried out, Salàs de Pallars, Talarn and Baix Pallars, are part of of the Origins Geopark Association. This project links the study and dissemination of the Earth Sciences, given the international relevance of the geological richness of the area, with actions of service to the community, as well as the recovery of the heritage from of the recovery of old techniques. Such is its importance in geological heritage, that this territory has been declared a UNESCO World Geopark. The methodology will br used will be to work in a dual way, with two groups of work, to work in two different spaces simultaneously. Except one day a week that both groups work in the same area: Gerri de la Sal or Salàs del Pallars. Participants will work in three actions: 1. Municipality of Talarn: recovery of the dry-stone walls of the roads, clearing and cleaning of roads, and adaptation of the surroundings of the Calvari hermitage, as a recreation area with the installation of benches and shaded areas. 2. Municipality of Salàs (historical heritage): recovery of the old medieval dry-stone road with a double action; shrub all the vegetation that has made the road completely impassable, and recovery the dry-stone walls that followed much of the way, redoing them with the traditional methodology. Adapt a new path (signage and clearing) to link it and include it in the “hermitage route”, adapt areas close to the Romanesque hermitage to be able to carry out future actions aimed at carring out archaeological excavations. and the restoration of existint architectural elements. 3. Municipality of Baix Pallars (historical and mining heritage): construction of several dry-stone walls of the salt complexes, and cleaning of the drain and around the salt mines.

Participants are going to stay in the nicest lodgment close the lake called el Piolet (https://www.pioletxperience.com/en). Participants will sleep in one room where there are bunk beds. Participants don’t cook because the Lodge proportioned the meals but they will clean dishes and set the table. IMPORTANT: If someone is vegetarian or have some allergies is important to notify on the application form.

The three municipalities that participate in the project and in which the visits and activities are carried out are part of the Orígens UNESCO Global Geopark, a unique territory that explains the last 500 million of years of the story of our planet Earth. The municipality of Talarn is located on the right bank of the Noguera Pallaresa and surrounds the town of Tremp. Mainly flat around the water of the Sant Antoni reservoir, this is an ideal spot for the practice of water sports. Salàs has been historically an important village in the region, in the 14th century it was already authorised to celebrate an annual cattle fair which has been a reference throughout the centuries. Nowadays, this fair has become the Remembrance Day of the Salàs Fair in the beginning of November. Salàs de Pallars has kept its medieval features and still conserves three gates from this period. Nowadays, thanks to the work carried out to valorise its historical and ethnological heritage, Salàs has a remarkable exhibition of museum-shops, which reproduce the atmosphere in shops as they were in the past. The municipality of Baix Pallars is working to highlight its cultural heritage as the main axis of its econòmic and social development. Has an important and wide range of heritage resources, both from a historical and landscape point of view in the almost 130km2 of the municipality. Some of these heritage elements attract a large number of visitors each year, starting with the points of interest of Gerri de la Sal, such as its old town, the Salt Museum, located in Alfolí, the civil building, largest of the Pallars Sobirà, tha Salins, and also the Historical complex of Peramea, or the Lake of Montcortés. Some leisure activities will be: - Visit to Epicentre, visitors centre of the Geopark in Tremp; the main tourist information in the area and a space that shows the values of the local cultural and natural heritage. An opportunity to live an attractive cultural experience, discover the charms of the region and feel motivated to find out about the landscapes, the historic heritage, the resources, the products, and the services of the region (https://www.pallarsjussa.net/en/cultural-heritage/epicentre-visitors-center). - Visit to Shop Museum in Salàs de Pallars: guided tour for different ancient stores. Spaces that evoke the old shops set in th 50s of the twentith century and where you can find ephemeral objects related to the daily life of postwar Spain, as well as good sample of commercial advertising where graphic design was very important. The visit includesa barber shop, a pharmacy, a grocery (storehttps://botiguesmuseusalas.cat/es/). - Visit to the vineyards and wineries of the private houses of Talarn. - Conca Dellà Museum. - Excursion to Mont-rebei gorge. - Visit the Gerri Museum, dedicated to the world of Salt. - Visit to Puigcercós Vell. - Departure to Montcortés and guided tour of the town of Peramea. Visit by Lo vent de Port Cultural association. - Visit to Parc Astronòmic del Montsec (PAM), is located in the village of Àger in one of the least polluted enviroments in Southern Europe (https://www.parcastronomic.cat/visita-nocturna?lang=en) - All participants will also have access to the lake, pool and free time to relax.