Discover the village

The first man to have a premonition of what would happen in this inhospitable place of the valleys of Andorra before its commercial development was Miquel Montanya, also called "Calones". In 1928, he asked the honorable Comú for permission to build a "Cabana" or "refuge" on the edge of the river, next to the French border.

At that time, there was already the "Cabana del Vaquer", the first of all the constructions of Pas de la Case, which was used in summer to control the cattle that grazed on these lands called "Pleta" and "Saliner" by the shepherds of the Cerdanya and Alta Arieja. The shepherd who occupied the hut was a certain Valentín, who was not only the shepherd of these places, but also the person of reference for the French hunters who came from Tarn to hunt chamois. Valentin was a sure value when it came to finding these animals.

In 1929, FHASA (Forces Hydrauliques Andorranes, S.A.) began the construction of the road to France from Pas de la Case, a circumstance that generated a movement of workers in this corner of the world. It was then that the French administration became aware of the economic and social movement in this border area and set up a customs office. Later, an Andorran control was installed.

In 1934, the "Calones" began to have competitors, first with the "Refugi dels Isards", built by Mr. Joaniquet de Tolosa, and in 1945 by Mr. Borra, who built the "barraqueta" called "Xalet Sports Borra Bar-Restaurant".

The post-war period saw the beginning of a period of slumming that lasted between five and six years.

The beginnings of the commercial fabric of Pas de la Case date back to the end of the World War, when France was going through a serious economic and commercial crisis. It was then that Amadeu Cirici and Pedro (a refugee from Pallars Jussà) began to buy goods from merchants and wholesalers on the other side of the Spanish border, which were transported to Pas de la Casa. This initiative allowed Pas de la Casa to become a place where you could find everything: food, clothes, drinks, canned goods, coffee in bags, chocolate, sugar, rice...

The half-dozen barracks that existed at the time were constantly supplied with goods, which created a loyal clientele (thanks also to an elastic and tolerant French customs).

The Pas de la Case was flourishing and the authorities, seeing the metamorphosis that the place was undergoing, intervened and prohibited the construction of wooden huts. In 1948, the first house was built, "El Pic Mari", by Martí Santuré y Cía. Since then, Pas de la Case has become a small commercial center.

In 1957, the "Sud Radio" station was built at an altitude of 2,500 meters. On October 23, 1967, the President of the French Republic, Charles de Gaulle, paid a visit. Around 1958, the telephone line also reached the Pas de la Casa.

The real transformation of Pas de la Casa began in 1956, when Francesc Viladomat's dream of building a ski slope began to take shape. The work of installing the first ski lift was already underway. It was 2,000 meters long and went from the Pas de la Case to the summit of Pic Blanc, at 2,500 meters above sea level. Mr. Mariner built the bases of the pylons and the "Quiquet" (Mr. Francesc Hubac) transported the material in a jeep.

During the winter of 1956-57, the ski lift was put into service, giving an injection of grandeur to the Pas de la Casa.

From then on and with the arrival of a clientele that became obsessed with the village and its commercial and sports offer, Pas de la Casa developed, not without effort and always overcoming adverse situations, to become a village with not only a commercial fabric, but also a network of hotels and restaurants.

In 1958, with the regular opening of the Port d'Envalira road in winter (a road opened in the 1950s), the clientele was no longer solely French, but Spanish skiers began to come to the resort.

In the 60's, Pas de la Case was a real tourist destination, a village with modern buildings, comfortable houses, with a communal structure, water, telephone, electricity, heating, a school, paved roads, official administrations, religious and medical services, a pharmacy...

Today, Pas de la Case is one of the most important commercial centers in the Principality of Andorra, a winter ski destination, a showcase for mountain sports and a high altitude sports tourism destination.