La Seu d'Urgell

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La Seu d'Urgell
Seu d'Urgell Cathedral
Location
General information
Province	Lleida
Comarca	Alt Urgell
Demonym	Urgellenc, urgellenca or Urgellès, urgellesa
Land Area	15.44 km²
Altitude	691 m AMSL
Population	12986 (2008)
Density	822.73 cat./km²
Mayor	[[Albert Batalla i Siscart (Convergence and Union]]

La Seu d'Urgell (formerly Urgell^[1]) is a town located in the Catalan Pyrenees, is the capital of the comarca Alt Urgell, head of the judicial district of la Seu d'Urgell and the seat of Bishop of Urgell, one of the Andorra co-princes. It is in the functional area of Alt Pirineu i Aran (High Pyrenees and Aran), is the town with more inhabitants, concentrating the 17'4%. With Puigcerdà concentrate the thirty percent of the population of the area.^[2]

It is located in the confluence between the river Segre and Valira.^[3] The city is in the local region of Urgellet,^[4] a Pyrenean region formed by 16 municipalities of Alt Urgell. Urgellet and Andorra were the originary County of Urgell with capital in la Seu d'Urgell before the county expansion to the south.^[5]

Alt Urgell is the gateway to the state of Andorra and the proximity to this important population center and economic activity is largely one of the reasons for the current drive of the city of la Seu d'Urgell within Alt Pirineu i Aran.^[6]

The town's patron saints are Saint Ot of Urgell,^[7] Saint Sebastian, and the Virgin of Urgell.^[8] While the Virgin of Núria and Sant Ermengol^[9] are the main patrons of the diocese of Urgell. Sanit Ermengol is the most prominent in the city than other patrons. Probably that's why there are various events throughout the year dedicated to Sanit Ermengol, such as the Sant Ermengol Fair, one of the oldest in Catalonia,^[10] and the altarpiece of Sant Ermengol.

The Parc Olímpic del Segre, built in 1992 for the Barcelona Summer Olympic Games, is a pump-driven canoe and kayak sports venue located adjacent to the historical centre of la Seu d'Urgell.

Contents 1 Name origins 2 Location 3 La Seu d'Urgell municipality 3.1 Fairs, festivals and markets 4 Attractions 5 Demography 6 Highest summits 7 Enllaços externs 8 References

[edit] Name origins

The name la Seu d'Urgell, in Latin Sedes Urgelli, is formed by two different words: Seu from the Latin "Sedes", and Urgell a pre-roman name. Joan Coromines, a linguist, interprets that the name is related to the presence of water.^[11]

The Iberian settlement of Arse-durgui (or Arse d'Urgui) was on the hill of Castellciutat. At that time the hill was called Puiolo Urgelli. Where there was the village of Arse-durgui they built the city of Urgell (in Latin civitas Orgellia and in Catalan ciutat d'Urgell) and here lies the origin of the name Castellciutat. Until the eighteenth century the town was known simply as City and then he added Castle because the existence of an ancient castle that was home of the Counts of Urgell.

Shortly after the destruction of the former Orgellia it was created a new neighborhood, new home of the Diocese of Urgell, called vicus Sedes Urgelli denotes that the town is the episcopal see of the Bishop of Urgell.

Over time, Sedes Urgelli took importance and lost the word vicus (denotes that it was a district) while civitas Orgellia lost the word Orgellia and becomes simply Civitas until the eighteenth century.^[5]

[edit] Location

The city is in the confluence of two rivers, the Segre and Valira, located in a plain of 7 km long and only 691 meters high surrounded by high mountains, as the Cadí mountain range. The plain is called plana de la Seu nad it is formed by Segre.

The location of Seu d'Urgell in one of the crossroads of major communication of the Catalan Pyrenees explains their unique and historic role in the county of Urgell as one of the keys in the recapture. Dominates the cross roads of Andorra, Cerdanya and low Segre. In parallel to the Valira rises a mountain range, where stand the remains of two great strengths, the Ciutadella and Ciutat Castle (in Castellciutat), of great importance in the town.

