The Cardó Massif (, ; ), also known as Cardó-Boix Massif, is a mountain massif in the

Baix Ebre Baix Ebre (, "Lower Ebro") is a comarca (county) on the coast in southern Catalonia. It is located in the region of Terres de l'Ebre Terres de l'Ebre (, in English 'Ebro, Ebre Lands') is the south-westernmost of the eight regions (Vegueria, ''v ...

comarca, in

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. This massif is composed of a number of mountain ranges located on the left side of the

Ebro The Ebro (Spanish and Basque ; , , ) is a river of the north and northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, in Spain. It rises in Cantabria and flows , almost entirely in an east-southeast direction. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea, forming a de ...

river near

Tortosa Tortosa (, ) is the capital of the '' comarca'' of Baix Ebre, in Catalonia, Spain. Tortosa is located at above sea level, by the Ebro river, protected on its northern side by the mountains of the Cardó Massif, of which Buinaca, one of the hi ...

. The massive calcareous cliffs of the Serra de Cardó form the eastern side of the spectacular gorges through which the Ebro River winds its way in the final stage of its course, separating the Ebro Valley from the Mediterranean coastal area. The ranges cover an area of over 340 km2, extending from Rasquera in the north, to Benifallet in the south and eastwards through El Perelló until reaching the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

between L'Ampolla and L'Ametlla de Mar. Highway N-340 crosses the eastern side of the massif and Autopista AP-7 skirts the easternmost foothills by the seashore. All the ranges are part of the

Catalan Pre-Coastal Range The Catalan Pre-Coastal Range () is a system of mountain ranges running parallel to the Mediterranean Sea coast in Catalonia. It is part of the Catalan Mediterranean System. Its main axis runs between the Catalan Transversal Range and the Ser ...

. The main peak is Xàquera, also known as ''La Creu de Santos'' (942 m) in the Serra de Cardó, another important summit is Buinaca (764 m), located in the Serra del Boix. ''Balma de Cabrafeixet'' is a prehistoric site below the Morral de Cabrafeixet escarpment (753 m) with

cave painting In archaeology, cave paintings are a type of parietal art (which category also includes petroglyphs, or engravings), found on the wall or ceilings of caves. The term usually implies prehistoric art, prehistoric origin. These paintings were often c ...

s. The entrance to the

cave Caves or caverns are natural voids under the Earth's Planetary surface, surface. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. Exogene caves are smaller openings that extend a relatively short distance undergrou ...

has been closed with an iron bar door to prevent vandalism. Another cave, ''Cova de la Mallada'', is located nearby There are many

wind turbine A wind turbine is a device that wind power, converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. , hundreds of thousands of list of most powerful wind turbines, large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, were generating over ...

s located on different ridges of the massif, the ''Parc Eòlic de les Colladetes'' and the ''Parc Eòlic de les Calobres''.

Ranges

The main ranges of the massif are: * Serra de Cardó, the westernmost range and also the highest. It is often covered with snow in the winter. The vegetation of eastern slopes is largely low Mediterranean shrub, while its western side, below the jagged peaks, is forested. Autovia C-12 cuts across the westernmost end of the range, above the Ebro Gorges. The

mineral water Mineral water is water from a mineral spring that contains various minerals, such as salts and sulfur compounds. It is usually still, but may be sparkling ( carbonated/ effervescent). Traditionally, mineral waters were used or consumed at t ...

coming from springs near the ancient monastery located at the heart of the range was one of the first waters to be bottled in Spain. * Serra del Boix, highest point ''Buinaca'' 764 m. The slopes are covered with low bush, among which ''

Buxus ''Buxus'' is a genus of about seventy species in the family Buxaceae. Common names include box and boxwood. The boxes are native to western and southern Europe, southwest, southern and eastern Asia, Africa, Madagascar, northernmost So ...

