Girona

Gerona (officially and in Catalan, Girona) is a Spanish city and municipality, capital of the homonymous province and of the region of Gironés, in the autonomous community of Catalonia. The rivers Ter, Güell, Galligans and Oñar cross it, at an altitude of 75 m above sea level. The municipal term, center of the urban area of Girona and the Girona Urban System, has 102,666 inhabitants (INE 2022).

Its historic center is delimited by the Paseo de la Muralla, the walkway of the old Carolingian walls (IX century) and late medieval (XIV and XV). Its monuments include El Call, the old Jewish quarter, one of the best preserved in Spain, as well as the colorful Casas del Oñar, on the banks of the river and very close to the Cathedral of Santa María, which has the widest Gothic nave. of the world.

Toponymy

The official place name, in Catalan, is Girona (AFI: [ʒiˈɾonə]). In Spanish, the traditional place name is Gerona, a name that was official until April 18, 1984. The name is Gerona, although there is also gironés, in disuse.

Geography

It is located in the interior of the Catalan province of Gerona, of which it is the capital, in the extreme northeast of the Iberian Peninsula. It belongs to the Gironés region and to the area of the Girona regions and to the urban system of Girona, according to the General Territorial Plan of Catalonia.

The relief of the municipality is characterized by a plain where four rivers converge: Ter, Oñar, Güell and Galligans. However, in the areas furthest away from the fluvial plain, especially to the east, the relief is more mountainous, with heights such as the Montaña de los Ángeles, integrated into the Sierra de las Gavarras, already in the Pre-coastal Cordillera. The altitude ranges from 395 m above sea level at the Sant Miquel peak to 50 m on the banks of the river Ter. The city stands 69m above sea level.

Northwest: San Gregorio	North: Sarriá de Ter y San Julián de Ramis	Northeast: Jealous
West: Salt		This: Juyá and Quart
Southwest: Salt and Vilablareix	South: Vilablareix and Fornells de la Selva	Sureste: Quart

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification, Girona has a humid subtropical climate of type Cfa, although it is close to the border with the Mediterranean climate of type Csa. Girona's climate is characterized by cold winters, hot summers, and variable autumns and springs, both in terms of temperatures and rainfall. Average temperatures range between 13 and 17 °C. Rainfall varies greatly from year to year, with an average of just over 700 mm. In autumn and winter, fog is frequent.

Average climate parameters of the Observatory of the Airport of Gerona (Vilovi de Oñar municipality) (143 m s. n. m.) (Reference period: 1981-2010)
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Temp. max. abs. (°C)	23.8	25.5	29.0	29.1	33.6	43.9	39.0	41.2	37.0	32.3	30.0	22.5	43.9
Average temperature (°C)	1.15 p.m.	14.1	16.67	18.88	22.61	26.96	30.16	29.72	25.99	21.96	16.82	13.61	20.89
Average temperature (°C)	6.41	7.23	9.76	11.99	15.6	19.81	22.76	22.6	19.34	15.42	10.27	7	14.02
Temp. medium (°C)	-0.34	0.42	2.85	5.1	8.57	12.66	15.35	15.48	12.68	8.87	3.71	0.4	7.15
Temp. min. abs. (°C)	-13.0	-8.2	-5.5	-1.8	0.6	5.1	10.2	8.6	5.8	-0.8	-6.0	-9.4	-13.0
Total precipitation (mm)	62.0	51.3	50.2	66.6	71.1	59.6	32.3	45.7	69.9	87.9	69.7	56.1	727.5
Precipitation days (≥ 1 mm)	4.9	4.9	5.1	7.1	7.3	5.1	3.2	5.1	6.5	6.4	5.2	4.7	65.8
Days of snow (≥)	0.3	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.7
Hours of sun	147	156.	179	194	224	247	285	261	195	167.	143	132	2330
Relative humidity (%)	75	73	70	69	68	63	59	65	70	75	76	76	71
Source: State Meteorology Agency

History

The history of the city goes back to the settlements of the Iberians of the Indigetes tribe in the towns that surround and close the Llano de Gerona. Around 77 B.C. C., Pompey built an oppidum on the Via Heracleia 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, far from the coast, it had a good connection with the port of Ampurias.

Medieval Gothic capital, with plant motifs, in stone with nummulite fossils.

The city had its first period of splendor as a diocese of the Church united 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. It belonged to the Crown of Aragon like many other territories.

