La Jonquera
| La Jonquera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Municipality | ||
|
Panorama of the Requesens Castle | ||
| ||
  La Jonquera Location in Catalonia | ||
| Coordinates: 42°25′11″N 2°52′31″E / 42.41972°N 2.87528°ECoordinates: 42°25′11″N 2°52′31″E / 42.41972°N 2.87528°E | ||
| Country |
 Spain | |
| Community |
 Catalonia | |
| Province |
 Girona | |
| Comarca |
 Alt Empordà | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Jordi Cabezas i Llobet | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 56.93 km2 (21.98 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 110 m (360 ft) | |
| Population (2007) | ||
| • Total | 3,075 | |
| • Density | 54/km2 (140/sq mi) | |
| Demonym | Jonquerenc, jonquerenca, jonquereño, jonquereña | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
La Jonquera (Catalan pronunciation: [ɫə ʒuŋˈkeɾə]) is a municipality in the comarca of l'Alt Empordà, in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated next to the border with France, opposite the municipality of Le Perthus.
History
The area has always been an important pass 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 the site of a conflict involving the retreating French crusaders in 1285 that ended in their defeat.
Geography
Civil parishes
La Jonquera (2,888 inhabitants in the village) has got 4 civil parishes (poblaciónes). The village of Els Límits is situated on the French-Spanish border, contiguous to its French twin town, Le Perthus.
| Village | Population (2005) |
|---|---|
| Canadal | 9 |
| Els Límits | 115 |
| Requesens | 0 |
| Sant Julià | 4 |
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).
- Romanesque 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 Sert), in the border.
- Several megalithic monuments (dolmens and menhirs).
Prostitution
The New York Times reported that one of Europe's largest brothels opened in La Jonquera in 2010, taking advantage of Europe's open borders and "lax laws". Many of its clients reportedly come from France. According to the paper, "Advocates and police officials say that most of the women are controlled by illegal networks — they are modern-day slaves." [1]
Forest fires
The area around La Jonquera was seriously affected by fatal wildfires that devastated large swathes of forestry in northern Catalonia in July 2012.[2]
Demography
| 1900 | 1930 | 1950 | 1970 | 1986 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1588 | 1273 | 1199 | 1964 | 2582 | 3075 |
Further reading
- Panareda Clopés, Josep Maria; Rios Calvet, Jaume; Rabella Vives, Josep Maria (1989). Guia de Catalunya, Barcelona:Caixa de Catalunya. ISBN 84-87135-01-3 (Spanish). ISBN 84-87135-02-1 (Catalan).
References
- ↑ Daley, Suzanne (06-04-2012). "In Spain, Women Enslaved by a Boom in Brothel Tourism". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-07-23. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ "Spain wildfires: Four killed in Catalonia". BBC News. 2012-07-23. Retrieved 2012-07-23.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to La Jonquera. |
- Ajuntament de La Jonquera
- Information - Generalitat de Catalunya
- Statistical information - Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya
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Le Perthus (France) | Laroque-des-Albères (France) L'Albère (France) |
Sorède (France) | |
| Maureillas-las-Illas (France) |  |
Espolla Sant Climent Sescebes | ||
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| Agullana | Capmany | Cantallops |
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