Puigcerdà (; es, Puigcerdá) is the capital of the '' Catalan comarca'' of Cerdanya, in the province of Girona,

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 ...

, northern

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 ...

, near the

Segre River The Segre ( or ; french: Sègre) is a river tributary to the Ebro (''Ebre'' in Catalan) with a basin comprising territories across three states: France, Andorra and Spain. The river Segre, known to Romans and Greeks as Sicoris, and to the Arab ...

and on the border with

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 ...

(it abuts directly onto the French town of

Bourg-Madame Bourg-Madame (; ca, La Guingueta d'Ix) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France. Geography Localisation Bourg-Madame is located in the canton of Les Pyrénées catalanes and in the arrondissement of Prades. I ...

History

Puigcerdà is located near the site of a Ceretani settlement, which was incorporated into Roman territory. The Roman town was named Julia Libyca. Puigcerdà was founded in 1178 by King

Alfonso I of Aragon Alfonso I (''c''. 1073/10747 September 1134), called the Battler or the Warrior ( es, el Batallador), was King of Aragon and Navarre from 1104 until his death in 1134. He was the second son of King Sancho Ramírez and successor of his brother Pe ...

, Count of Barcelona. In 1178 Puigcerdà replaced Hix as the capital of Cerdanya. Hix is now a village in the

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 French part of Cerdagne. In the closing stages of the 1672-1678 Franco-Dutch War, the town was captured by a French army under the duc de Noailles but returned to Spain in the

Treaties of Nijmegen The Treaties of Peace of Nijmegen ('; german: Friede von Nimwegen) were a series of treaties signed in the Dutch city of Nijmegen between August 1678 and October 1679. The treaties ended various interconnected wars among France, the Dutch Republi ...

. Puigcerdà was unique 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 ...

in having a democratically elected Anarchist council. The Portet-Saint-Simon–Puigcerdà railway was opened in 1929, crossing 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 ...

to France.

Main sights

*Puigcerdà Pool *Torre del Campanar (12th century). It is the last remain of a parish church destroyed in 1936 * Romanesque church of Sant Tomàs de Ventajola, known from 958 *Romanesque church of Sant Andreu Vilallobent, dating to the 10th century and later restored *Convent of St. Dominic, founded in 1291 and finished in the 15th century *Old Hospital (1190), in Romanesque- Gothic style

Notable people

* Pere Borrell del Caso (1835-1910), painter *

Gemma Arró Ribot Gemma Arró Ribot (born 28 August 1980) is a Catalan ski mountaineer, born in Puigcerdà. She started ski mountaineering in 2003 and competed for the first time at the ''Cronoescalada Pas de la Casa'' race. Selected results * 2006: ** 5th, W ...

(born 1980), ski mountaineer * José Antonio Hermida (born 1978), World Champion Cross Country Mountain bike 2010

References

External links

Government data pages
{{DEFAULTSORT:Puigcerda Municipalities in Cerdanya (comarca) 1177 establishments in Europe Municipalities in the Province of Girona France–Spain border crossings Populated places in the Province of Girona 12th-century establishments in Spain