'' () predominates. This range occupies a central position in the massif and in some geographical works gives its name to the whole massif. The particular high rocky area with original rock formations where the highest peaks are located is known as ''"Les Moles"''. There are

s atop the main eastern ridge. * Serra de Gaviots, highest point 603 m. This largely deforested range also occupies a central position, but has smoother and less rocky crests than the ones above. There is also a very large

wind farm A wind farm, also called a wind park or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several hundred wind turbines covering an exten ...

along the ridge. Like the Serra del Boix, the higher altitudes often have snow in the winter. * Montaspre, highest point 527 m, the southwestern foothills of the Serra de Cardó range, rising near Bítem. * Serra de Collredó, highest point ''Creu de Collredó'' 380 m, rounded hills covered by

olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'' ("European olive"), is a species of Subtropics, subtropical evergreen tree in the Family (biology), family Oleaceae. Originating in Anatolia, Asia Minor, it is abundant throughout the Mediterranean ...

trees and Mediterranean

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

where many small country cottages have been recently developed. * Serra de les Veles, highest point ''Coll de l'Àliga'' 94 m, is formed by the low southernmost foothills of the massif. This small range is crossed by highways and has been gutted by sand and gravel extraction, where the pits are used as landfills. These lower ranges very rarely have snow, even in cold winters. File:Lesmoles4mc.JPG, ''Les Moles'' area: La Buinaca on the left and the Cabrafeixet on the right, seen from the north between El Perelló and Rasquera File:Creu de Santos.JPG, View of 942 m high Xàquera or ''La Creu de Santos'', the highest summit of the range File:Font delTeix Refugi alFons.jpg, Font del Teix spring in Serra de Cardó File:MassisdeCardo-montaspre2p.JPG, Montaspre in the Cardó Massif File:Serradelboix-gaviots5.JPG, View of the Serra del Boix/Serra de Gaviots mountain ranges from the south with some snow on the higher altitudes File:Cardo-massif33.JPG, Wind farms on Serra de Gaviots File:Serradecollredo4.JPG, Serra de Collredó range seen from an orange grove in Mianes File:Serra-de-collredo-22.JPG, Serra de Collredó seen from the east. In the background the

Ports de Beseit Ports de Tortosa-Beseit (), also known as Ports de Beseit, or simply as Els Ports or Lo Port by locals, is a limestone mountain massif located at the north-eastern end of the Sistema Ibérico, a complex system of mountain ranges and massifs in ...

File:Serradelesveles8.JPG, Sand mining in Serra de les Veles

Monastery

The Cardó Monastery, also known as ''Sant Hilari de Cardó'' or ''Desert de Cardó'', was a large monastery located in the Cardó Valley ''(Vall de Cardó)'', a deep valley in these mountains. It was closed down due to the Ecclesiastical Confiscations of Mendizábal in 1835 during

Isabella II of Spain Isabella II (, María Isabel Luisa de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias; 10 October 1830 – 9 April 1904) was Queen of Spain from 1833 until her deposition in 1868. She is the only queen regnant in the history of unified Spain. Isabella wa ...

's rule. The ''Desamortización'' or secularization of the place brought monastic life in the monastery, and the many hermitages surrounding it, to an end. The monastery can be reached by a paved road from Rasquera. In the late 19th century the monastery was transformed into a spa, which became a very successful place among the Catalan elite until the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

. By mid 20th century, only a water bottling plant was functional in the area. Recently there was a project to transform the ruined former monastery and spa premises into a luxury resort, but the current financial crisis in Spain thwarted the plans. Access is not allowed to the grounds of the former spa, but abandoned construction equipment can be seen from a distance among the half-ruined buildings. The small abandoned hermitages scattered about the area close to the former monastery, some of them perching atop karstic rock needles, are popular with hikers.Tinet - La Vall de Cardó,; Images
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References

External links

Camino Natural del Ebro

Top Kayak - De Miravet a Benifallet - Kayaking in the Ebro Gorges
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cardo Massif Mountain ranges of Catalonia Baix Ebre

Ranges

Monastery

See also

References

External links