Figueres (, ; , es, Figueras, ) is the capital of the ''
comarca
A ''comarca'' (, or , or ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, ...
'' of
Alt Empordà, in the province of
Girona
Girona (officially and in Catalan , Spanish: ''Gerona'' ) is a city in northern Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. The city had an official population of 103,369 in 2020. Girona is the capital ...
,
Catalonia
Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy.
Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the nort ...
, Spain.
The town is the birthplace of artist
Salvador Dalí
Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (; ; ; 11 May 190423 January 1989) was a Spanish surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarre images in ...
, and houses the
Teatre-Museu Gala Salvador Dalí, a large museum designed by Dalí himself which attracts many visitors. It is also the birthplace of
Narcís Monturiol
Narcís Monturiol i Estarriol (; Narciso Monturiol Estarriol, in Spanish, 28 September 1819 – 6 September 1885) was a Spanish inventor, artist and engineer born in Figueres, Catalonia, Spain. He was the inventor of the first air-independent an ...
, inventor of the first successful machine-powered
submarine. Also born here was
Mónica Naranjo
Mónica Naranjo Carrasco (born 23 May 1974) is a Spanish singer widely popular in Spain and Latin America and recognised as one of the most powerful voices of the Spanish and Latin American music scenes. She has performed with singers such as Luc ...
, one of the best selling Spanish singers of the 1990s and 2000s.
History
The town's name derives from that of ''Ficaris'', of
Visigoth origin. In
1267, King
James I of Aragon
James I the Conqueror ( es, Jaime el Conquistador, ca, Jaume el Conqueridor; 2 February 1208 – 27 July 1276) was King of Aragon and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276; King of Majorca from 1231 to 1276; and Valencia from 1238 to 12 ...
conceded it ''
fuero
(), (), () or () is a Spanish legal term and concept. The word comes from Latin , an open space used as a market, tribunal and meeting place. The same Latin root is the origin of the French terms and , and the Portuguese terms and ; all ...
'' rights, but four years later Count
Ponç IV of Empúries set the town on fire.
In 1794 Figueras was surrendered to France, but it was regained in 1795. During the
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...
it was taken by the French in 1808, recaptured by the Spaniards in 1811, and retaken by the French in the same year.
During the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...
, it remained loyal to the
Republican government, and was repeatedly bombed by the
Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
and
Fascist Italian aviation.
It was one of the most heavily bombed Catalan cities during the Civil War, in
1938, and, especially, at the beginning of
1939, when thousands of people passed through the town on their way into exile. The number of bombing victims cannot be known with certainty, but could be close to 400.
Spain's Republican government held its final meeting of the civil war (on 1 February 1939) in the dungeons of its
Sant Ferran Castel.
Figueres recovered starting from the 1950s, consolidating its economy around the tourism industry.
Main sights
*
Sant Ferran Castle, built in 1753 during the reign of
Ferdinand VI of Spain, on the site of a Capuchin convent.
It has a pentagonal layout, with a total perimeter of .
* Parish church of St. Peter, in
Gothic. It has a single nave with side chapels.
*
Teatre-Museu Gala Salvador Dalí (19th century, renovated in the 1960s). It incorporates a tower from the ancient walls.
*
Technical Museum of the Empordà, a technology museum with hundreds of antique typewriters
*
Museu de l'Empordà
The Museum of the Empordà is an art museum in Figueres, Catalonia (Spain). Its history dates back to 1885, when the first collections arrived from the Prado Museum, bringing together a collection of artworks from the Catalan art scene ( Sorolla, ...
File:064 Castell de Sant Ferran.jpg, Sant Ferran Castle
File:20061227-Figueres Teatre-Museu Dalí MQ.jpg, Dalí theatre and museum
Transport
Situated in the northeast corner of Catalonia, Figueres is about from
Girona
Girona (officially and in Catalan , Spanish: ''Gerona'' ) is a city in northern Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. The city had an official population of 103,369 in 2020. Girona is the capital ...
, from
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
, from
Perpignan, and from
Girona-Costa Brava Airport. It is also served by its own
railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...
just east of the old town center.
Figueres has been connected since December 2010 to the
high-speed rail network with the start of services connecting Figueres to
Perpignan via LGV, allowing direct
TGV services to
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
in 5 h 27 min. Connections to
Madrid-Barcelona via AVE began on 8 January 2013 and the trip takes 53 min to Barcelona Sants (12 min to Girona).
Notable people
*
Narcís Monturiol
Narcís Monturiol i Estarriol (; Narciso Monturiol Estarriol, in Spanish, 28 September 1819 – 6 September 1885) was a Spanish inventor, artist and engineer born in Figueres, Catalonia, Spain. He was the inventor of the first air-independent an ...
(1819–1885), pioneering
submarine engineer and inventor
*
Montserrat Minobis i Puntonet (1942–2019), feminist journalist
*
Salvador Dalí
Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (; ; ; 11 May 190423 January 1989) was a Spanish surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarre images in ...
(1904–1989), world-renowned artist
*
Mónica Naranjo
Mónica Naranjo Carrasco (born 23 May 1974) is a Spanish singer widely popular in Spain and Latin America and recognised as one of the most powerful voices of the Spanish and Latin American music scenes. She has performed with singers such as Luc ...
(born 1974), singer and television host
*
Maverick Viñales
Maverick Viñales Ruiz (; born 12 January 1995) is a Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle racer. Viñales is the 2013 Moto3 World Champion, currently riding in MotoGP for the Aprilia Racing team, after five seasons as a MotoGP factory rider with the ...
(born 1995),
MotoGP racer
*
Dídac Lee (born 1974), entrepreneur, former board member of
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football.
Found ...
Twin towns – sister cities
Figueres is
twinned with:
*
Alcalá la Real
Alcalá la Real is a city in the province of Jaén, Spain. According to the 2006 census ( INE), the city has a population of 22,129.
Geography
Alcalá la Real is situated from the provincial capital, Jaén, and from Granada, on the slopes of ...
, Spain (1989)
*
Marignane, France (1968)
*
Kalisz
(The oldest city of Poland)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = ''Top:'' Town Hall, Former "Calisia" Piano Factory''Middle:'' Courthouse, "Gołębnik" tenement''Bottom:'' Aerial view of the Kalisz Old Town
, image_flag = POL Kalisz flag.svg ...
, Poland (1986)
*
St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
, United States (2011)
References
;References
;Literature
* Panareda Clopés, Josep Maria; Rios Calvet, Jaume; Rabella Vives, Josep Maria (1989). ''Guia de Catalunya'', Barcelona: Caixa de Catalunya. (Spanish). (Catalan).
External links
Figueres Council Figueres Council (Catalan)
Government data pages
{{authority control
Municipalities in the Province of Girona
Populated places in the Province of Girona