La Pobla de Lillet
La Pobla de Lillet is a village in the Alt Berguedà with the river Llobregat running through it. According to the Town Council, the village stands at 843 metres, and the municipality borders Castellar de n'Hug to the north, Gombrèn and Sant Jaume de Frontanyà to the east, Guardiola de Berguedà to the west and Castell de l'Areny and Les Llosses to the south.
It is a village with a birth date: on 15 April 1297 the lords of Mataplana granted a settlement charter to anyone willing to live by the river. Seven centuries later it keeps the same layout, with the church at the top of the hill and three stone bridges over the Llobregat.
A great deal is packed into a few kilometres around it: two works by Antoni Gaudí, the old Asland cement works and the train that served it, the springs where the Llobregat rises, a Romanesque monastery with a round church, and the protected Catllaràs range, with its coal mines and the Falgars sanctuary.
Each place on this page has its own guide, with the routes we take by car and on foot, the exact spot with GPS coordinates and our own photographs, taken on the ground by Josep Heras Gomis.
Old town of La Pobla de Lillet
The old town fits into a few hundred metres: a hill with the church and the site of the Mataplana castle at the top, and the Llobregat below, crossed by three stone bridges. All the points are within 200 metres of each other.
The parish church of Santa Maria is Baroque, completed in 1784, and its high altar holds the Majestat de Lillet, a Romanesque Christ in polychrome wood from the first half of the 12th century that came from the Santa Maria monastery. The Pont Vell is a Gothic bridge from the 14th century, and next to it are the Pont del Magret and the Pont de la Petita; the Pont Vell and the Pont de la Petita are listed as Cultural Assets of Local Interest.
Leave the car in the car park in front of the town hall and walk up. We describe it point by point in our guide to the old town of La Pobla de Lillet.
Sant Jaume de Frontanyà
One of the smallest villages in Catalonia, in a privileged natural enclave. Located in the Berguedà region, Sant Jaume de Frontanyà is surrounded by tributaries of the Merlès stream.
Its Romanesque church, from the late 11th century, was the seat of a community of canons between 1140 and 1592; it was declared a monument in 1931 and is now a National Cultural Asset. The village stands at 1,072 m, surrounded by pine woods and pastures, and is the end point of our route across the Catllaràs range.
Castellar de n'Hug
Castellar de n'Hug is the municipality bordering La Pobla de Lillet to the north, at the head of the Llobregat valley. The village stands at close to 1,400 metres, and the river rises within its boundaries.
Since 1962 it has hosted the International Sheepdog Trials (Concurs Internacional de Gossos d'Atura), which grew out of gatherings of local shepherds competing to see who had the best dog. For the dates of each year's event, check the Castellar de n'Hug tourism website.
Castellar also has two visits you reach from La Pobla along the same road: the Fonts del Llobregat, with the Romanesque chapel of Sant Vicenç de Rus on the way, and the old Asland works at the Clot del Moro, now the Asland Cement Museum.
Serra del Catllaràs
The Catllaràs is a limestone range in the Alt Berguedà, running east to west just south of the Cadí-Moixeró. It has been part of Catalonia's Plan of Areas of Natural Interest since 1992 and belongs to the Natura 2000 network; according to the Barcelona Provincial Council's cultural heritage map, the protected area covers 5,605 hectares across eight municipalities.
Within a few kilometres you go from Scots pine on the lower slopes to mountain pine higher up and beech woods with box on the shady sides. The red deer is the largest mammal in the range, which is also home to wildcat, chamois, wild boar, golden eagle and peregrine falcon. One of its highest points, the Pedró, is above 1,750 metres, and from viewpoints such as the Roca de la Lluna you can see the Pedraforca and the Cadí.
From La Pobla you enter from the north: next to the Santa Maria de Lillet monastery a track heads west and, after about 4 km, reaches a junction leading to the Xalet del Catllaràs; the other way in is the Falgars road. The full crossing, from Castell de l'Areny to Sant Jaume de Frontanyà, is in our guide to the Serra del Catllaràs.
The Xalet and the Catllaràs mines
In the heart of the Catllaràs, at 1,370 metres, in a meadow ringed by pines, stands the Xalet: the house Eusebi Güell had built for the technicians of the coal mines that fed his cement works at the Clot del Moro. It was built in the early 20th century, at the time Gaudí was working for Güell in La Pobla; the sources do not agree on the exact year.
