Lleida

Lleida (, ; Lérida ) is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain, capital city of the province of Lleida.

Geographically, it is located in the Catalan Central Depression. The metro area has about 250,000 inhabitants. It is also the capital city of the Segrià comarca, as well as the largest city in the province. It had 137,387 inhabitants, including the contiguous municipalities of Raimat and Sucs.

Lleida is one of the oldest towns in Catalonia, with recorded settlements dating back to the Bronze Age period. Until the Roman conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, the area served as a settlement for an Iberian people, the Ilergetes. The town became a municipality, named Ilerda, under the reign of Augustus. It was reconquered in 1149, after being many centuries under the rule of the Moors, who had conquered the town in the 8th century. In 1297, the University of Lleida was founded, becoming the third oldest in the whole of Spain. During the following centuries, the town was damaged by several wars such as the Reapers' War in the 17th century and the Spanish Civil War in the 20th century. Since then, the city has been in a constant urban, commercial and demographic growth.

Languages
It is a traditionally Catalan-speaking town and province, with a characteristic dialect (known as Western or, more specifically, North-Western Catalan, or colloquially lleidatà). Most of the population is actively bilingual in Spanish.

History
In ancient times the city, named Iltrida and Ilerda, was the chief city of the Ilergetes, an Iberian tribe. Indíbil, king of the Ilergetes, and Mandoni, king of the Ausetanes, defended it against the Roman invasion.

Under the Romans, the city was incorporated into the Roman province of Hispania Tarraconensis, and was a place of considerable importance, historically as well as geographically. It stood upon an eminence, on the right (west) bank of the river Sicoris (the modern Segre), the principal tributary of the Ebre, and some distance above its confluence with the Cinga (modern Cinca); thus commanding the country between those rivers, as well as the great road from Tarraco (modern Tarragona), the provincial capital, to the northwest of Spain, which here crossed the Sicoris.

Its situation induced the legates of Pompey in Spain to make it the key of their defense against Caesar, in the first year of the Civil War (49 BCE). Afranius and Marcus Petreius threw themselves into the place with five legions; and their siege by Caesar himself (Battle of Ilerda), as narrated in his own words, forms one of the most interesting passages of military history. The resources exhibited by the great general, in a contest where the formation of the district and the very elements of nature seemed in league with his enemies, have been frequently extolled; but no epitome can do justice to the campaign. It ended by the capitulation of Afranius and Petreius, who were conquered as much by Caesar's generosity as by his strategy. In consequence of the battle, the Latin phrase Ilerdam videas is said to have been used by people who wanted to cast bad luck on someone else.

Under the Roman empire, Ilerda was a very flourishing city, and a municipium. It minted its own coins. It had a fine stone bridge over the Sicoris, (the bridge was so sturdy that its foundations support a bridge to this day). In the time of Ausonius the city had fallen into decay; but it rose again into importance in the Middle Ages.

It was part of Visigothic and Muslim Hispania until it was conquered from the Moors by the Count Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona in 1149.

It used to be the seat of a major university, the oldest in the Crown of Aragon, until 1717, when it was moved by Philip V to the nearby town of Cervera. The University of Lleida is nowadays active again.

During the Reapers' War, Lleida was occupied by the French and rebel forces. In 1644 the city was conquered by the Spanish under D. Felipe da Silva.

Lleida served as a key defense point for Barcelona during the Spanish Civil War, and fell to the Insurgents, whose air forces bombed it extensively, in 1937 and 1938. The November 2, 1937 Legion Kondor attacks against Lleida became especially infamous since they were aimed to the school known as Liceu Escolar de Lleida. 48 children and several teachers died in it that day, 300 people were killed on the November 2 bombings altogether, and the town would be bombed and sieged again in 1938, when it was conquered by Franco's forces.

After some decades without any kind of population growth, it met a massive migration of Andalusians who helped the town undergo a relative demographic growth. Nowadays it is home to immigrants of 146 different nationalities.

During 2007 Lleida was the year's Capital of Catalan Culture.

