The small miracle of the afforestation of Castell de Mur

Mur Castle"It's not just stone. It's not just earth. It's a cry that awakens generations. It's the voice of a people rising up with dirty hands and a burning heart. It's a memory that doesn't kneel. It's pride that doesn't ask permission." These are phrases, almost verses, from Josep Maria Martí, a bricklayer from Alt Camp who a few days ago led a dry stone recovery workshop in Meüll, a small town in Castell de Mur (in Pallars Jussà). "It's more than stone, it's living memory," concludes Martí, who leads similar projects in other Catalan regions, such as Alt Urgell.

Under the hashtag #recuperemelmeull, the events (now in their third year) represent a small part (and one of the most visible) of a collective reforestation project. El Meüll is one of the villages that, like many others in the Pyrenees, was completely abandoned in the 1970s. The last remaining couple closed their house for good in 1974, during a time of constant waves of migration to urban areas. But almost by chance, Mercè Pons and her husband appeared in 2008 to buy the village's old schools and renovate them to live in. They came from Barcelona and decided to radically change their lives to settle in the mountains and start a rural accommodation business. "Many people come to the area to visit not only the castle, but also the Mont-rebei gorge, the dinosaur museum (in Isona), or to tour the Pallars region," explains Mercè Pons, who is precisely one of the main promoters of the dry-stone days. For about three years, through bricklayer Josep Maria Martí and several members of the Residents' Association, they have been restoring a stone wall that fell many years ago. They estimate that in another three years they will have it fully restored and will clean up the entrance to the Meüll, a living representation of this desire to rise from oblivion.

The entire municipality of Castell de Mur currently has a registered population of around 180 people (between permanent residents and registered residents who still own their properties). Since 1990, the entire municipality has experienced a 25% increase in population. This is one of the highest rates in the region, surpassed only by Talarn (favored by the impact of the military school for non-commissioned officers) and Senterada. This reforestation of Castell de Mur coincides with the revival of four towns that had been completely abandoned in the 1990s. These are, as mentioned, Meüll, and also Santa Lucía de Mur, Puigmaçana, and Casas de la Estación. In addition, other towns such as Bodegas and, above all, Vilamolat, have experienced a substantial population increase.

Josep Castells is from Vilamolat, the mayor of Castell de Mur between 2007 and 2015, and, in the previous term, the Generalitat delegate for the Alt Pirineu and Aran. It was during his term in the town hall that goals were achieved that might have been unthinkable in a large city, such as connecting all the small towns of Castell de Mur to the drinking water and electricity networks and bringing fiber optics to homes. The implementation of these services (although still incomplete due to the lack of a fiber optic operator) has consolidated the arrival of people like Mercè Pons and the implementation of other rural tourism projects. Castell de Mur, which has lost much of its farming population and seen its pastureland practically disappear, has tourism as its main economic hope. And this is where the fears of some lie, who would like to diversify their income and avoid the risk of overcrowding in the style of Cerdanya.

Despite his moderate optimism, Josep Castells admits that there are still obstacles to the municipality's consolidation. On the one hand, there is the need to guarantee new services, such as shipping and banking, and especially the improvement of road communications. "Everyone talks about depopulation, but we need to analyze specific examples to see where we are failing," Castells comments.

The town's current mayor, Miquel López, agrees. "The essential thing is to provide basic services to make it attractive to newcomers," he says. "People don't want to start a life project in a place where they can't enjoy the same conditions as in a city," he adds. For the current town council, good land communications are the main challenge they face today, especially since a large part of the road network is municipally owned. "It's a big headache for us," admits López, who calls for greater involvement from the Provincial Council and the Generalitat (Catalan Government) to improve roads and trails.

From urbanites to new generations

The reforestation of Castell de Mur has been possible thanks to two very different types of settlers. Thirty-five years ago, she decided to settle in Santa Llúcia de Muro with her husband and daughter. Some days a week, she has to commute to Barcelona for work, but she considers herself privileged. "In fact, I've connected with what humans should never have disconnected from." Castells, who has decided to stay in Vilamolat, and especially with Laia Escolà, a 27-year-old who has refurbished an old family farmhouse in Collmorter. "I have to stay connected here," she admits.

Despite the serious problems with telephone coverage, Escolà lives in Collmorter to boost it.

Housing recovery

One of the great challenges facing Castell de Mur, as in most rural municipalities, is the restoration of houses that have been uninhabited for decades. Josep Castells recalls that prior work has been done to promote the rehabilitation of properties with their owners in exchange for affordable rent. And it seems that some progress has been made, albeit in dribs and drabs. People find it difficult to part with their assets.

Mercè Pons recalls that in Meüll, despite living alone with her family, a neighborhood association has been created with a dozen members, all owners of uninhabited houses. Their restoration and the involvement of residents outside the town in local projects are the basic objectives for consolidating the town's restoration process. A project that, through dry stone, seeks to consolidate a dream that, for the moment, has become a small miracle.