Timber rafters of Catalonia await UNESCO intangible cultural heritage decision this week

The timber rafters of Catalonia have an anxious week ahead of them as they wait to find out whether the tradition will be added to the UNESCO World Heritage list.

That decision will be made at the seventeenth session of the Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage taking place in Rabat, Morocco from November 28 to December 3.

A joint application has been put forward by Austria, Czechia, Germany, Latvia, Poland and Spain, involving forty local timber rafting associations.

Their aim is to preserve the centuries-old method of river transport and pay tribute to all the people down through the years who dedicated their lives to it.

In Catalonia, the raiers (timber rafters in Catalan) in the towns of La Pobla de Segur and Pont de Claverol – on the Noguera Pallaresa river – and Coll de Nargó – on the Segre – are hoping to achieve the prestigious recognition.

The mood among the bid team is positive. Coll de Nargó mayor Martí Riera told the Catalan News Agency (ACN) that a lot of work has gone into preparing the application and that it would be a "big surprise" if they were unsuccessful. 

UNESCO pitch

Timber rafting, according to the application submitted to UNESCO, involves traditional knowledge and skills on the construction and navigation of rafts on inland waters. The practice includes constructing wooden rafts, transporting logs, and knowledge of nature. 

Cultivated in local communities living in villages and towns located near rivers, streams, lakes, or shores, it originated in the Middle Ages when rafts were used to transport logs, firewood, goods, and people using natural water flows.

Although there are no set rules for the selection, preparation and binding of the timber, or for navigation methods, all rafters share a similar lifestyle, specific vocabulary, and habits passed down from generation to generation over the centuries. 

Transporting goods by river using wooden rafts was, for centuries, a way of life, but by the early 20th century it had all but disappeared in many parts of the world as dams were built and trucks began to appear. 

Safeguarding tradition

As part of the submission to UNESCO, organizations in each area laid out their plans for safeguarding the tradition. 

In Catalonia, these include digitizing historical documentation, disseminating it on the internet and opening a small, specialized library at the Espai Raier in La Pobla de Segur. 

Yearly rafting celebrations, including workshops, will continue to be organized.  

The University of Lleida's Chair of Education and Intangible Heritage of the Pyrenees will offer advice in various fields of research on intangible heritage. 

Finally, the Catalan culture ministry will maintain subsidies for rafting events, publications and travel to events abroad, as well as supporting ethnological research on timber rafting. 

To learn more about Catalonia's UNESCO World Heritage Sites, listen to the podcast below: UNESCO World Heritage Sites – cultural and architectural gems of Catalonia.