The Muslim conquest immediately affected Girona, imposing a personal and territorial tribute on the new Muslim power, but it did not last long due to its proximity to the Carolingian empire. The Catalan historian Ramón d'Abadal considers it as the beginning of a process that led to the birth of later Catalonia, which goes to show the importance that Gerona had over time. In 785, the population annihilated the Muslim garrison and handed over the town to Charlemagne, in exchange for retaining its customary laws.

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 surface of the city. At that time, the period of maximum splendor of the Jewish community of Girona with the cabalistic school occurred. Currently, the Girona Jewish quarter is one of the best preserved in Europe and is one of Girona's tourist attractions.

During the 15th centuries, XVI and XVII the city continued to grow and small extensions and improvements were made to the walls to protect the city from the various attacks it had to face up to the late XVII century and early XVII by French troops in the context of numerous European wars.

The Stone Bridge, or Isabel II, photographed in 1866-1867, by José Martínez Sánchez. Photo library of IPCE.

At the beginning of the XIX century, it suffered devastation due to the fighting and sieges it suffered during the Spanish War of Independence. In 1856 the current Stone Bridge was inaugurated, replacing a medieval one, which was very steep and narrow. This new bridge, from the time of Queen Elizabeth II, is the most important and representative historical bridge in the city. Around 1889, the General Staff of the Spanish army abolished the category of stronghold that Gerona held and the demolition of a part of the southern walls of the city was allowed, Gerona began to take the shape it has today.

On February 4, 1939, Franco's troops occupied the city during the Spanish Civil War. In 1960 Girona was named the first "Pubilla de la Sardana City" with a message from Josep Mainar i Pons.

In 2016, the city was awarded the Europe Prize, a distinction awarded annually by the Council of Europe, since 1955, to those municipalities that have made notable efforts to promote the ideal of European unity. It was the second Spanish city to obtain the award, after Santiago de Compostela.

Demographics

Panoramic view of the city from the cathedral tower

Gráfica de desarrollo demographic de Gerona between 1900 and 2020

Population of Law (1900-1991) or resident population (2001) according to population censuses of the INE.Population according to the 2011 municipal plan of the INE.

In 1975 the municipalities of Salt and Sarriá de Ter were annexed to Gerona, which caused an increase in the city's population. However, in 1983 the union broke up causing a drop in the number of people residing in the city. As of January 1, 2020, it had a population of 103,369 inhabitants.

Administration and politics

Municipal government

Municipal plenary of the City of Gerona

Since the restoration of democracy, the Girona City Council has been governed by three political parties, the Partit dels Socialistes de Catalunya, from 1979 to 2011, Convergència i Unió, from 2011 to 2016, and Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya (detached of Unió Democràtica de Catalunya) from the beginning of 2016, under the person of Marta Madrenas, who replaced Albert Ballesta, who in turn came to replace Carles Puigdemont, who left the mayor's office to be president of the Generalitat of Catalonia.

Territorial organization

Barrios de Gerona: West Santa Eugenia Mas Xirgu North

Montjuic Ensanche East Centre South

According to the administrative division approved in 2003, the city is divided into 9 neighborhoods, which in turn are subdivided into 31 sectors:

Heritage

Cathedral of Girona

Main facade of the cathedral

View of the cathedral

Santa Maria Cathedral, built between the 11th century and XVIII, presents three main, successive architectural styles: Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque. Its cloister is Romanesque, with interesting decorated capitals. Its wide Gothic nave stands out for being the second widest in the world, after the Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican.

To access the temple there is a magnificent staircase built in the time of Bishop Pontich, between 1686 and 1699, with ninety steps, distributed in three sections, and a stone balustrade on each side. The main facade is baroque.

Old Town

The old town of Girona, heart of the primitive Roman city of Gerunda, contains all the most relevant artistic heritage of the city and is surrounded by huge sections of the wall that can be walked along the Archaeological Walk, with a beautiful viewpoint over the city.

In addition to other civil constructions such as the House of the Archdeacon and the Episcopal Palace, the old town has representative religious buildings, such as the Romanesque monastery of San Pedro de Galligans, the chapel of San Nicolás or the basilica of San Félix, with its slender and unique Gothic tower truncated by lightning. In the Plaza de la Catedral, the Casa Pastors, a Renaissance building currently a courthouse, and the Pia Almoina are also important.

Houses of Oñar

Houses hung over the river Oñar

Very characteristic of Gerona are the houses hanging over the Oñar river. All the river façades are painted following the color palette given by Enric Ansesa, Jaume Faixó and the architects J. Fuses and J. Viader.