Districts and neighbourhoods
Lleida is divided in the following districts by the Observatori Socioeconòmic de Lleida:


 * Balàfia
 * Les Basses d'Alpicat
 * La Bordeta
 * Butsènit
 * Camp d'Esports
 * Cap Pont
 * Centre Històric
 * Ciutat Jardí
 * Humbert Torres
 * Instituts-Templers
 * Joc de la Bola
 * Llívia
 * Magraners
 * Mariola
 * Pardinyes
 * Príncep de Viana-Clot
 * Rambla Ferran-Estació
 * Secà de Sant Pere
 * Torres de Sanuí
 * Universitat

Railway
Lleida is served by the RENFE, Spanish state railway's Madrid-Barcelona high-speed rail line, serving Barcelona, Zaragoza, Calatayud, Guadalajara, and Madrid. Lleida has a new airport opened in January 2010, and a minor airfield located in Alfès. Also, the town is the western terminus of the Eix Transversal Lleida-Girona, and a railway covering the same distance (Eix Transversal Ferroviari) is currently under planning.

Lleida's only passenger railway station is Lleida Pirineus. It is served by both Renfe and Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya train lines. In the future a Rodalies Lleida commuter network will connect the town with its adjacent area and the main towns of its province, improving the existing network with more train frequency and newly-built infrastructure. A second railway station is Pla de la Vilanoveta in an industrial area, and only used by freight trains. A future railway museum will be located in its facilities. Since 2008 the bulk of public transport of the Lleida's surrounding area, mainly buses operated by several companies, is managed by Autoritat Territorial de la Mobilitat de l'Àrea de Lleida.

Bus
The urban buses, coloured yellow with blue stripes and owned by Autobusos de Lleida, include the following lines:
 * L-1 Interior
 * L-2 Ronda
 * L-3 Pardinyes
 * L-4 Mariola - Parc cientific i tecnologic
 * L-5 Bordeta
 * L-6 Magraners
 * L-7 Secà
 * L-8 Balàfia-Gualda
 * L-9 Hospitals
 * L-10 Exterior
 * L-11 Llívia-Caparrella
 * L-11B Llívia-Caparrella-Butsenit
 * L-12 C.Històric-Universitat
 * L-13 Cappont
 * L-14 Agrònoms
 * L-P Polígons
 * L-17 Bordeta-Ciutat Jardí
 * L-18 Palau de Congressos- Rambla de la Mercé
 * L-19 Butsenit
 * L-N Wonder (Regular night service)
 * L-Bus Turístic (tourist bus)
 * L- Aeroport
 * L- Llotja

In addition to these, there's a tourist bus and a regular night service to nearby clubs.

Lleida-Pirineus airport
Lleida has depended long time on nearby airports and had no local air transit. Lleida-Alguaire airport opened in 2010.

Future and planned services
A tram-train system is pending approval. Using an existing but outdated passenger line, it would link Balaguer and Lleida, crossing both towns in a much-needed move towards better public transportation, both inner-city and between localities.

Theatre and music venues
Auditori Enric Granados is the town's concert hall and main music institution and conservatory. It is named after the composer Enric Granados, who was born there. Lleida's newest venue is La Llotja de Lleida, which opened with Verdi's Il trovatore. CaixaForum Lleida (formerly known as Centre Cultural de la Fundació La Caixa) includes a concert hall.

Teatre de l'Escorxador, located in a former slaughterhouse, is the town's main theatre. It includes a concert venue, Cafè del Teatre. Teatre Principal de Lleida is used for very different events. Antares is a jazz bar hosting regular live acts. La Boîte and Stones, two clubs, also offer concerts.

Music festivals
There are two important music festivals in Lleida; MÚSIQUES DISPERSES Folk Festival, taking place during the whole month of March and the jazz festival JAZZ TARDOR in November. Concerts are also a regular fixture of the two local feasts, Sant Anastasi in May, and Sant Miquel in September.

Film
CaixaForum Lleida is the usual venue for film-related events and screenings. A Latin-American cinema festival is held yearly in the town (Mostra de Cinema Llatinoamericà de Lleida), and an animation film festival called Animac also takes place there every May.

