The Route of the Castles of Sió basically runs through a flat area crossed by the Sió River, with a route of almost 42 km. The starting and finishing point is Cervera.
The region of La Segarra is known as the “land of castles” due to the large number of fortifications that stand. In the 11th-12th centuries, in this place, crossed by the valley of the river Sió, the border between the Christian Catalan counties and the Arab Al-Andalus was drawn.
The Route of the castles of the Sió river in La Segarra fully coincides with the border lines that were created in the Upper Brand Towards the end of the 10th century.
During the reconquest in the middle of the 11th century, the bank of the Sió River was conquered from the Arabs and repopulated. When it became a border area between the kingdoms, the construction of castles and churches began in order to guarantee the Christian presence and the spread of worship. In this way, the Sió river becomes a border area in these lands, as well as an area of social, cultural and economic communication.
The route naturally follows the course of the river Sió that gives its name to it, in the region of La Segarra. The river Sió has not been well known traditionally, but despite its low flow it is a long river and has become a frontier space in the history of these lands, offering us a historical vision of the constructions between the end of the 10th century and the beginning from XII. The Sió is born in Gàver, municipality of Estaràs, in Alta Segarra, crosses La Segarra, Urgell and La Noguera and empties into the Segre river near Balaguer. It is approximately 77 km long.
The Sió river determines a thematic route that fully coincides with the border lines that were created in the Upper Marque towards the end of the 10th century and the beginning of the 11th century and that draw a very characteristic historical and monumental landscape. During the reconquest, defense towers proliferated and later, urban centers.
The river, apart from becoming a natural obstacle that delimited the border, was used as a driving force to move different flour mills, so that hydraulic catchments were made at different points along the route.
In the different sections of the route you can find several castles that can be visited and places with a high monumental value.
