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Iltirta (Lérida in Iberian times) was the capital of the ilergetas. Its most famous leaders were Indíbil and Mandonio who were allied with the Carthaginians against the Romans. The year 215 BC. it was decisive. The Battle of the Ebro took place, where Asdrúbal, Hannibal's brother and commander of the Carthaginian army, was defeated by the Romans. His allies Indíbil and Mandonio would finally be dominated in 206 BC.



The year 195 a. C. brought with it a new and important insurrection of the ilergeta, lacetan and ausetan tribes which was put down by the consul Marco Porcio Catón and which led to the death of the ilergeta leaders Indíbil and Mandonio.



The end of the Second Punic War would bring with it the Romanization and assimilation by the indigenous structures of Roman culture. Iltirta would become Ilerda. The year 49 BC. Julius Caesar fought a battle in the Roman Civil War against Pompey the Great in front of its walls. A dark time, due to the few data available, was that of the Visigoth domination from approximately the year 375 to 716.



The Muslims seized Lleida with the same ease as they did with the rest of the peninsula, in the year 714. The occupation took place between 716 and 719, in which the emir Al-Aahm and later Al-Hur made surrender to the city, in deals that were respected. Later, the Aragonese magnate Fortún converted to Islam to maintain power, which would help the submission of the people.



The Frankish King Ludovico Pio sacked the city in 801, a few days later Amrus Al-Leridi recovered it as well as the rest of the territories between 802 and 809. These skirmishes would cause the hardening of the treatment towards the Mozarabs, who finally had than emigrate.



In the 9th century the Tugibis constituted a Taifa kingdom, although feigning a certain loyalty to the Emir of Córdoba. The last king of Lleida was Sulaymán, dethroned by the Almoravids in 1102. They used Lleida as a base for incursions into the Catalan counties.



In 1149 the city surrendered to the Christian troops of Ramón Berenguer IV the Saint and Ermengol VI of Urgel. The Population Charter was awarded to the city in 1150.



In 1264 King Jaime I ´´the Conqueror´´ granted the city the Privilege of Concession of the Paeria, which would henceforth be the form of municipal government. In 1232 the same monarch, Jaime I, granted the city the Privilege of Concession of the San Miguel Fair.



In 1297, Jaime II founded the famous General Study (Studium Generale), thanks to a papal bull from Boniface VIII. The General Study is, therefore, the oldest university in the old Kingdom of Aragon, and it remained active until 1717, when Felipe V ordered its closure and the destruction of the university town.



The following centuries were marked by recession, aggravated by wars and epidemics that culminated in the (1640-1652). The city was deteriorated and Felipe V found a Lérida in ruins. Finally, with the Nueva Planta decree (1714), Lleida lost its privileges and the University. La Seu Vella, closed to worship since 1797, became a military barracks.



During the 18th century, the city recovered its image and dimension. Under the reign of Carlos III the New Cathedral was built. His new illustrated approaches contributed figures, such as Blondel and Baron de Maials, who gave the city an urban appearance in accordance with its role as capital of the province, and the application to crops of the new agronomy studies. At the beginning of the 19th century, Lérida suffered a new invasion, the Napoleonic one, in the course of the War of Independence. The railroad came to the city in 1860.



After the Spanish Civil War, the population decreased greatly.



Today (2007) it has 7 bridges over the Segre river. (4 passable by cars, 1 rail and two pedestrian). Currently (2007) another bridge is being built, that of Príncipe de Viana, and two more pedestrian walkways that are planned, the one that will connect República del Paraguay Street with the Cappont University Campus, and that of La Llotja.



Lérida (in Catalan and officially Lleida) is the capital of the homonymous province, in the autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain. It belongs to the village of Lleida, of which it is the capital, and to the Urban System of Lleida, according to the General Territorial Plan of Catalonia. It is the 49th municipality in Spain in number of inhabitants. Third provincial capital in number of inhabitants of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia and seventh municipality in number of inhabitants of Catalonia, Spain. With 135,919 inhabitants (INE 2009) and some 269,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area.



It is well served by roads, A-2 and A-22 motorways, AP-2 and AVE motorways (Madrid-Barcelona line). It also has an airport in the town of Alguaire, 15 km from the city, opened in January 2010.