Art and museums
The Lleida Museum opened in 2008, with historical artifacts and works of art from various periods. The Institut d'Estudis Ilerdencs, a historically relevant building, exhibits both ancient and contemporary art. Centre d'Art La Panera is a recently open contemporary art institution. Lleida has a number of small galleries, such as Sala Municipal d'Exposicions de Sant Joan or Sala Manel Garcia Sarramona, and some institutions dedicated to local artists, such as Museu d'Art Jaume Morera, Sala Leandre Cristòfol or Sala Coma Estadella. The private foundation CaixaForum Lleida and the Public Library of Lleida also offer regular exhibitions. The now defunct Petite Galerie was an innovative and influential gallery in the 1970s.

Superior art teaching in Lleida is to be found at EMBA (Escola Municipal de Belles Arts).

Traditional culture
Traditional celebrations include Festa Major, L’Aplec del Caragol (the biggest in the world of this sort, held at the Camps Elisis since 1980), and Fira de Sant Miquel.

Lleida was the Capital of Catalan Culture in 2007.

Nightlife
Lleida's most popular bars and clubbing area is informally known as Els Vins. Els Vins Vells, as the oldest part of the quarter is called, has experienced serious decay during the 2000s (decade) and most venues in the area are currently closed, with buildings being demolished. Els Vins Nous, on the other hand, an architecturally newer and more upscale area, has largely replaced it. Most big clubs in Lleida, such as Wonder or Cotton, are located outside the town, and are not easily accessible without a car, even though on Saturdays night, there is a bus until Wonder. Also Larida (biggest discothèque in Catalonia) and Excess are big dancing clubs, and they are inside the city.

People from Lleida
The following names are sorted alphabetically.
 * Antoni Abad - artist (born 1956)
 * Jaume Balagueró - filmmaker (born 1960)
 * Josep Borrell - Politician, president of the European Parliament 2004-2007. (born 1947)
 * Dani Andrada, One of the world's strongest climbers
 * Francesc Claverol - 18th century religious scholar, author of De ineffabile misae sacrificio y Libellum de Adventu Anti Christi.
 * Pep Coll - writer (born 1949)
 * Albert Costa - tennis player, olympic contestant in 2000, winner of the 2002 French Open, (born 1975)
 * Leandre Cristòfol - artist, pioneer of Surrealist sculpture in Catalonia (1908–1998)
 * José Espasa Anguera - founder of the precursor of Espasa-Calpe and Enciclopedia Espasa (1840–1911)
 * Pere Fages - Soldier and Governor of the Californias (1734–1794)
 * Adolf Florensa - architect, urban planner who worked for various governments during the 20th century directing the restoration of Ciutat Vella in Barcelona.
 * Javier Galitó-Cava Official Site - actor, dancer born in Barcelona but raised in Lleida for most of his childhood years. He resides in the U.S since 1989.
 * Miguel Ángel Gallardo - underground comic book artist, especially known for his controversial comic series Makoki, published in the Spanish magazine El Víbora.
 * Indíbil (Indibilis, Andobales) king of the Ilergetes (3rd century BCE).
 * Lorena, singer, winner of the 5th series of Spanish Fame Academy, Operación Triunfo.
 * Enrique Granados - Romantic composer (1867–1917)
 * Mari Pau Huguet - Catalan TV personality, TV3 presenter.
 * Kílian Jornet Burgada (born 1987), ski mountaineer, long-distance runner, mountain biker and duathlete
 * Bojan Krkic - (born 1990) football player.
 * Carles Puyol - (born 1978) football player.
 * Joan Capdevila - (born 1978) football player.
 * Josep Lladonosa - historian (1907–1990)
 * Mercè Mor - dancer.
 * Jaume Morera - Artist (1854–1927)
 * Joan Oró - biochemist whose research has been of importance in understanding the origin of life, received several international honours for his work. (1923–2004)
 * Manuel del Palacio - Satirist, journalist (1831–1906)
 * Gaspar de Portolà - Soldier and Governor of Alta and Baja California (1716–1784)
 * Josep Pernau - journalist, satyrist (born 1930)
 * Araceli Segarra - mountaineer and model (born 1970)
 * Salvador Seguí, "El Noi del Sucre" - Anarchist, secretary general of CNT in Catalonia, assassinated (1896–1923).
 * Humbert Torres - Physician and politician, vicepresident of the Generalitat de Catalunya, member of the Spanish Parliament.
 * Màrius Torres - Symbolist poet (1910–1942)
 * Jaume Ulled - stage actor (born 1978)
 * Josep Vallverdú - writer (born 1923)
 * Salvador Vázquez de Parga - essayist, comic book historian (born 1934)
 * Ricardo Viñes - Classical pianist and composer (1875–1943)
 * Victoria Labaila - Spanish teacher in Varna, Bulgaria and a cowomen in Lleida, Spain

