ARTISAN ROUTE
ESSENCE AND IDENTITY
In last centuries, a large part of the domestic economy of the inhabitants of this region was based on the production of manufactured goods. In each town, different crafts that marked the character of people living in the area were developed.
Through its museums and interpretation centres, visitors can feel the essence and identity of the inhabitants of this land.
CINCTORRES
The traditional production of sashes in Cinctorres is a profession documented for at least three centuries, in whose manufacturing and distribution process throughout the Iberian Peninsula the residents have worked.
In the artisan workshops and factories, as well as in houses, women and men manufactured the product, which later delivered to distant sites by the Faixero, with his bike or car.
Due to its paramount importance in the identity of the residents of the village, this museum recalls the traditional manufacturing industry in Cinctorres.
CINCTORRES
Currently: Visits must be arranged in Tourist Office.
Address: C/ del Hospital.
Schedule: From Tuesday to Friday from 11:00 to 14:00h.
and Saturdays from 11:00h to 14:00h and 17:00h to 19:00h.
Contact: 964181428 (Tourist Office).
MUSEUM OF L’ESPARDENYA, FORCALL AND LA MATA
FORCALL Y LA MATA
The tradition of espadrilles or espardenyes in Els Ports was developed mainly in towns like Forcall, La Mata, Villores and Todolella, towns close to rivers where hemp was cultivated, needed in order to manufacture the product.
Documented since the Middle Ages, the production of espadrilles was basic in the wealth of these villages, which exported thousands of pairs to all corners of the peninsula.
In the center of Forcall, visitors can learn the tools necessary for their manufacturing, as well as the types of espadrilles and other curiosities that make this craft tradition one of the most rooted and still existing today.
In the town of La Mata, we can find a small space dedicated to the espadrille, housed in la nevera, a very interesting medieval place for storing snow and ice.
FORCALL
Currently: Visits must be arranged in Tourist Office.
Address: C/ Sant Josep.
Hours: Wednesday to Sunday from 10:30h to 14:00h.
Contact: + 34 964171290 · forcall@touristinfo.net.
LA MATA
Currently: For visits, ask at the bar.
VALLIBONA
Over the centuries, the use of natural resources has been essential for the inhabitants of Els Ports. Vallibona, surrounded by vast forests of oaks, has always highlighted because of the production of charcoal, or carbó, products that demanded skilled and hard-working employees.
The production and trade of charcoal in Vallibona has been basic in the economy of the town’s inhabitants, constituting an essential part to the domestic economy.
In the center, located in the old medieval prison, visitors can learn the craft and the different stages and tools for its production, as well as the importance it had in the town until some decades ago.
VALLIBONA
Currently: Visits must be arranged in Town Hall.
Address: Travesía Horno, nº 1.
Schedule: Arrange at the Town Hall on Wednesday and Thursday from 9:00h to 14:00h.
Contact: +34 964 17 20 20.
HERBERS
Herbers has been a village of artisanal trades. The skillful hands of its inhabitants gave rise to a considerable number of professions, serving the people to live and sustain the subsistence economy that prevailed in past centuries in the region.
Thus, the village of Herbers has sought to preserve the memory of these traditional trades with the creation of a very special ethnographic museum, where one can take a journey through the history and artisanal tradition of the area.
HERBERS
Currently: For visits, it is necessary to arrange with the town hall or Viu Els Ports.
Town Hall: 606 14 00 66
Email: turismeherbers@gmail.com
Guide: 660061189
Email: viuelsports@gmail.com
Website: www.viuelsports.com"