A cement works terraced above the Llobregat
From the Castellar de n'Hug road, the old Asland works looks like a whole hillside of walls, arches and ruined halls, one above the other, over the Llobregat valley.
It was the first Portland cement factory in Catalonia. Eusebi Güell founded it at the beginning of the twentieth century, it worked until 1975 and today it is the Museu del Ciment Asland, one of the sites of the National Museum of Science and Technology of Catalonia (mNACTEC). It stands at the Clot del Moro, in the municipality of Castellar de n'Hug, a few kilometres from La Pobla de Lillet.
On this page we explain how to get there by car and where to stop, what you see on the visit, the refuge next door and, at the end, the history of the works. If you would rather arrive by train, the ride has its own page: the Tren del Ciment.
Travelled and photographed by Josep Heras Gomis, who has a house at the masia del Pati in Borredà and explores the Vall de Lillet and the Catllaràs range every season. The museum and the Refugi Quatre Cases are two points on his route La Pobla de Lillet - Fonts del Llobregat - Serra de Catllaràs, published on Wikiloc and included in his 2018 book. The historical data come from the Museu del Ciment itself, from the Generalitat de Catalunya's Patrimoni Cultural and from Espais Recobrats (links at the end of the page). Last revised: September 2026.
Getting there from La Pobla de Lillet
We always come from the Jardins Artigas, which is the logical order of the route. From the gardens you head back towards La Pobla de Lillet and, this time, cross the Llobregat towards Ripoll. After about 300 metres the signposted turning for Castellar de n'Hug branches off to the left.
Some 3 km further on, the sign for the Museu del Ciment appears on the left. Once you take the turning you come first to the Refugi Quatre Cases and, about 100 metres on, to the works. The whole way is by road.
The other way to get there is without a car: the Tren del Ciment leaves from La Pobla station and ends right here, at the Clot del Moro.
A tip from someone who has done the whole route in a day: the visit to the works, like the train ride, is one of those that take up the most time. If you are short of time, it is better to leave it for another day than to rush it between other stops.
The two points at the Clot del Moro
| Point | What it is | Municipality | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Museu del Ciment Asland | Former Portland cement works, now an mNACTEC museum | Castellar de n'Hug | 42.260416, 1.977999 |
| Refugi Quatre Cases | Refuge and lodging next to the museum | Castellar de n'Hug | 42.262180, 1.980292 |
Both are on the same turning off the BV-4031, the road that climbs from La Pobla de Lillet to Castellar de n'Hug and the Fonts del Llobregat.
Museu del Ciment Asland
The visit has two parts. It begins in the old room where the cement was bagged, now an exhibition. There, in order, it explains the history of lime mortar, the Catalan vault, hydraulic cement and Portland cement, how the works was built and how cement was made. It is a very visual introduction, with panels and models: in the photo, a model of a rotary kiln with the raw materials in baskets in front of each stage of the process.
Then you go out into the ruins, which are the best part. The route passes through the clinker galleries, the conveyor belts, the bucket elevator, the clinker store and the wagon gallery, and reaches the area where the three rotary kilns stood. You also see the inclined plane up which the coal was hauled, the turbine room, the electricians' workshop and the analysis laboratory.
The works was built in terraces, following the slope, to harness the power of the Llobregat's water, and you notice it on the visit: the halls sit at different levels, one above another. For opening times, prices and guided tours, check the museum's official website before you go.
Getting there: from La Pobla de Lillet cross the Llobregat towards Ripoll and after about 300 metres take the turning on the left for Castellar de n'Hug. About 3 km on is the sign for the museum on the left; the works is some 100 metres past the Refugi Quatre Cases.
Coordinates: 42.260416, 1.977999 · 950 m above sea level · open in map
Inside the halls
The halls keep the scale of the works. In some of them there is no machinery left and what impresses is the sheer volume: towering walls stained by time, light coming in through the high windows and a gravel path crossing the uneven floor, between blocks of rock, to an arched doorway.
Outside, by the entrance, large pieces of machinery are on display, such as a huge riveted steel cylinder. And from the road you can see another of the most striking elements of the complex: a large concrete structure with a row of arches along the top.
It is a visit best enjoyed without hurrying and in comfortable shoes, because you are walking through the inside of a ruined industrial building rather than a conventional museum gallery.
Refugi Quatre Cases
Just before you reach the museum, at the same spot of the Clot del Moro, stands the Refugi Quatre Cases. It offers double and group rooms, home cooking, a bar, a large terrace and meadows where you can camp, all surrounded by pine woods. The rivers around it carry the water of the Fonts del Llobregat and some people come here to fish.
