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Catalonia has a rich heritage, and all around there are pathways and constructions that are full of history. We are referring to the country's dry stone constructions, examples of an outstanding technique used in traditional architecture. As the name would suggest, it involves the use of stones, available in abundance throughout the countryside.

 

The technique consists of building by placing stone upon stone without using any other material, such as plaster or cement, to bond them together, the soundness of the construction deriving from the correct positioning of the stones. While it might seem simple it is, in fact, a traditional technique that calls for a high degree of knowhow and expertise, and today there are those who still devote themselves to this art.

A manual to get to know this technique through easy-to-understand explanations is Parets de pedra seca. Manual per a la construcció i la reparació. (Dry Stone Walls. Construction and Repair Manual). This book published in Switzerland can now be read in Catalan, thanks to the El Solà Foundation and the ‘Editorial Andorra’ publishing company.

Over the years, dry stone constructions have played an important role in agriculture, animal husbandry, the provision of water, forestry and land communications. While they all use the same main material, stone, the constructions are very different from each other depending on their purpose, the kind of stone available and the local building techniques. Every construction has its own raison d'etre.

 

Sheds are one of the most frequent kinds of structure. They were used to provide shelter from the rain and other inclemencies for people working in the countryside. They also provided a place for people to warm themselves around a fire in winter as well as providing cool and shade in the summer. They were also used as storerooms and as places to shelter livestock. There are various kinds of shed, such as huts, shelters and caves and they can be circular, square, rectangular and can have barrel vaulted roofs.  

Other kinds of construction are the cisterns meant for collecting rainwater, folds or pens for keeping animals, and the tubs and vats used in wine production. All this variety, and each builder's personal artistic touch, means that every construction is unique.

Throughout the districts of Les Terres de Ponent, Les Terres de l’Ebre, El Camp de Tarragona, La Conca de Barberà and El Priorat, numerous constructions can be seen with the most curious shapes. Why is this? These districts have relatively little rainfall and water is a scarce resource, as a consequence of which these districts display an outstanding heritage with regard to water conservation consisting of cisterns, mini reservoirs, dams, wells and waterwheels, amongst other facilities for capturing rainwater and accessing water from the water table, of key importance for agricultural work. 

 

At present more than 32,000 dry stone constructions have been catalogued in Catalonia, some of which have been declared Features of National Cultural Interest. Such is the case with the Jaume de la Cota stone shed in Mont-roig del Camp (Baix Camp), one of the largest in Catalonia, with an interior height of 3.9 metres and a diameter of 4.1 metres, dimensions that merit the sobriquet of "The Cathedral". Another record-breaking construction is the Mas Llauradó hut in Aitona (Segrià). It covers an internal space of 200 square metres and is 5.6 metres high, making it the largest barrel vaulted dry stone construction in Catalonia. It is so big that a tractor can turn round in it.

 

Not all the constructions declared to be Features of National Cultural Interest are dry stone sheds, however. Some thirteen stone vats have been awarded this distinction, all of them located in the municipalities Mura, El Pont de Vilomara i Rocafort, and Talamanca, and it is in Talamanca, in the district of Bagès, that there is one of the best preserved ensembles of such stone vats. There are seven of them in all and they were collectively built for the production of wine between the 18th and 19th centuries. Such vats were often built within the towns and underground, but the Casa de les Tines in Talamanca was built amongst the vines and on the surface. The Bessó terrace-retaining wall in Vinaixa (Garrigues) is also outstanding. With a length of 128 metres it is one of the longest. The qanat in L’Estany (Moianès), an underground aqueduct, is the only example of such a construction in Catalonia and extends for 435 metres.