Cardona, the salt of history

Salt production and the Vall Salina (salt valley) are the reason Cardona exists
and the source of the glory of its past. Its municipal charter, one of the oldest in Europe,
sets forth the right of the villagers to extract salt indefinitely.
The castle, the undefeated fortress, last bastion of Catalan freedoms,
was the seat of the powerful lineage of the count-dukes of Cardona, “the uncrowned kings”,
rich salt barons related to the most prominent European families.
Around the rich salt deposits and strategic crossing of roads, a medieval town grew up,
which was governed by merchants and muleteers who built Cardona’s historic centre,
which today is declared a cultural asset of national interest.