We include it because it is right next to the museum and makes a practical stop for a meal or a drink at the same spot before or after the visit. To book or check opening times, contact the refuge directly.
Getting there: by the same turning as the museum; the refuge appears just before you reach the works.
Coordinates: 42.262180, 1.980292 · 974 m above sea level · open in map
Arriving on the Tren del Ciment
The Clot del Moro is the last stop of the Tren del Ciment, the narrow-gauge tourist train that leaves from La Pobla de Lillet and stops on the way at the Jardins Artigas. It is the easiest way to link the two visits without moving the car: you park at La Pobla station and make the return trip.
The track is not here by chance. The works had its own railway, 60 centimetres wide, to carry the cement down to Guardiola de Berguedà, and today's tourist train uses a restored stretch of that line. Its history, the departure station and its locomotive museum are covered on the train's page.
History of the Asland works
In 1901 the industrialist Eusebi Güell, Gaudí's patron, founded the Companyia General d'Asfalts i Portland, known as Asland, together with Joaquim d'Abadal, Manel Arnús and Lluís Ferrer-Vidal, and that same year began building the works at the Clot del Moro. He chose this spot, near the Fonts del Llobregat, for the limestone soils of the area, impregnated with bituminous matter, which then seemed ideal for Portland cement, and for the river water, from which the works obtained a concession for a waterfall.
The works came into operation in 1904. It was the first Portland cement factory in Catalonia and was enlarged in 1909 and 1911 with new rotary kilns. The museum attributes the design of the building to Rafael Guastavino, who combined Portland cement with the flat-brick construction of the Catalan vault; other sources state that the industrial design was by the American firm Allis-Chalmers and that Guastavino advised on the vaults.
The kilns needed coal, and it came from the Catllaràs mines, owned by Güell, who commissioned Gaudí to design the Xalet de Catllaràs to house the engineers. To get the cement out, the company built its own railway down to Guardiola de Berguedà, the origin of today's Tren del Ciment.
The works ran until 1975, when production costs, driven up by distance and transport, forced it to close. It later passed to the Generalitat de Catalunya, which restored part of it to house the museum, attached to the mNACTEC. In June 2005 the works and its surroundings were declared a Cultural Asset of National Interest.
Sources: Museu del Ciment, history, Patrimoni Cultural, Generalitat de Catalunya and Espais Recobrats.
Carrying on with the route and where to stay
From the museum, the natural thing is to carry on up the BV-4031 towards Castellar de n'Hug. After about 2 km the turning for Sant Vicenç de Rus branches off to the right, with its Romanesque chapel visible from the road, and a little higher up you reach the Fonts del Llobregat, the source of the river that drove the works' turbine. On the way back, the old town of La Pobla de Lillet is worth a stroll.
Our three places to stay in La Pobla de Lillet are let whole and take pets at no extra cost:
- Cadí Triplex: 150 m² over three floors, with 5 bedrooms, a fireplace and a wood-burning range.
- Catllaràs Apartment: for 4 people, with 2 bedrooms.
- Adapted apartment: designed for people with reduced mobility.
Frequently asked questions about the Asland Cement Museum
Where is the Asland Cement Museum?
At the Clot del Moro, in the municipality of Castellar de n'Hug (Berguedà), a few kilometres from La Pobla de Lillet, beside the road that climbs towards Castellar de n'Hug and the Fonts del Llobregat.
Who founded the works and when did it operate?
It was promoted by Eusebi Güell through the Asland company, founded in 1901. The works came into operation in 1904, was the first Portland cement factory in Catalonia and closed in 1975.
Who was the architect?
The museum attributes the design to Rafael Guastavino, known for the Catalan vault. Other sources state that the industrial design was by the American firm Allis-Chalmers and that Guastavino advised on building the vaults.
What do you see on the visit?
An exhibition in the old bagging room on the history of cement and how it was made, followed by the ruins of the works: clinker galleries, conveyor belts, the rotary kiln area, the coal incline, the turbine room and the laboratory.
Can you get there by train?
Yes. The Tren del Ciment, run by FGC, leaves from La Pobla de Lillet station and ends at the Clot del Moro, next to the museum. Timetables and fares are on the official FGC website.
What is its link with the Catllaràs mines and with Gaudí?
The coal for the kilns came from the Catllaràs mines, owned by Güell, who commissioned Gaudí to design the Xalet de Catllaràs to house the mine engineers. During his stay in the valley, Gaudí also designed the Jardins Artigas.