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The history of the city goes back to the settlements of the Iberians of the indigete tribe in the villages that surround and close the Llano de Gerona. Around 77 a. C. Pompey built an oppidum on the Via Heráclea and the Roman occupants founded the original Gerona, called Gerunda in Latin.



The new city of Gerunda was repopulated with the inhabitants of the town of San Julián de Ramis, becoming an important center of the region, with the articulation of a Roman ager that surrounded the city. Despite the fact that Gerunda was inland, away from the coast, it had a good connection with the port of Ampurias.



The city had its first period of splendor as a diocese of the Church attached to the metropolitan see of Tarragona, followed by the ruralization that was unleashed throughout the ancient Roman Empire due to the general ruin and loss of weight of the citizens.



The Muslim conquest immediately affected Gerona, imposing the new Muslim power a personal and territorial tribute, but it did not last long due to its proximity to the Carolingian empire. The Catalan historian Ramón Abadal i Vinyals considers it the beginning of a process that led to the birth of later Catalonia, which goes to demonstrate the importance that Gerona had over time.



The Carolingian organization of the territory made the city the seat of the County of Gerona. Gerona, as the county seat, comfortably fulfilled its role and overcame the most difficult stages of the Muslim danger. The new walls reinforced the stronghold and expanded the area of ​​the city. At that time, the era of maximum splendor of the Jewish community of Gerona with the Kabbalistic school occurred. Currently, the Jewish quarter of Gerona is one of the best preserved in Europe and is one of the tourist attractions of Gerona.



During the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries the city continued to grow and small extensions and improvements were made to the walls to protect the city from the various attacks that it had to face until the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century by part of the French troops in the context of the numerous European wars.



At the beginning of the 19th century it suffered devastation due to the fighting and sieges it suffered during the Spanish War of Independence.



Around 1889, the General Staff of the Spanish army abolished the category of stronghold that Gerona held and allowed the demolition of a part of the southern walls of the city, Gerona began to take the form it has today. On February 4, 1939, Franco's troops occupied the city. In 1960 Gerona was named the first Ciutat pubilla de la Sardana with a message from Josep Mainar i Pons.





Gerona (in Catalan and officially, Girona) is a Spanish city and municipality, capital of the homonymous province and of the Gironés region, in the Autonomous Community of Catalonia. It belongs to the area of ​​the Comarques Gironines and the Urban System of Gerona, according to the General Territorial Plan of Catalonia.



It limits to the north with San Julián de Ramis and Sarriá de Ter, to the east with Celrá, to the southeast with Juyá and Quart, to the southwest with Fornells de la Selva, Vilablareix and Salt, and to the west with San Gregorio. It is the center of the urban area of ​​Gerona.



The rivers Ter, Güell, Galligans and Oñar cross it. It is 75 m above sea level.



Artistic heritage

Old Town



The Old Town of Gerona, the heart of the original Roman city of Gerunda, contains all of the most relevant artistic heritage of the city and is surrounded by immense walls that can be traversed along the Passeig Arqueològic and Passeig de la Muralla, with a beautiful viewpoint over the city.





The Houses of Oñar



Very characteristic of Gerona are the houses hanging over the Oñar River. These picturesque houses built over the centuries by the river offer a splendid image of a small Mediterranean town. All the river facades are painted following the color palette conferred by Enric Ansesa, Jaume Faixó and the architects J. Fuses and J. Viader.

The Jewish Quarter (El Call Jueu)



At the crossroads of medieval alleys, the Jewish quarter, El Call, stands out, where a small community lived until the end of the 15th century. It is one of the best preserved medieval towns in Europe. The Bonastruc Ça Porta Center, the possible old synagogue that has now been converted into a study center, stands out. To the north side of the center is Montjuïc, or Mount of the Jews.

Girona Cathedral



In Plaza de la Catedral the Casa Pastors, current Renaissance building Palacio de Justícia, and the Pia Almoina are important. In this square is the Cathedral or Santa María, built between the 11th-18th centuries, offering four architectural styles: Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque.



In addition to other civil constructions such as the Casa de l´Ardiaca and the Episcopal Palace, the old town has representative religious buildings, such as the Sant Pere de Galligants monastery or the Sant Feliu Basilica.

