Madriu Perafita Claror Valley

The Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley (Catalan: Vall del Madriu-Perafita-Claror) is a glacial valley in the southeast of Andorra. It covers an place of 42.47 km, on 9% of the conclusive place of Andorra, and is share of the second largest watershed basin in Andorra. The isolated valley is recognised as a marina for rare or endangered wildlife, and the undeveloped valley has recently been considered to be the "spiritual heart" of Andorra. It became Andorra's first, and to date its unaccompanied, UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004, subsequent to a small magnification in 2006.

The valley is a glacial landscape, as soon as high pastures, craggy cliffs, and steep wooded valleys. It is bounded by mountain ridges to the south, east and west, following the southern edge dispensation along the relationship following Spain, and by an escarpment which drops away into the Valira valley to the north. It is and no-one else from the on fire of Andorra, and can on your own be reached by tracks passable regarding foot. Dwellings, sports ground terraces, tracks, and the remains of ironworking work up the ways that the natural resources of the high Pyrenees were used by the local inhabitants more than a grow out of date of more than 700 years, through changes in climate,[dubious  discuss] economic riches, and social structures.

Two little settlements, Entremesaiges and Ramio, are situated in the narrow valley floor. Both were year-round settlements until the last 50 years, but both are now occupied deserted in the summer. There are 12 houses in all, constructed from local granite taking into account schist roofs. Each habitat has a large barn for storage of grain and hay. The houses and the enclosed areas near the settlements are the lonely areas owned privately, accounting for as regards 1% of the place of the valley.

The settlements are along in the middle of terraced fields, which were used to ensue wheat and rye but now mostly for grazing. The innovative fields are now giving habit to tree-forest, which as well as covers areas approximately the slopes where grape vines were grown in the Middle Ages. The forests, along with owned communally, were managed to produce charcoal until the 19th century.

Iron smelting, using local iron ore, took place in valley, regarding the banks of the Madriu River. The forge, a in view of that-called Catalan style forge typical of the Pyrenees, was forlorn in 1790.

The high pasture was grazed in the summer by sheep, cows and horses, as soon as the house owned upon a communal basis by now the Middle Ages. Shepherds spend the summer in borders, small rock huts taking into account turf roofs. The animals' milk was used to make cheese.

Tracks connection the valley to Roussillon to the east, the Languedoc to the north, and Catalonia to the south; tracks paved once flat stones be bearing in mind-door to the valley to the middle of Andorra.

After a era of desertion, many of the structures, such as the shepherds' huts, trackways, and pitch boundary walls, have been restored in recent years. There are no plans to construct an admission road, and the house is expected to be developed as a distinctive place for cultivation of high-air livestock, and for limited tourism.