Place names



Since its foundation, the city of Lleida has had different place names, according to the transliteration of the conquerors: in Iberian times (ilergetas) Iltirta, under the Roman Empire Ilerda; under the influence of Islam Larida; in the Middle Ages Leyda; and actually:



Lleida is the traditional and historical name in Spanish recommended by the Royal Spanish Academy. [1] According to Law 2/1992, it is the one that must be used in pedagogical texts written in Spanish.

Lleida is the official name approved by the Cortes Generales in Spain, in accordance with Law 2/1992 [2] it is the one that must be used in official texts.





Weather



Lleida has an arid Mediterranean climate with a continental tendency, which is typical of the Ebro Valley. Winters are humid and very cold and summers are warm. Average annual rainfall is quite low, about 375 mm, with maximums in spring and summer drought. It is not surprising that temperatures of a few degrees Celsius below zero in winter and up to 40 ° C in summer can be recorded throughout the year. The fog that in winter usually occupies the Segre valley for days is characteristic. It is for this last question that Lleida was considered a city of punishment in certain historical periods. In the same way, the banner of the flag is purple (a symbol of punishment).



Ornamental fountains [edit]



The ornamental fountains have a great importance in the city environment, the hot and dry summers are compensated by the pleasant vision of the sparkling water.



Fountains can be found both in squares and roundabouts and almost always accompanied by a landscaped area around them. The maintenance of these sources are in the Section of Parks and Gardens.



The fountains are located in most cases as road elements, in the cobweb of the city streets, such as the following:

Fountain of the Rambla de Pardiñas



Catalonia Avenue Fountain



Fountain of the Rambla de Pardiñas



Sources of September 11



Doctor Castells Fountain



Fountain of the Plaza Europa



Fountain of the Square of the Catalan Countries



Fountain of the Plaza de Francia





And others as purely aesthetic elements, such as the following:

Fountain of the Plaza de la Paz



Fountain of the Plaza de la Constitución



Fountain of the Plaza de las Misiones



Fountains of the Plaza de la Paz



Fountains of Madrid Avenue



Fountain of the Gardens of Ernest Lluch



Source of the Drawbridge of La Seu Vella



Fountain of the Plaza Maria Aurelia Capmany





Within the area of ​​the Champs Elysees, we find the following ornamental fountains:

Siren Fountain



Fountain of the Frogs



Lion Fountain



Siren Fountain



Foca Fountain



Fountains of the Parterre de San Jorge



Fountain of Women



Cascade Fountain



Fountain with pond





The monumental fountains

Fountain of the Costa del Jan



Teaching Source



Roser Fountain



Governor's Fountain



Fountain of the Costa del Jan



Fuente del Hospital (in the current Institute of Ilerdenses Studies, known colloquially as Fuente de los Enanitos)



San Lorenzo Fountain



Cathedral Fountain



Fountain of the Tritons









Tourist interest areas



La Seu Vella or Old Cathedral of the XIII century (1203-1278). The Cloister is from the 14th century and the bell tower from the 15th.



Cloister of the Seu Vella de Lérida



Mitjana Park. A natural park next to the city of Lleida, the largest in the city.

Centro de Arte de la Panera: Contemporary art center located in the old market of the city, a building with a medieval colonnade from the 12th century and a perimeter fence from the 17th century.

Diocesan and Regional Museum

Morera Museum (Painting).

Cristófol Room.

Sala Mercado del Pla.

The Canalization: It includes the area adjacent to the Segre River and the remodeled gardens of the Champs Elysees. From here you can contemplate a wonderful view of the Seu Vella.

Enric Granados Municipal Auditorium.

The new cathedral (18th century), in the Baroque style.

The Church of San Juan, in neo-Gothic style, corresponds to the end of the 19th century. Design by Julio de Saracíbar and Celestí Capmany.







Old Hospital of Santa Maria, opposite the cathedral, a beautiful example of civil Gothic houses various cultural facilities, including the archaeological museum and headquarters of the ´´Institut d'Estudis Ilerdencs´´ (´´Institut d´Estudis Ilerdencs´´).