Arab baths



The tour of the Barrí Vell can conclude at the Archaeological Walk, with the Julia and Cornelia towers; and the Arab Baths, at the end of the walk, characterized by its upper domed lantern.

The Rambla de la Libertad



Former backbone of medieval baroque and eighth century Gerona, it is the busiest and most emblematic public space in Gerona. However, the existence of the boulevard is very recent since its configuration dates from 1885, when the municipal architect Martí Sureda i Deulovol unified the plaza de las coles with the street of the watering hole and the arcades of the esparteros that he demolished. The whole space was turned, then, into a wooded walkway, with linden trees, and some benches were put up. It was called La Rambla de la Libertad, honoring the tree of freedom that was planted in 1869, during the democratic administration. Although the space was greatly modified by Sureda, it preserves a medieval porticoed part and some of the palaces from the same period. However, the construction of buildings in the eight century transformed, in part, the medieval character of the space. Currently the Rambla is the entry point to the Old Town for tourists who come to the city and a place for everyone to walk.

The Independence Square



The Plaza de la Independencia - which refers to the Spanish War of Independence - is one of the best known and most frequented squares in Gerona. Located in the Mercadal neighborhood, in the center of the city, the square sits where the Convent of San Agustín used to be, which is why it is also known as Plaza de San Agustín. The interest of this square lies in its eighteenth-century air, despite the fact that it is surrounded by austere and identical neoclassical buildings, with sculptural porches dedicated to the defenders of the city of Gerona during the sieges of 1808 and 1809. Anyway , the square, of symmetrical proportions, corresponds more to current interventions than to its architectural past. The municipal architect Martí Sureda was the first to devise a closed and porticoed square with neoclassical turns, with buildings that had the same aesthetic proportions. The urbanization of the area only followed, in part, its schemes and the construction of the first movie theaters in this city, ruined the idea of ​​Martí Sureda. It was not until the 80s of the 20th century that what that architect had imagined could be completed.

The bridges over the Oñar river



One of the main problems, throughout history, of the city, was the need to unite the two parts of the city that were separated by the Oñar River: the right bank (Barrio Viejo) and the left bank ( Mercadal neighborhood). Because of this, bridges played a major role in the development of the city. Currently there are none of the medieval bridges that crossed the river and most of the constructions are contemporary. Among them, four stand out: the Stone Bridge, the Iron Bridge, the Gomez Bridge and the Railway Viaduct. The Stone Bridge (Pont de Pedra or de Isabel II) dates from 1849 and replaced the medieval bridge that connected the two neighborhoods of the city. The Iron Bridge (Pont de Ferro or Pont de les Peixateries Velles, or Pont de Eiffel in honor of Gustave Eiffel (whose company built the bridge), dates from 1876, and represented a great advance in terms of the union and cohesion of the The Gómez Bridge (named after the person whose house was expropriated to build the bridge) dates from 1916 and breaks the eight century style of the previous bridges, with a modern and austere concrete structure. Lastly, the fourth bridge is the Railroad Viaduct, built in 1876 which represented the arrival of modernity and progress for a Gerona that remained walled.



There are several legends related to the city:



Legend of the throne of Charlemagne (Llegenda del tron ​​de Carlemany)

Legend of the tower of Charlemagne and his sword (Llegenda de la torre de Carlemany i la seva espasa)

Every good person from Girona who wants to return safely from a trip is obliged to kiss the lioness's ass, as well as all visitors to the city who wish to return to Gerona one day.

Legend of Saint Narcissus and the flies (Llegenda de Sant Narcís i les mosques)

Legend of the Cocollona

Legend of Gerión (or Gerió], in Catalan), mythical founder of the city

Legend of the Tarlá de l’Argenteria

Culture and traditions

Parties



´´ Fairs and Festivities of San Narciso´´ (Fires i festes de Sant Narcís): The festivities of Gerona are celebrated in the week that October 29 falls, a day dedicated to Saint Narcissus, the patron saint of the city. The festivities begin the Friday before the 29th with a parade and the reading of the proclamation from the balcony of the town hall. On San Narciso's day, a solemn high mass dedicated to the saint is celebrated in the church of San Félix in Gerona, where the saint's chapel is located with the supposed remains of the saint. Paradoxically, the mass of the current patron of Gerona is celebrated in the church dedicated to the former patron Saint Felix. They end the Sunday following October 29 with fireworks. Regarding the playful aspect of the festivities, in the Parc de la Devesa there are the ´´barraques´´ (bars of local entities made with barracks) together with the musical concerts, the attractions of fairs and the ´´Fira agricultural i comercial´´ with stands for local companies. Over time, the San Narciso festivities have become festivals that encompass all the municipalities of the lower regions of the Province of Gerona, thus losing the more urban and traditional character, exploiting the most playful part of the same.

