Located on the northern side of the Pallàrs Sobirà, is Gerri de la Sal, a small medieval village that still retains its enclosure and which is noted for its industrial and architectural heritage: the alfolí, or salt storehouse, and the Monastery of Santa Maria.

The exploitation of the source of the salt, was, until recently, the main economic driving force for this town, which is reflected in its name. As a witness to this industrial past, the Casa de la sal or the Reial Alfolí de Gerri, the Royal warehouse, where the salt was extracted, treated and stored from the Middle Ages, remain. Considered to have the largest floor plan of any civil building in Pallars, it now houses the Museum of Gerri de la Sal.

The cultural interest of the complex is completed with the remains of an example of the Catalan Romanesque in its purest form: the Monastery of Santa Maria, which lies just outside the village.

Dedicated to the Benedictine order in 1149, it soon became an important evangelical centre for the Bishop of Urgell and also one of the richest. But at the end of the 12th century the Counts withdrew support for the monastery, and took its land and properties. The economic problems and the disputes led to the depopulation of its domains and it was finally deconsecrated in 1835. Of the monastery, now only the Church with the atrium or entrance porch remains. Inside you can see up to 30 decorated capitals.