The works carried out at the Espluga de Cuberes and its surrounding area, on the frame of the euro-mediterranean project “Living on the Cliff”, have been brought together in a publication that offers a multidisciplinary vision of the site. It represents a joint and coordinated approach by various local and international experts in geology, geography, environment, history, archaeology, ethnography, architecture, construction and heritage, whose combined contributions form an exemplary study of a unique cultural landscape in the Catalan Pyrenees.
This uniqueness is clearly explained by the mayor of the municipality of Baix Pallars in the presentation of the book: “Espluga de Cuberes is far more than a group of ancient constructions. It is an exceptional example of a cultural and humanised landscape, shaped by the interaction between human activity and the natural environment over the centuries. Its strategic location, its integration into the rock, and the traces of life it hosted until not so long ago make this place a space full of meaning. It is also a mirror of our shared history, an open window onto the past that invites us to understand how the communities that inhabited it adapted to and transformed the territory.”
Around 40 articles written by more than 40 professionals present the characteristics and quality of the site, grouped into several chapters:
- Territorial environment: geology, geography, society and landscape
- History, economy and society
- Architecture, construction and territory
- Ethnography
- Territorial, historical, architectural and ethnological values
- International Workshop of Espluga de Cuberes
- Perspectives of the environmental management stakeholders
All of this is complemented by a presentation of this heritage in the Mediterranean context in the final chapter “Troglodytic Architecture in the Mediterranean”, which showcases experiences from ten different countries.
