Village
Talarn is a vila in the comarca of Pallars Jussà, in the province of Lleida, situated in the middle basin of the Noguera Pallaresa, on the shore of the Sant Antoni reservoir, between the Pyrenees and the Montsec mountains. Its municipality envelops the urban centre of Tremp and also includes the hamlet of Nerets and the Basic General Academy for Non-Commissioned Officers of the Army. It has 555 inhabitants (INE 2025) and lives from irrigated agriculture and from the hydroelectric power station, built between 1911 and 1916 together with the reservoir. Its streets retain the appearance of the 17th century, its period of greatest splendour, with noble houses such as that of the Baron of Eroles. The ruins of the termenat castle and remains of the medieval wall survive, next to the Gothic church of San Martín. The main festival is on 15 August.
Monument
Castle documented since 1055-1056, with an 11th-century tower 2.7 m in diameter and 6 m high and fortifications added in the 13th-14th centuries, joined to a walled town that preserves its medieval layout with original streets and alleys, among them the Torre de la Presó and the Plaça del Castillo, a former parade ground. From 1455 it was the capital of the sotsvegueria (sub-viguery) of Pallars Jussà until it lost administrative prominence to Tremp in 1834.
Nature
The Sant Antoni reservoir, also known as Talarn or Susterris, is a large reservoir on the Noguera Pallaresa river formed by a dam in the Susterris narrows, in the municipality of Talarn, which also extends through la Pobla de Segur, Salàs de Pallars, Conca de Dalt and Isona i Conca Dellà, in Pallars Jussà. Its construction, begun in 1913 by the company Riegos y Fuerzas del Ebro, a subsidiary of the Canadian firm Barcelona Traction, known as La Canadenca, flooded the old church of Sant Antoni de Susterris and much of the land of the Comanda de Susterris. Canals fed by the reservoir, such as the Canal de Gavet, expanded the irrigated land of the area. Downstream, on the same Noguera Pallaresa, lies the Terradets reservoir.
Activity
The fiesta mayor of Talarn is celebrated next to the pantà de Sant Antoni, an 86-meter dam on the Noguera Pallaresa built between 1913 and 1916 by the Canadenca (Barcelona Traction company), which flooded the church of Sant Antoni de Susterris; around 1011 the county of Pallars had been divided between two brothers into Pallars Jussà and Pallars Sobirà.
Curiosity
Historic centre of Talarn, in the Pallars Jussà, declared a site of historic-artistic interest. It was a walled medieval stronghold, with towers at the gates and at the main corners, of which streets such as carrer del Mig and carrer Nou are still preserved. Of the castle, located in the highest part of the town, remains survive such as the Torre de la Presó and the old parade ground. The parish church of Sant Martí, documented since 1097 though rebuilt in 1639, houses an organ from 1748. Among the manor houses, that of the Baron of Eroles stands out, with the engraved motto Perseguidos mas no vencidos, testimony to its passage from medieval stronghold to a residential town of the rural nobility.
Historical milestone
Around 1011 the county of Pallars was divided between two brothers and was split into Pallars Jussà, the lower sector, and Pallars Sobirà, the upper one. That feudal partition explains the existence of two distinct comarcas a thousand years later.
Historical milestone
The Sant Antoni dam, 86 metres high, stands in the Susterris gorge, in the municipality of Talarn, on the Noguera Pallaresa river, and its reservoir also extends across the municipalities of la Pobla de Segur, Salàs de Pallars, Conca de Dalt and Isona i Conca Dellà. It was built between 1913 and 1916 by the company Riegos y Fuerzas del Ebro, a subsidiary of the Canadian Barcelona Traction and known for that reason as la Canadenca; the works brought some wealth and renewal to the surrounding villages, such as Vilamitjana, where much of the workforce was housed. The reservoir flooded the church of Sant Antoni de Susterris and much of the land of its commandery, and the later construction of canals, such as the Gavet canal, extended the irrigated land of several villages in the area.
Activity
Event of the beginning of June that brings together in Talarn wineries of the Pyrenees and of the rest of Catalonia. The Conca de Tremp has recovered its vineyard and its wines come under the DO Costers del Segre.