Spain, Catalonia, La Bisbal d'Empordà (1)

Spain, Catalonia, La Bisbal d'Empordà (3)

Spain, Catalonia, La Bisbal d'Empordà (5)

La Bisbal d'Empordà is the county seat of the ''comarca'' of

Baix Empordà Baix Empordà in Catalan (; en, Lower Empordà, italic=yes) or Bajo Ampurdán in Spanish () is a ''comarca'' (county) in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. It is one of the two ''comarca'' into which Empordà was divided in the comarcal d ...

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 north ...

, Spain. The town lies 29 km southeast of

Girona Girona (officially and in Catalan language, Catalan , Spanish: ''Gerona'' ) is a city in northern Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter River, Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. The city had an official population of 103,369 in ...

, 12 km west of

Palafrugell Palafrugell () is a municipality in the Mediterranean ''Costa Brava'', located near Palamós in the ''comarca'' of Baix Empordà, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. With 22,365 inhabitants it is the largest city of its comarca. Several ...

and 19 km northwest of

Palamós Palamós () is a town and municipality in the Mediterranean Costa Brava, located in the ''comarca'' of Baix Empordà, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. Palamós is located at the northern end of a large bay. The town is by-passed by th ...

along road C-66 from Girona to

, where it becomes C-31. Two other roads branch off at La Bisbal, GI-660 to

Calonge Calonge is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Baix Empordà in Catalonia, Spain, on the coastline of the Costa Brava. The town comprises two parts, a medieval hill village and modern seaside resort. The main urban centre and original v ...

and

Sant Feliu de Guíxols Sant Feliu de Guíxols () is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Baix Empordà in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated on the Costa Brava and is an important port and tourist centre. The district abuts to the north, the upmarket s'Agaró resort ...

and GI-664 to

Cassà de la Selva Cassà de la Selva is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Gironès in Catalonia, It is linked to Girona and to the Baix Empordà by the C-65 road. During the 20th century it was known for the production of cork and derived articles. With an ...

; both roads cross the hilly coastal range called the

Gavarres Les Gavarres or Massís de les Gavarres is a mountain massif in Catalonia, Spain. It is part of the Catalan Coastal Range. The highest point is Puig d'Arques, 532 m. Other important summits are Mare de Déu dels Àngels (485 m) and Santa Pellaia ...

, with many twists and turns. The municipality lies on the northern edge of the

, on either side of the Daró river-bed, a dry tributary of River Ter. The town's name is derived from the

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

word for "bishop", 'bisbe', as the town was owned by the bishops of

from the

Carolingian period The Carolingian dynasty (; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pippi ...

onward. The town is built over the site of a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

settlement named ''Fontanetum'', and in Old Catalan was sometimes referred to as ''Fontanet''. The

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

name of ''La Bisbal del Ampurdán'' is no longer in official use. The modern settlement can be dated back to no later than the

consecration Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

of the church of Santa Maria de la Bisbal in 901 (the current

baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

structure dates from the 17th century). The fortified episcopal palace, constructed partially in the

Romanesque style Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe characterized by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque style, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 11th century, this later ...

, occupies an eminent spot in the historic town center. The town became home to many French immigrants after the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

of 1789 and saw several skirmishes during the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

(

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 ...

). In the

Battle of La Bisbal In the Battle of La Bisbal on 14 September 1810 a Spanish division led by Henry O'Donnell (also known as Enrique José O'Donnell) and supported by an Anglo-Spanish naval squadron led by Francis William Fane and Charles William Doyle surprised ...

, Spanish General Henry O'Donnell defeated the French forces of General François Xavier de Schwarz on 14 September 1810. The town was briefly occupied by

Carlist Carlism ( eu, Karlismo; ca, Carlisme; ; ) is a Traditionalism (Spain), Traditionalist and Legitimists (disambiguation), Legitimist political movement in Spain aimed at establishing an alternative branch of the House of Bourbon, Bourbon dynasty ...

forces in 1874 during the

Third Carlist War The Third Carlist War ( es, Tercera Guerra Carlista) (1872–1876) was the last Carlist War in Spain. It is sometimes referred to as the "Second Carlist War", as the earlier "Second" War (1847–1849) was smaller in scale and relatively trivial ...

. The economy is heavily based on

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and por ...

manufacture, as well as

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

. The town was served by the gauge

Palamós–Girona–Banyoles railway The Palamós to Flaçà, Girona and Banyoles Railway was a gauge railway line that operated over of track between Palamós, Girona and Banyoles, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. The line was promoted by the Tranvía del Bajo Ampurd� ...

, which reached a junction with the

Barcelona–Cerbère railway The Barcelona–Cerbère railway is a railway line linking Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain to Cerbère in France. History It was built between 1858 and 1878 and electrified between 1981 and 1982 . Gallery File:Estació de França Barcelona Catalo ...

Flaçà Flaçà is a town in the Gironès county of Girona Province, Catalonia, Spain. It occupies an area of 6.67 square kilometers and extends the hills of the Lloreda Valley and alluvial plain of the Ter river. It borders the Ter River to the north and ...

by 1887 and was extended to

by 1921. Service on the line continued until 1956. And not least, La Bisbal is one of the traditional centers of the

Sardana The ''sardana'' (; plural ''sardanes'' in Catalan) is a Catalan musical genre typical of Catalan culture and danced in circle following a set of steps. The dance was originally from the Empordà region, but started gaining popularity throughout ...

, the Catalan folk dance.

Geography

Besides the town of La Bisbal d'Empordà itself, the municipality includes the following populated places: * * *

References

* Panareda Clopés, Josep Maria; Rios Calvet, Jaume; Rabella Vives, Josep Maria (1989). ''Guia de Catalunya'', Barcelona: Caixa de Catalunya. (Spanish). (Catalan). * ''Enciclopèdia catalana bàsica'' (Edn. '' El Periódico''), Barcelona, 1996.

External links

Government data pages
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bisbal D'emporda, La Municipalities in Baix Empordà Populated places in Baix Empordà