Els Plans de Sió

Els Plans de Sió is a municipality in the Segarra region, with its capital in Pallargues. In 1985 he added the article to the previous name of Plans de Sió.

The municipality of Els Plans de Sió is almost entirely part of the Els Plans de Sió Natural Area. This gives it a special value for its natural heritage, which must be preserved and protected.

The Els Plans de Sió Natural Area, with a gentle topography, is characterized by being a steppe landscape forged by peasant hands over the centuries. Its dryland ecosystems, along with the rest of the drylands of Lleida, are unique in Catalonia and extremely fragile. They are the habitat of numerous bird species, some of which are protected, such as the little bustard, the roller, the lark, the lesser kestrel and the Montagu's harrier, which depend on the delicate ecological balance of this space in order to live and breed.

We could describe this natural environment as a mosaic dominated by barley and wheat fields, cut out by a few rows of trees on the margin (olive and almond trees), dry stone margins, scattered small holm oaks and some fallow land and wasteland. The stone huts, the fish tanks that cross the course of the Sió, the sheepfolds, ponds and other elements of popular architecture are also features that make up the peculiar character of this territory. Dotted with small villages of medieval origin, the Castles and Romanesque churches are the heritage element and most notable historical; some of the castles are open to visitors and many of them are well preserved.

One of the landscape attractions of the natural space is the breadth of the horizons and the colorful skies that can be observed, as well as some good starry nights. The course of the year gives us a living and changing landscape, so much so that sometimes it seems to you that is not the same. Each season has its own characteristic colours: the haunting magic of the fog in winter, the green and colourful splendour of spring, the powerful yellow of the ears of corn, the bales of straw and the stubble during the harvest season. or the autumn one, earthy and paler.

The Els Plans de Sió Natural Area is located between the regions of Segarra, Urgell and a small part in Noguera. It has an area of 10,382 ha and is the largest of the SPAs in the Plana de Lleida.

The Els Plans de Sió Natural Area is part of the Natura 2000 Network and is also a SPA, a Special Protection Area for Birds.

The Els Plans de Sió Natural Space has the Interpretation Centre of the Lleida drylands, located in the Concabella Castle, which allows us to get closer to the drylands, learning what steppe environments are like, what these landscapes are like, the flora, the fauna and especially which are the most characteristic birds and why it is important to preserve these ecosystems to protect them. We can also see some itineraries to discover this natural environment up close, learn what we can do to preserve it, contribute to its value and make it known.

Places of interest

Concabella Castle

The castle was built between the 11th and 12th centuries, during the time of the Reconquista, when local nobles erected numerous fortifications to defend themselves from Muslim attacks. Initially, it was a defensive fortress with military functions, but over the centuries, It was transformed into a stately residential palace.

Today, the Concabella Castle is a cultural centre and museum, hosting permanent and temporary exhibitions. Among the most notable is the Interpretation Centre of the Sió Castles, which explains the history of the fortifications in the region.

The fortress and museum are a tourist attraction and form part of Catalan cultural heritage, offering visitors a window into the region's medieval past as well as an insight into the rich historical legacy of the Segarra region.