Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste (; ) is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, near the border with

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and the Autonomous Community of Catalonia. The name ''Prats-de-Mollo'' comes from Catalan "meadows of Molló". Molló is a town just across the border and the

Col d'Ares Col d'Ares () or Coll d'Ares () (el. 1513 m) is a mountain pass in the Pyrenees on the border between France and Spain. It connects Prats-de-Mollo in France with Molló in Catalonia, Spain. History In 1691, during the Nine Years' War, th ...

. La Preste is a spa resort town that was a separate village but is now included as part of the municipality. Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste was the capital of the eponymous former canton. It forms part of the historical

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, ...

Vallespir Vallespir (; ) is a historical Catalan comarca in Northern Catalonia, part of the French department of Pyrénées-Orientales. The capital of the comarca is Ceret, and it borders Conflent, Rosselló, Alt Empordà, Garrotxa and Ripollès ...

and is part of Northern Catalonia.

Geography

Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste is located in the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to ...

, from 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 ...

border and the Autonomous Community of Catalonia, on the banks of the river

Tech Tech or The Tech may refer to: * An abbreviation of technology or technician * Tech Dinghy, an American sailing dinghy developed at MIT * Tech (mascot), the mascot of Louisiana Tech University, U.S. * Tech (river), in southern France * "Tech" ...

, and on the south face of the

Canigou The Canigó ( ca, Canigó, french: Canigou ; la, mons Canigosus or Canigonis) is a mountain located in the Pyrenees of southern France. The Canigó is located less than from the sea and has an elevation of . Due to its sharp flanks and its dra ...

at an

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Ver ...

of 735 meters. Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste is located in the canton of Le Canigou and in the

arrondissement of Céret The arrondissement of Céret is an arrondissement of France in the Pyrénées-Orientales department ( Northern Catalonia) in the Occitanie region. It has 64 communes. Its population is 129,464 (2016), and its area is . Composition The communes ...

History

The town, along with other

municipalities of Roussillon was separated from the rest of Catalonia, and therefore from Spain, by the

Treaty of the Pyrenees The Treaty of the Pyrenees (french: Traité des Pyrénées; es, Tratado de los Pirineos; ca, Tractat dels Pirineus) was signed on 7 November 1659 on Pheasant Island, and ended the Franco-Spanish War that had begun in 1635. Negotiations were ...

(1659), which

got from

part of

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 ...

. 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 was the location of a refuge financed by the pacifist organisation

War Resisters' International War Resisters' International (WRI), headquartered in London, is an international anti-war organisation with members and affiliates in over 30 countries. History ''War Resisters' International'' was founded in Bilthoven, Netherlands in 1921 unde ...

and run by Professor José Brocca. It was also the site of a concentration camp housing

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

refugees from

at the end of the

. It was one of a number of initial sorting camps.

Population and society

Population

Festivals and traditions

Built on the banks of the river Tech, surrounded by mountains, Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste was one of the most important border towns in the area, and today still boasts much evidence of its rich past, both architectural and traditional. In February, two events traditionally take place at Prats: the ''Fête de l'ours'' (in Catalan : ''Festa de l'Ós'', i.e. bear festival) and Carnaval. Both are full of fascinating traditions handed down over the years. During the Bear Festival, celebrated annually at the beginning of spring, the locals dress up as bears, covering themselves with soot or coal and oil, and "attacking" the onlookers, attempting to get everyone dirty. Others dress up as hunters, playing the role of "protectors". The festival ends with the "ball de l'os (bear dance

There is a reference to this tradition in the Catalan author Joan-Lluís Lluís' novel ''El dia de l'ós'' (The Day of the Bear). One of the events during carnival week is the Ball de la Posta. The 'posta' is a plank 1.5 m long and 30 cm wide, with a picture of a pretty girl at one end, representing the

Virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

, and a

devil A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of ...

on the other side. Dancers range themselves in couples opposite the carrier of la posta and his colleague who carries a wooden sword. The dancers advance three times, in couples, towards the armed pair. The first time they bow, the second time the lady must kiss the face on the posta, choosing devil or virgin, and the third time she gets a smack on the bottom with the plank. In olden days, this dance was a judgement on vice and virtue.

Sites of interest

This walled town is a maze of narrow cobbled streets and mediaeval architecture. With only 1,100 inhabitants, it boasts numerous hotels, restaurants and cafés, the narrow streets forming terraces linked together by stairways and passages. A covered walkway leads directly from the town to Fort Lagarde, an impressive fort built by Marshal Vauban in 1683 to strengthen the town's defences and keep the population under control after the

(1659) divided

between

and

and after the revolts of the Angelets de la Terra (1667–75). Its position also makes it ideal as a starting point for walking and climbing itineraries. Only a few kilometres away lies La Preste, a spa town known for its waters and treatment of urinary infections and related diseases. In the 14th century, people with leprosy used to bathe in the 'Leper's pool' to help to relieve their symptoms. * Arboretum de Saint Guillem

Notable people

* Chantal Gorostegui (1965-) : racing cyclist born in Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste.

References

External links

Carnival in Prats-de-MolloThe Bear Festival in Prats-de-MolloThe town's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pratsdemollolapreste Communes of Pyrénées-Orientales Spa towns in France