Balaguer
Encyclopedia
Balaguer is the capital of the comarca of Noguera
, in the province of Lleida
, Catalonia
, Spain
.
It is located by the river Segre, a tributary to the Ebre.
Balaguer was conquered from the Moors
by Ermengol VI of Urgell
in 1106; he made it his new capital, and it remained so for subsequent counts of Urgell.
The town has a Gothic
bridge, the "Pont de Sant Miquel," over the Segre river. This bridge was destroyed during the Spanish Civil War
in the battle of "Cap de Pont" (bridgehead battle in 1938) and rebuilt after the war.
Another Gothic building is the Santa Maria Church, in the heights above the city, in line with a quite finely conserved wall dating to the 15th century AD.
The historic town is on the right bank of the Segre but, following the Spanish Civil War
, construction began on a modern bridge, which initiated development of a modern extension of the town on the left bank.
General Franco's forces first entered Catalonia from Aragon in 1938 through Balaguer's bridgehead.
Noguera (comarca)
Noguera is a comarca in Catalonia, Spain. It is the largest comarca and its area represents some 5,56% of Catalonia. Noguera is part of the historical county of Urgell and currently belongs to the Lleida province. Its capital is Balaguer....
, in the province of Lleida
Lleida (province)
thumb|250px|Monastery of [[Santa Maria de Bellpuig de les Avellanes]].Lleida is a province of north-eastern Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Catalonia. It is bordered by the provinces of Girona, Barcelona, Tarragona, Zaragoza and Huesca and the countries of France and...
, Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
It is located by the river Segre, a tributary to the Ebre.
Balaguer was conquered from the Moors
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
by Ermengol VI of Urgell
Ermengol VI of Urgell
Ermengol VI , called el de Castilla, was the Count of Urgell from 1102 to his death. He was the son and successor of Ermengol V and María Ansúrez.He was born in Valladolid, whence his nickname comes...
in 1106; he made it his new capital, and it remained so for subsequent counts of Urgell.
The town has a Gothic
Goths
The Goths were an East Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin whose two branches, the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, played an important role in the fall of the Roman Empire and the emergence of Medieval Europe....
bridge, the "Pont de Sant Miquel," over the Segre river. This bridge was destroyed during the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
in the battle of "Cap de Pont" (bridgehead battle in 1938) and rebuilt after the war.
Another Gothic building is the Santa Maria Church, in the heights above the city, in line with a quite finely conserved wall dating to the 15th century AD.
The historic town is on the right bank of the Segre but, following the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, construction began on a modern bridge, which initiated development of a modern extension of the town on the left bank.
General Franco's forces first entered Catalonia from Aragon in 1938 through Balaguer's bridgehead.
Notable natives
- Gaspar de PortolàGaspar de PortolàGaspar de Portolà i Rovira was a soldier, governor of Baja and Alta California , explorer and founder of San Diego and Monterey. He was born in Os de Balaguer, province of Lleida, in Catalonia, Spain, of Catalan nobility. Don Gaspar served as a soldier in the Spanish army in Italy and Portugal...
, founder of San Diego (USA) and Monterrey (USA). - Peter IV of AragonPeter IV of AragonPeter IV, , called el Cerimoniós or el del punyalet , was the King of Aragon, King of Sardinia and Corsica , King of Valencia , and Count of Barcelona Peter IV, (Balaguer, September 5, 1319 – Barcelona, January 6, 1387), called el Cerimoniós ("the Ceremonious") or el del punyalet ("the one...
, King of the Crown of AragonCrown of AragonThe Crown of Aragon Corona d'Aragón Corona d'Aragó Corona Aragonum controlling a large portion of the present-day eastern Spain and southeastern France, as well as some of the major islands and mainland possessions stretching across the Mediterranean as far as Greece...
. - Antoni Torres García, footballer
- Xavier Sánchez Bernat, basketball player
- Roberto MartinezRoberto MartínezRoberto Martínez Montoliú is a Spanish former professional footballer and is currently manager of Wigan Athletic.Martínez played as a midfielder and began his career at lower league Spanish side CF Balaguer. Two years later he went to English Division Three side Wigan Athletic...
, footballer and current football manager - Teresa Pàmies, writer, political activist and mother of Sergi PàmiesSergi PàmiesSergi Pàmies is a Spanish Catalan writer, translator, journalist and television and radio presenter. He is the son of the writer Teresa Pàmies and the former general secretary of the Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia, Gregorio López Raimundo. In his works he employs humor and parody mixing...
.
External links
- Official municipal web site
- Information about Balaguer from the Generalitat de Catalunya
- Statistical information - (Institut d'Estadística de CatalunyaInstitut d'Estadística de CatalunyaThe Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya is the official body responsible for collecting and publishing statistics in the autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain. It is under the responsibility of the Department of the Economy and Finances of the Generalitat de Catalunya.-External links:*...
) - Palomero, Aaron Gutiérrez, "Planificación urbana y vivienda obrera en Balaguer (1939 – 1962). Ocupación del margen izquierdo" Scripta Nova: Revista Electrónica de Geografía y Ciencias Sociales, Vol. VII, núm. 146(025), 1 de agosto de 2003.