Calders – Castle, Nature and Hiking Trails

Calders is home to Calders Castle, which served to defend the Calders area and has been documented since 956; the present structure may date back to the 11th century.

History and Industrial Culture

Calders Castle is an excavated and consolidated archaeological site. Colònia Jorba is an industrial colony on a meander of the Calders River, with three factory buildings, a dam, a canal, a turbine and workers’ housing.

The Resclosa de Manganell was used to divert water to the Manganell textile factory, also known as Colònia Jorba. The present-day church of Colònia Jorba was built near Manganell in 1944, after the Spanish Civil War left Sant Pere de Viladecavalls in ruins.

The Colònia Jorba factory was built from 1892 onwards in the municipality of Viladecavalls on the initiative of entrepreneur Pere Jorba i Gassó; a power station was built near the colony in 1906.

Pou de gel. La Poua is an underground circular structure on a heavily shaded slope, with a hemispherical vault.

Nature by the Calders River

The Vall de la riera de Calders i les Tàpies is a natural area dominated by Aleppo pine, black pine and oak forests, ten meanders and small waterfalls.

The Vall de la riera de Calders i les Tàpies is home to marine fossils from the second half of the Eocene, as well as carp, white-throated dippers, grey herons and mallards.

At the meander of the Calders River, there is a purpose-built viewpoint overlooking a hill surrounded by fields, with the remains of Calders Castle on its summit.

Paths and Routes

The PR-C 197 Sender del Riu Calders is a 25-kilometre hiking trail with three variants, connections to other trails and white-and-yellow PR trail markings. It can be completed on foot, by mountain bike or on horseback.

The PR-C 197 Sender del Riu Calders crosses the river several times; in heavy rain, it may be necessary to get your feet wet.

The RUTA JOC ANIMALONS CAP AL GORG DE CALDERS is a 5.10-kilometre family trail starting at Colònia Jorba.

The RUTA JOC DEL CASTELL DE CALDERS is a 6.55-kilometre hike starting in the town centre. Using the Natura-Local mobile app, it leads to hidden QR codes and also features an audio excerpt from a story.

Other Destinations in the Area

The ruins of Molí de Brotons, the Valentí Masachs Museum of Geology, the Museum of Technology of Manresa and the Regional Museum of Manresa are located in the area surrounding Calders.

In the wider region around Calders are the Roca Sareny peak, the Cova del Toll cave, the el Queixal Corcat peak and the Serrat Febrer peak.

Other Places

More town pages: Argentona, Veciana, Montseny, Sant Cugat Del Vallès, Aiguafreda, Tiana, Mura, Pallejá

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