La Jonquera
Encyclopedia
La Jonquera is a municipality
in the comarca
of l'Alt Empordà
, in Catalonia
, Spain
. It is situated just by the border with France
, with the municipalty of Le Perthus
.
through the Pyrenees
. A contemporary motorway runs not far from the ancient Roman road
, the Via Augusta
. Not far from there is an altar erected by Pompey
at the Coll de Panissars.
La Jonquera was a site of a conflict involving the retreating French crusaders
in 1285 that ended in their defeat.
is situated on the French-Spanish border, contiguous to its French twin town, Le Perthus
.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in the comarca
Comarques of Catalonia
This is a list of the comarques of Catalonia . A comarca is roughly equivalent to a US "county" or a UK "district". However, in the context of Catalonia, the term "county" can be a bit misleading, because in medieval Catalonia, the most important rulers were counts, notably the Counts of Barcelona...
of l'Alt Empordà
Alt Empordà
Alt Empordà is a comarca in Catalonia, Spain, one of two into which Empordà was divided by the comarcal division of Catalonia in 1936.- Municipalities :Populations are as of 2001.*Agullana - pop. 668*Albanyà - pop. 99*L'Armentera - pop. 742...
, in Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It is situated just by the border with France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, with the municipalty of Le Perthus
Le Perthus
Le Perthus is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France. Inhabitants are called Perthusiens and, as of 2006, inhabitants were 582.-Geography:...
.
History
The area has always been an important passMountain pass
A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...
through the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
. A contemporary motorway runs not far from the ancient Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
, the Via Augusta
Via Augusta
Via Augusta was a Roman road crossing all the Hispania Province, from Cádiz in the southern tip of current Spain, to the Coll de Panissars, where it crossed the Pyrenees close to the Mediterranean Sea, and joined the Via Domitia...
. Not far from there is an altar erected by Pompey
Pompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey or Pompey the Great , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
at the Coll de Panissars.
La Jonquera was a site of a conflict involving the retreating French crusaders
Ninth Crusade
The Ninth Crusade, which is sometimes grouped with the Eighth Crusade, is commonly considered to be the last major medieval Crusade to the Holy Land. It took place in 1271–1272....
in 1285 that ended in their defeat.
Civil parishes
La Jonquera (2,888 inhabitants in the village) has got 4 civil parishes (poblaciónes). The village of Els LímitsEls Límits
Els Límits is a Spanish village, a civil parish of the municipality of La Jonquera, situated in the province of Girona, Catalonia, in Spain. As of 2005 its population was of 115 .-Geography:...
is situated on the French-Spanish border, contiguous to its French twin town, Le Perthus
Le Perthus
Le Perthus is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France. Inhabitants are called Perthusiens and, as of 2006, inhabitants were 582.-Geography:...
.
| Village | Population (2005) |
|---|---|
| Canadal | |
| Els Límits Els Límits Els Límits is a Spanish village, a civil parish of the municipality of La Jonquera, situated in the province of Girona, Catalonia, in Spain. As of 2005 its population was of 115 .-Geography:... |
|
| Requesens | |
| Sant Julià |
Interesting places
- Church of Santa Maria.
- Ruins of Santa Maria de Panissars (mediaeval Benedictine monastery), in the coll de Panissars.
- Ruins of the castell de Rocabertí.
- Castell de Canadal, with the church of Santa Cristina or Sant Jaume de Canadal (c. IX).
- RomanesqueRomanesque architectureRomanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
churches (Sant Pere del Pla de l'Arca and Sant Martí del Forn del Vidre (10th century), and Santa Llúcia, Sant Miquel de Solans and Sant Julià dels Torts (12th century). - Porta Catalana (work of Josep Lluís SertJosep Lluís SertJosep Lluís Sert i López was a Spanish Catalan architect and city planner.- Biography :Born in Barcelona, he showed keen interest in the works of his painter uncle Josep Maria Sert and of Gaudí. He studied architecture at the Escola Superior d'Arquitectura in Barcelona and set up his own studio...
), in the border. - Several megalithic monuments (dolmenDolmenA dolmen—also known as a portal tomb, portal grave, dolmain , cromlech , anta , Hünengrab/Hünenbett , Adamra , Ispun , Hunebed , dös , goindol or quoit—is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of...
s and menhirMenhirA menhir is a large upright standing stone. Menhirs may be found singly as monoliths, or as part of a group of similar stones. Their size can vary considerably; but their shape is generally uneven and squared, often tapering towards the top...
s).
Demography
| 1900 | 1930 | 1950 | 1970 | 1986 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1588 | 1273 | 1199 | 1964 | 2582 | 3075 |