7. ELEMENTS AND SPACES OF SÚRIA'S MINING HERITAGE
Around Súria we find numerous vestiges related to the history of mining, both of gypsum, of salt and especially of potash. These elements have a great patrimonial value and become points of interest that give us the interpretative keys to much of the history of Suria’s mining.
Archaeological remains, old mines, neighbourhoods of houses or routes following the old transport infrastructure, are some of these elements of the mining heritage that are scattered throughout the municipality. Currently, some of these heritage elements can be visited and tell us small fragments of the mining history of Bages and Súria.
SANT PERE DEL PUIG
To the east of the term of Súria, on the left bank of the Tordell Creek, we find three archaeological sites very close to each other and which were in operation at the same time. This is the Domus de Torre del Puig de Sant Pere, the depopulated mining town of Sant Pere del Puig, and Les Guixeres complex.
These elements bear witness to the first settlement in Súria in the Carolingian and early medieval times and are related to each other and the mining activity in the area. The Domus de Torre de Sant Pere was the seat of one of Súria's castellanias, while the depopulated Sant Pere was the centre where the families who worked in Les Guixeres lived. Both sites are protected by a fence and can be visited.
…AND LES GUIXERES
Les Guixeres was an old centre of open pit mining activity, witness to the pre-industrial exploitation of gypsum in medieval times. This work area was located in the Tordell stream, next to the village of Sant Pere del Puig and the Domus de Torre.
Of the Guixeres ensemble, five gypsum kilns of different sizes are currently preserved, as well as several open-pit quarries for the extraction of this mineral. The place can be visited, and you can tour all the elements that make it up, or you can make a visit focusing exclusively on some specific aspects of the old pre-industrial gypsum exploitation.
THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF LA COLÒNIA
The urban and architectural complex of the old mining colony of Santa María is listed as a Cultural Property of Local Interest (BCIL). The use of exposed bricks in its architectural constructions gives the residential complex a formal unity in which its rationalist style stands out, as well as the great construction quality of the buildings.
Today, the colony is just another part of the town. The old houses of La Colònia are still inhabited, while adapting to the current needs of its residents, and without having undergone major structural refurbishments. This maintenance of the essence of the colony while respecting the original form of the houses, means that visiting and walking freely through its streets becomes a journey through time.