´´Gerona, Time of flowers´´ (Girona, Temps de flors): This is a very recent festival, with a very important promotional, tourist and commercial nature, which takes place the third week of May. This festival began to be celebrated in 1955, as a simple exhibition of flowers in the church of San Doménech in Gerona, organized by the Feminine Section of the FET and the JONS. Over the years, the sample evolved to become a sample of floral creations in the aforementioned church. Towards the middle of the 90s of the 20th century, the city council, chaired by Joaquim Nadal i Farreras, decided to convert this exhibition focused on San Doménech, into an exhibition that included the entire city. Therefore, a flower show was organized throughout the city. The city's monuments were adorned and the owners of the Barrí Vell's private patios were convinced to open them to the public during the exhibition. After having undergone a great transformation, this exhibition became the current ´´Girona, temps de flors´´. Today, floral creators fill the city with classic or experimental flower displays. A large number of monuments and prominent public spaces host floral creations. Likewise, the owners of private patios and gardens in Barrí Vell continue to open them and show them to visitors. Despite the commercial and tourist change that the exhibition has undergone, it is still a time when the city opens its doors and is filled with flowers.



Museums [edit]

Archeological Museum



City History Museum: [2] Located in the center of Barrí Vell, in the former 18th century Capuchin convent, and later provincial institute (1845-1968), the museum reviews the entire history of the city of Gerona, from the first prehistoric settlers, through medieval splendor, until reaching our days. The collections include archaeological collections, historical objects, and illustrations of the time, with explanatory maps and models. You can also visit the cloister and the cemetery of the old convent. In the building is the Municipal Historical Archive.

Museum of Archeology of Catalonia: [3] The old church and the old convent of Sant Pere de Galligants, house the collections of the Girona section of the Museum of Archeology of Catalonia, previously known as the Provincial Museum of Antiquities and Fine Arts. Used as a warehouse for archaeological excavations in the Ampurdán since 1846, the provincial museum was installed in 1857. In 1992 the project to modernize the facilities was carried out as a section of the Museum of Archeology of Catalonia. The museum contains all the archaeological material from prehistoric times and ancient times (Iberian, Greek and Roman), found in the Province of Gerona that was not sent to the warehouses of Barcelona, ​​such as, for example, the statue of Escolapi d´ Empúries. You can see tombstones, mosaics, and everyday materials. The museum also covers medieval times, with sets of epigraphy.

Art Museum: [4] Founded in 1976, the museum is located in the former episcopal palace of Gerona, next to the cathedral. The museum contains collections from all periods, from Romanesque to contemporary times, with works by Ramon Martí i Alsina or Joaquim Vayreda. The exhibits range from sacred art to decorative arts. The main collections are medieval, among which the altar from the Empordà monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes stands out.

Chapter Museum-Treasury of the Cathedral: [5] Museum dedicated to the relics and objects of value accumulated by the Chapter of the Cathedral of Gerona. You can see collections dedicated to sacred art, liturgical objects and works of goldsmith. Its pieces include the Beato de Liébana, made in Zaragoza in 975 and the Tapestry of Creation from the 11th or 12th century.

Cinema Museum: [6] Opened in 1998, it is a unique museum in this category. Created from the donation of the private funds of the Catalan film director Tomás Mallol, it contains a great variety of cinematographic material, such as projection machines, reels, original film material and a remarkable collection of posters.

Museum of the History of the Jews: Museum dedicated to the history of the Girona Jewish community from medieval times, from the 11th century to the pogrom of 1391, until their expulsion in 1492. It contains objects of Jewish culture and a rich collection of tombstones from of the Jewish cemetery of Gerona in Montjuïc.



Theater [edit]



Gerona Municipal Theater: The first theater in the city of Gerona is documented in 1769, when the Girona city council decided to use the Pallol as a comedy theater. It was a small space for the intended use, apart from being easily flammable and dangerous. In a facility t

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