Small banks or open plains around Segre are separated by gorges. In the north it borders with the municipality of les Valls de Valira, to the west by Montferrer i Castellbò where there is La Seu d'Urgell Airport or Andorra-Pirineus, the south-west Ribera d'Urgellet and south-east by Alàs i Cerc and north-east Estamariu ^[12]

[edit] La Seu d'Urgell municipality

• Bell-lloc.
• Castellciutat (a village).
• Les Torres.
• La Seu d'Urgell districts:
  • Sant Antoni.
  • Sant Pere.
  • Poble-sec.
  • La Seu d'Urgell:
    • Santa Magdalena.
    • Serrat de la Capella.
    • Eixample Bergós (non-official).
    • Casc antic (Town center historic district in English) (non-official).

[edit] Fairs, festivals and markets

However the low population density in the Alt Pirineu i Aran, the area hosts 6'6% of the activity of exhibition in Catalonia.^[13] In la Seu d'Urgell there are a numerous concentrations of fairs and markets throughout the year:

• Traditional market takes place every Tuesday and Saturday in the Main Street.
• Fira de Sant Ermengol, documented as the oldest of Spain,^[10] is the third weekend of October.
• Fira de Formatges Artesans del Pirineu (Artisan cheese fair of the Pyrenees).
• Spring Fair held in April and includes an exhibition of the best examples of Vaca bruna dels Pirineus, a cow from Pyrenees.
• Fira d'Art, the 2007 held the first edition.
• Mercat Medieval dels Canonges: there is street music, theater, circus, falconeri and old offices.
• Mercat de les oportunitats is held twice a year.
• International Music Festival Joan Brudieu began in 1969 and is held in July and August.

[edit] Attractions

• Church monuments:
  • Santa Maria d'Urgell, cathedral of la Seu d'Urgell, in the square of Oms.
  • Cloisters of the cathedral of Urgell.
  • Diocese of Urgell Museum. It exposes the Beatus of la Seu d'Urgell.
  • Palau Episcopal de la Seu d'Urgell (Episcopal Palace), the palace courtyard.
  • Library of Santt Agustí, current municipal library where there was the old convent of Sant Agustí.
  • Church of Sant Miquel along the cloister of Santa Maria d'Urgell is the only building that remains of the cathedral complex built by Sant Ermengol that date of the year 1035.
  • Old Church of Santa Immaculada and future conference room.
  • Old church of Sant Domènec building features fully gothic. Today, conference room and exhibition.
  • Church of Santa Magdalena, the most important church from the social point of view.
  • Seminari conciliar. To the north of the city, surrounded by a large courtyard building that is chaired by a monumental facade features neoromanesque. Was built in 1860 by Roman Samson.

• Old Town, or historic center, where there are Canonges street and the Main Street, both of high architectural value, in addition to the courtyard of the Palau and square Oms where there are the City Hall. The Passeig de Joan Brudieu, the center of la Seu d'Urgell, is one of the most important streets and is the dividing of the old town and the new one.
• Castellciutat village, you can see the over the Tower of Solsona, the castel and Ciutadella.
• Educational Centers
  • Cultural Center "Les Monges" (The Nuns), there are the schools of dance, music and plastic arts in addition to municipal child care, a center of UNED.
  • IES Joan Brudieu: Institute for secondary education, high school.

[edit] Demography

1900	1930	1950	1970	1986	2008
3520	4584	7062	9404	n/a	12986

Incorporation of the municipality of les Torres (1857), Castellciutat (1975).

[edit] Highest summits

• Pic de Salòria 2.789 m.
• Monturull 2.761 m.
• Torreta de Cadí 2.562 m.
• Cap del Verd in Alt Urgell and Solsonès 2.282 m.
• El Coscollet 1.610 m.

[edit] Enllaços externs

• Official website (Catalan)
• Information - Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalan)
• Statistical information - Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya (Catalan)
• Information - Consell comarcal (Catalan)

[edit] References

v • d • e Municipalities of Alt Urgell Alàs i Cerc · Arsèguel · Bassella · Cabó · Cava · Coll de Nargó · Estamariu · Fígols i Alinyà · Josa i Tuixén · Montferrer i Castellbò · Oliana · Organyà · Peramola · El Pont de Bar · Ribera d'Urgellet · La Seu d'Urgell · Les Valls d'Aguilar · Les Valls de Valira · La Vansa i Fórnols

Coordinates: 42°22′N 1°27′E / 42.367°N 1.45°E / 42.367; 1.45