Convent of the Roser formerly called "Convent of Sant Domènec", its construction began in 1669.

Castillo de la Zuda, an old Mudejar castle, located behind La Seu Vella, on the same hill. In its enclosure, the link between Ramón Berenguer IV and Petronila de Aragón took place in 1150, a link that led to the union of Catalonia with the Crown of Aragon. It was partly ruined by two explosions, in 1812 and 1936.







Lérida Agrifood Science and Technology Park in Turó de Gardeny

The Llotja of Lleida

Park on the covering of the train tracks

The Templar castle of Gardeny (12th century)

Various modernist buildings

Statue of Indíbil and Mandonio

Church of San Lorenzo, in Romanesque and Gothic style.

La Paeria Palace, seat of the town hall, civil Romanesque building.

New area of ​​Pardinyes and Balafia, which has the city of basketball.

Las Balsas Municipal Park

Science Museum dedicated to Planet Earth (will be built in 2011)

The Champs Elysees Park: it is a French-style park, romantic and has fountains with statues, a fountain has frogs, another a mermaid, a seal and a woman. In addition to other ornamental fountains.

Romanesque church of San Martín (12th century).

Oratory of the Virgin of Sorrows

The Noguerola river is underground and passes under the city ending in the Segre.

Eje Comercial the longest commercial pedestrian street in Europe with about 3% nbsp; km in length.

Future Campo de Marte Park in the foothills of the north side of the Seu Vella plateau (already under construction)

Arborètum, an immense botanical garden located in one of the city's neighborhoods (ciutat jardí) of more than 7 hectares in size, with more than 18 spaces, where each one of them represents an area of ​​the planet, from the Pyrenees to the desert , with a Mediterranean promenade and forests from India ..., trees, shrubs and flowers brought from all over the planet to expose in a reduced way the natural corners of our planet in this beautiful garden in Lleida (already finished, inauguration in spring 2010 ).



Local parties



Spring Festival: Coinciding with the festival of San Anastasio (patron saint of the city), the Spring Festival of Lleida is celebrated in early May; During the days that the festivities last, there are various events, including the Procession and Floral Offering to the Saint, the Battle of the Moors and Christians, the Fireworks Contest, or the Battle of Flowers.



Aplec del Cargol: One week after the Fiesta Mayor, the Aplec del Cargol is celebrated, a gastronomic festival par excellence in which the famous cargols a la llauna (snails) are tasted, among others, which are a very typical dish of Lleida. The party lasts three days (from Friday to Sunday) and is celebrated in the Parc des Champs Elysées where the ´´colles´´ (groups of friends) set up their booths. The citizens of Lleida are very involved in it and consider it one of their most important festivals. The year 2004 was declared a Festival of National Tourist Interest.



Autumn Festival: Coinciding with the festival of San Miguel, the Autumn Festival of Lleida is celebrated at the end of September. During the week the San Miguel Fair (Fira de Sant Miquel) is celebrated. It is one of the oldest and most important agricultural fairs in Spain and its headquarters are the ´´Parque de los Campos Elíseos´´ (´´Els Camps Elisis´´).



Both the Spring Festival and the Autumn Festival are symbolically presided over by a group of 12 emblematic giants, owned by the Paeria: Mrs. Violant and the Infante Berenguer, King Jaime I the Conqueror and Queen Leonor, Chinese Giants, the Moorish King and Doña Zobeida, the Pharaohs and the emperors Marco Antonio and Cleopatra, the oldest in Catalonia, built in 1840. They usually go out accompanied by Lo Marraco, the city's totemic monster.



Pilgrimage of ´´Els Fanalets de Sant Jaume´´ (´´Farolillos de Santiago´´): A small chapel from the s. XIII located on Calle Mayor, commemorates the passage of the Apostle Santiago through Lleida, where according to a legend, the apostle stuck a thorn in his right foot at night, and an angel with a lantern gave him light so that he could take it out. On the night before Santiago (´´Sant Jaume´´), the boys and girls of the city remember that event by going on a pilgrimage to the New Cathedral, equipped with lanterns, which give the religious procession an unusual air of festivity and verbena. The processional step is made up of a wooden image of the apostle, accompanied by the Giants of the City and the main authorities.

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