Besalú

Besalú
Municipality

Flag

Coat of arms
Besalú

Location in Catalonia

Coordinates: 42°12′N 2°42′E / 42.200°N 2.700°E
Country  Spain
Community  Catalonia
Province Girona
Comarca Garrotxa
Government
  Mayor Lluís Guinó Subirós
Area
  Total 4.92 km2 (1.90 sq mi)
Elevation 151 m (495 ft)
Population (2009)
  Total 2,361
  Density 480/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
Demonym Besaluenc
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
  Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Website Official website

Besalú (Catalan pronunciation: [bəzəˈɫu]) is a town in the comarca of Garrotxa, in Girona, Catalonia, Spain.

The town's importance was greater in the early Middle Ages, as capital of the county of Besalú, whose territory was roughly the same size as the current comarca of Garrotxa but sometime extended as far as Corbières, Aude, in France. Wilfred the Hairy, credited with the unification of Catalonia, was Count of Besalú. The town was also the birthplace of Raimon Vidal, a medieval troubadour.

Besalú was designated as a historical national property ("conjunt històric-artístic") in 1966. The town's most significant feature is its 12th-century Romanesque bridge over the Fluvià river, which features a gateway at its midpoint. The church of Sant Pere was consecrated in 1003. The town features arcaded streets and squares and also a restored mikveh, a ritual Jewish bath dating from the eleventh or twelfth century, as well as the remains of a medieval synagogue, located in the lower town near the river. Besalú also hosts the Museum of miniatures created by jeweler and art collector Lluís Carreras.[1]

References

See also

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Besalú.