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GIRONA - SPAIN
Girona (Catalan: Girona, Spanish: Gerona) is a
city located in the northwest of Catalonia, Spain on the confluence of the
rivers Ter and Onyar. It is the capital of the Spanish province of the same
name and of the Catalan comarca of Gironès. The population was ca. 74879 in
2001.
History
The first inhabitants in the region were Iberians. Later, the Romans made a
citadel there, which was given the name Gerunda. The Visigoths ruled in
Girona until it was conquered by Moors. Finally, Charlemagne reconquered it
in 785 and made it one of the fourteen original countships of Catalonia.
Guifré I incorporated Girona to the county of Barcelona in 878. Alfons I
declared Girona as a city in the 11th century. The ancient county became
later a duchy (1351), when the king Peter III of Aragon gave the title of
duke to his first-born son, John. In 1414, king Ferdinand I in turn gave the
title of Prince of Girona to his first-born son, Alphonse. The title is
currently carried by Prince Felipe, Prince of Asturias.
The 12th century
saw a flourishing of the Jewish community of Girona, with one of the most
important Cabalistic schools in Europe. The Rabbi of Girona, Nahmanidis or
Bonastruc ça Porta, was appointed Great Rabbi of Catalonia. The history of
the Jewish community of Girona ended in 1492, when the Catholic Kings
expelled all the Jews from Spain. Today, the Jewish ghetto or Call is one of
the best preserved in Europe and a major touristic attraction.
Girona suffered several sieges by the French during the 17th and 18th
centuries. Finally, Napoleon conquered the city in 1809, after 7 months of
siege. The defensive city walls were demolished in the 19th century to allow
for the expansion of the city.
In recent years the remaining parts of the eastern city walls were
reconstructed and now the "Passeig de la Muralla" forms a touristic walking
route around the old city.
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