In February 2026 a study commissioned by the Catalan Government's Department of Culture confirmed that Antoni Gaudí designed the project, although he did not direct the works and what was built did not follow his plans exactly. The most striking feature is the roof: a vault that is pointed outside and catenary inside, coming down almost to the ground, with an outside staircase in the middle of the façade.
It has been municipal property since 1932, was restored in 2018 and is listed as a Cultural Asset of Local Interest. According to the La Pobla tourism website, at present it can only be seen from outside. You reach it along the track from the Santa Maria de Lillet monastery; the details, the shelter, the spring and the well are in our guide to the Xalet del Catllaràs.
The Xalet only makes sense alongside the mines. The kilns of the Asland works burned coal from the northern side of the Catllaràs, and Asland bought and worked a good share of the mines in the range. To bring the coal down, a network of aerial cableways was built: the main cable, in service from 1907, was 2,013 metres long with a 444-metre drop and ran down to the Empalme station, where the coal was loaded onto the narrow-gauge line up to the works. According to the heritage records, Asland's mining in the Catllaràs lasted until 1922.
Today mine entrances, shafts, hoppers and cableway footings lie hidden in the woods. The Xalet, Cable and Arderiu mines are a few metres from the Xalet; for the Moreno and Teixó sector you park at the Prat Gespador. Never go into the galleries: the heritage records note rockfalls inside several of them. The ten points, with how to reach each, are in our guide to the Catllaràs coal mines.
The Tren del Ciment
The Tren del Ciment (Cement Train) runs along a restored section of the old narrow-gauge line, just 60 centimetres wide, that linked the Asland works at the Clot del Moro with Guardiola de Berguedà. At first it served only the works; from 1 August 1914 it also carried passengers, and the last run was in 1963.
In July 2005 it came back as a tourist train. It is run by Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC), with a diesel locomotive, and stops at:
- La Pobla de Lillet, the departure station, with a museum of railway rolling stock
- La Pobla Centre
- Jardins Artigas
- Museu del Ciment, in Castellar de n'Hug
Timetables, fares and operating days are on the official FGC website. Where to park and how to combine it with the visits is in our guide to the Tren del Ciment.
Jardins Artigas
While he was working on the Xalet, Gaudí stayed with the textile industrialist Joan Artigas i Alart and, in gratitude, designed the garden in front of his house. It is the architect's other mark on La Pobla, a little over a kilometre north of the old town; it was made in the first years of the 20th century, although the sources do not agree on the year.
The Llobregat flows through the garden and everything is arranged around the water: the Pont dels Arcs, a second bridge with steps, a raised gazebo that works as a lookout, a grotto with arches, a waterfall, several fountains and figures of the four Evangelists, an eagle, a lion and snakes. Railings and benches imitate trunks and branches. The garden was abandoned for decades and restored in the early 1990s.
It takes about 40 minutes to see and is not adapted for people with reduced mobility. You can get there by car or on the Tren del Ciment; opening times are on the La Pobla tourism website. More in our guide to the Jardins Artigas.
Fonts del Llobregat
In Castellar de n'Hug, at 1,291 metres according to our GPS, the Llobregat comes straight out of the limestone in several jets that tumble between moss-covered boulders. The water is rain and snow stored on the nearby peaks, which is why the springs are at their best after heavy rain and during the spring thaw.
From La Pobla you take the BV-4031 road, past the Clot del Moro and the Romanesque chapel of Sant Vicenç de Rus. Next to the Molí de les Fonts there is a large car park, and from there a cobbled path with plenty of steps climbs about 150 metres in a straight line and almost 40 metres in height. You can also walk from the village of Castellar along a waymarked path of about 2 km.
The seven stops along the way are in our guide to the Fonts del Llobregat.
Santa Maria de Lillet monastery and Sant Miquel rotunda
1.5 km east of the village, outside the built-up area, is the monastery of Santa Maria de Lillet. You reach it along the B-402 towards Ripoll, taking the signposted turning on the right after about 1 km. It is already named in a document of 819, and the first church was consecrated in 833. Shortly before 1086 a community of Augustinian canons settled here, secularised in 1592. The present church is mostly 11th century and is listed as a National Cultural Asset.