Main sights

 * Seu Vella, a Cathedral built in a blend of Romanesque and Gothic styles over the time, and made a military fortress in the 18th century and the older, and mostly destroyed Palau de la Suda, built during the Arab rule and later used as royal residence by the Counts of Barcelona and Kings of Aragon. Both medieval buildings are situated over the so-called Turó de la Seu, a medium-sized hill that dominates the town.
 * Seu Nova, the baroque Cathedral used since Bourbon rule. It was burnt during the Spanish Civil War by the anarchists commanded by Durruti.
 * Institut d'Estudis Ilerdencs, used to be a hospital (Antic Hospital de Santa Maria) built in a Gothic style, but nowadays it is an historical museum and research centre open to visitors, with historically significant objects and art from the Iberian, Roman, Arab, medieval and modern times, as well as an exhibition area usually showcasing contemporary local artists.
 * La Paeria, the city council and also, a historical site with remains and pieces of art from Roman times, to the Moorish rule, to Mediaeval and Modern times, including old prison cells.
 * Gardeny. It is a hill hosting a fortress built between the 12th and 13th centuries. Used by the Knights Templar in the Middle Ages after the area (a fifth of the town) had been granted to them by king Ramon Berenguer IV.
 * The gardens known as Camps Elisis, already used by the Romans. It has the fountain of the mermaid.
 * La Mitjana, a park with wilderness areas. There stands too a dam on the river Segre.
 * Les Basses d'Alpicat, a park. It is currently closed, awaiting reforms.
 * Church of Sant Llorenç, a 12th century romanesque church with 15th century gothic additions. The interior is well preserved.
 * The Bishop of Lleida's Palace on Rambla d'Aragó also serves as an art museum showing pieces included in the styles spanning from Romanesque to Baroque.
 * El Roser, a 13th century convent built by the Dominican Order. It hosted a fine arts academy of the same name and is currently controversially reformed into a parador (a luxury hotel using a historical location).
 * Lleida Public Library, on Rambla d'Aragó, hosted in the building previously known as La Maternitat, a mid-19th century orphanage.
 * Museum of Lleida, opened in 2008, and owned by the Diocese of Lleida focusing on the town's history. Some of the artifacts it contains, which come from areas not belonging to the province of Lleida's territory and jurisdiction, have been object of contention with the neighbouring dioceses and the government autonomous community of Aragon.
 * Sala Cristòfol'', a museum devoted to the works of artist Leandre Cristòfol.
 * Sala Mercat del Pla, an art gallery.
 * Museu d'Art Jaume Morera, an art museum.
 * Centre d'Art de la Panera, a small contemporary art institution.
 * Museu de l'Aigua''.Inside of the Parc de l'aigua.
 * Auditori Enric Granados, Lleida's foremost concert hall. Next to its basement, and publicly displayed are visible ancient ruins.
 * La Llotja de Lleida, a concert hall, theatre, opera and congress hall opened in 2010.
 * Parc de L'aigua, urban park of the city, in the south neighborhoods.

Sports
Lleida has been always a city with great sport tradition. Probably the most famous sport at the present time is basketball, because the club of basketball of the city a few years ago ascended to the ACB, being the revelation team in the league, this caused a lot of boys and girls to become fond of this little well-known sport.


 * Unió Esportiva Lleida, based on the Camp d'Esports
 * CE Lleida Bàsquet, based on the Pavelló Barris Nord
 * Lleida Llista Blava

Sister cities
Lleida has sister relationships with many places worldwide:
 * 🇮🇹 Ferrara, Italy
 * 🇫🇷 Foix, France
 * 🇨🇳 Hefei, China
 * 🇨🇴 Lérida, Colombia
 * 🇫🇷 Perpignan, France

References in culture
The city is the subject of the Catalan folk song La Presó de Lleida, "The prison of Lleida", which was already attested in the 17th century and may be even older. It is a very popular tune, covered by many artists such as Joan Manuel Serrat.