Mura

The earliest written record of Mura dates to 978, making it one of the older documented settlements in this part of Cataluña. The village grew up around the church of Sant Martí, itself recorded by 1088, and the medieval layout it established is still visible today.

For most of its history, the land defined life here. Viticulture eventually became the dominant activity, displacing older forms of farming. Because the terrain is steep and mountainous, farmers built stone wine presses directly among the vineyards so that grapes could be pressed and fermented on the spot. That way of life collapsed when phylloxera destroyed the vines, and the population fell sharply as people left to find work elsewhere.

Charcoal production filled part of the gap, remaining an important occupation until electricity made it redundant, roughly the middle of the twentieth century. A textile factory then opened at the start of that same century and kept the village economically active until it closed in 1964. That closure triggered another wave of emigration toward industrial cities and larger towns nearby.

Since then, Mura has gradually become a place of second homes. The creation of the Sant Llorenç del Munt i l'Obac natural park in 1972 brought a steady growth in visitors and gave tourism a real economic role. As of 2020, however, the town was also having to manage the pressures that come with that success — specifically, preventing the volume of visitors from disrupting the daily lives of the people who actually live there year-round.

The Romanesque church of Sant Martí is the oldest building in the village and the one around which Mura first took shape. It has been enlarged several times over the centuries. Visitors who want to go inside need to time their visit carefully: the church opens only on Sunday mornings, from 12:00 to 13:00, for the weekly mass.

The castle is older still, first mentioned in documents from 1023. The earliest known owner was Guitard de Mura. It was never a grand residence — more likely a watchtower garrisoned by soldiers than a lord's household. Today only a few walls remain, largely overtaken by scrub and weeds.

The hermitage of Sant Antoni is Romanesque in style and dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua. It sits close to the village centre, which makes it the most visited of Mura's smaller monuments. It stays closed except on the feast day of Sant Antoni. The name of the square in front of it comes from the threshing floor that once stood there, where villagers brought their wheat.

A small aviarium near the village, set up by the local hiking club, the Centre Excursionista de Mura, houses peacocks, chickens, ducks, rabbits, geese and other farmyard animals living freely outdoors within a fenced enclosure. Visitors can watch the animals from outside through the metal railings.

The Gorja del Pare — the Father's Gorge — is a stretch of private land with a waterfall and a pool. The cave nearby consists of a single gallery running 180 metres into the rock; access requires a key. The Rector's Fountain was commissioned by Lluís Costa, the parish priest of Mura from 1977 to 1995. The Puig de la Balma is a farmhouse built into the rock face, offering accommodation, a restaurant, and a museum with historical and anthropological collections.