About 150 metres away, on a small mound, is the Rotonda de Sant Miquel, a round church with a semicircular apse, only 6.5 metres across outside and 4.7 inside. An inscription above the altar mentions a consecration on 9 May 1000, but the reference work Catalunya Romànica considers it modern and unfounded and dates the building to the late 11th or early 12th century; the first reliable written mention is from 1166.
To see inside the monastery you need to arrange it with the tourist office. The visit, together with the Castell Vell de Lillet, is in our guide to the Santa Maria de Lillet monastery and the Sant Miquel rotunda.
Falgars Sanctuary
Falgars is a shelf of open ground high in the hills, at almost 1,300 metres, south-west of La Pobla. The Marian sanctuary is made up of the church and the pilgrims' hostel, in a single block with thick stone walls, a gabled roof of Arab tiles and some vaulted rooms. Next to it there is a hostel and restaurant.
The name Falgars already appears in a document of 985, and rebuilding of the present church began in 1646. It holds a Gothic statue of the Virgin in polychrome alabaster, which broke into four pieces in 1936 and was later restored. It is listed as a Cultural Asset of Local Interest.
From the Mirador del Pedraforca, at the west end of the clearing, you see the Pedraforca, and from the Mirador Joan Casanova, La Pobla and the Cadí. You can drive up by the road from La Pobla or by the Catllaràs track. The cave of the legend and the viewpoints are in our guide to Falgars Sanctuary.
Asland Cement Museum
At the Clot del Moro, in the municipality of Castellar de n'Hug, the old Asland works looks from the road like a whole hillside of walls, arches and halls stepped above the Llobregat valley. It was the first Portland cement works in Catalonia: Eusebi Güell founded the Asland company in 1901, the works started up in 1904 and closed in 1975.
Today it is the Museu del Ciment Asland, one of the sites of the National Museum of Science and Technology of Catalonia (mNACTEC), and in June 2005 the works and its surroundings were declared a National Cultural Asset. By car from La Pobla you cross the Llobregat towards Ripoll and take the turning for Castellar de n'Hug, or you can come on the Tren del Ciment, which ends here. For opening times and prices, check the museum's website.
The visit and the history of the works are in our guide to the Asland Cement Museum.
Where to stay in La Pobla de Lillet
Our three places to stay are in La Pobla de Lillet, within walking distance of the old town and a short drive from everything on this page. They are let whole and take pets at no extra cost:
- Tríplex Cadí: 150 m² on three floors, 5 bedrooms, a fireplace and a wood-fired range.
- Catllaràs Apartment: for 4 people, with 2 bedrooms.
- Adapted apartment: prepared for guests with reduced mobility.
Frequently asked questions about La Pobla de Lillet and around
Which works by Gaudí can you see in La Pobla de Lillet?
Two: the Jardins Artigas, in the village itself, a little over a kilometre north of the old town, and the Xalet del Catllaràs, at 1,370 metres in the hills, whose design a 2026 study for the Catalan Government confirmed as Gaudí's. According to the La Pobla tourism website, the Xalet can currently only be seen from outside.
Is the Sant Miquel rotunda in the old town?
No. It stands next to the Santa Maria de Lillet monastery, about 1.5 km east of the village and some 150 metres from the monastery. An inscription mentions a consecration in the year 1000, but Catalunya Romànica considers it modern and dates the rotunda to the late 11th or early 12th century.
Where does the Llobregat rise and how do you get there?
At the Fonts del Llobregat, in the municipality of Castellar de n'Hug, at 1,291 metres. From La Pobla take the BV-4031 to the Molí de les Fonts car park; from there a cobbled path with steps climbs about 40 metres to the source.
What is the Tren del Ciment and where can I check the timetable?
It is a narrow-gauge tourist train running along part of the old Asland works line: it leaves from La Pobla de Lillet, stops at La Pobla Centre and the Jardins Artigas and ends at the Museu del Ciment. It is run by FGC, and timetables and fares are on its official website.
What is there to see in the old town of La Pobla de Lillet?
The Baroque parish church of Santa Maria, completed in 1784, with the 12th-century Romanesque Majestat; the site of the Mataplana castle; and three stone bridges over the Llobregat, including the 14th-century Gothic Pont Vell. Everything is within 200 metres. More in our guide to the old town.
Where to stay in La Pobla de Lillet?
We have three places in the village: the Tríplex Cadí (150 m², 5 bedrooms), the Catllaràs Apartment (4 people) and an apartment adapted for guests with reduced mobility. They are let whole and take pets at no extra cost.