One of the most outstanding houses on the Oñar river is Casa Masó. Birthplace of Rafael Masó i Valentí, architect from Girona. Located at number 29 Calle Ballesteries in Gerona, it is a symbol of the evolution of Noucentisme in Gerona. Since 2006 it is the headquarters of the Rafael Masó Foundation. The Oñar façade is identified by its white and blue color, which stands out from the rest.

The Jewish Quarter

The CallJewish quarter.

Within the crossroads of medieval alleys, the Jewish quarter stands out, El Call, where he lived until the end of the century XV a small community. The Bonastruc Ça Porta Center stands out in it, the possible former synagogue now converted into a study center and Museum of Jewish History.

To the north of the city, outside the walls, was the medieval Jewish cemetery, on the mountain of Montjuic, or "mountain of the Jews." Some tombstones, with Hebrew alphabetic characters, are displayed in the museum; like a woman's tombstone, Estelina. The translation of it would be: «This is the funeral stele of the honest Estelina, wife of the illustrious and serene Bonastruc Josef. She has her mansion in the Garden of Eden ».

Arab Baths

Apodyterium (‘vestidor’) of the so-called Arab baths

The tour of the Old Quarter can end at the Archaeological Walk, with the Julia and Cornelia towers; and the so-called Girona Arab baths, at the end of the promenade, characterized by their domed lantern above. These baths are an entirely Christian construction, in the Romanesque style.

Liberty Boulevard

Porches de la Rambla de la Libertad

Old backbone of Baroque and 18th-century medieval Girona, it is the busiest and most emblematic public space in Girona. However, the existence of the boulevard is very recent since its configuration dates from 1885, a time 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 had demolished.. The entire space was converted, then, into a tree-lined promenade, with lime trees, and some benches were placed. It was called La Rambla de la Libertad honoring the liberty tree that was planted in 1869, during the democratic six-year term. Although the space was heavily modified by Sureda, it retains a medieval porticoed part and some of the palaces from the same period. However, the construction of 18th century buildings transformed, in part, the medieval character of the space. Currently, the Rambla is the entry point to the Old Quarter for tourists who come to the city and a place for everyone to walk.

Independence Square

Plaza de la Independencia

Plaza de la Independencia —which refers to the Spanish War of Independence— is one of the best-known and most frequented squares in Girona. 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 18th 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. In any case, 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, his schemes and the construction of the first movie theaters in this city; he spoiled the idea of Martí Sureda. Until the 1980s, what that architect had envisioned could not be completed. Well, this place in the city with a noucentista and romantic style is a timeless creation, from one century to the next, which today captivates both residents and visitors. Today it enjoys great activity thanks to the progressive installation of cafes and restaurants. Within this square we can find businesses known for their history and antiquity such as the Café Royal, the Albéniz Cinema and Casa Marieta.

Bridges over the Onyar River

Wooden walkway, 1852. Oldest photograph of Gerona.

One of the main problems, throughout history, 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 (barrio of Mercadal). Due to this, the bridges played a fundamental role in the development of the city. Currently, none of the medieval bridges that crossed the river remain and most of the constructions are contemporary. Three historical bridges, faithfully preserved, stand out: the Stone Bridge, the Iron Bridge and the Gómez Bridge.

Bridge of Stone or Isabel II

• The stone bridge or Isabel II dates from 1856, according to ancient inscription: "Reinando Doña Isabel Segunda. Año de 1856", and replaced the medieval bridge of San Francisco, which had three Gothic arches and defensive tower. The present Stone Bridge is very representative, and was built with blocks of the typical gerundense stone, with abundant fosils of nummulites. It was designed as a main bridge, suitable for circulating people and all kinds of carriages.

Iron or Fisheries Bridge. Built by the Eiffel Company in 1877.

• The iron bridge, the bridge of the Fisheries or the Eiffel Bridge (in honor of Gustave Eiffel, whose Parisian company built it), dates from 1877 and meant an improvement in the cohesion of the city. It has access staircases and is of pedestrian use. Previously there were several wooden walkways in the same place, along with old fishery. But those old wooden bridges were ruined in the frequent floods.
• The bridge of Gomez (which bears the name of the person who gave up part of his house to build the bridge) dates from 1916 and is of reinforced concrete. It has a single arch, slender, modern and austere. It was projected in 1914, when the reinforced concrete was the last novelty. It's pedestrian use.
• The San Felíu Bridge is the most modern of the bridges that cross the Oñar River to connect the old town with the area of the ensanche gerundense. Concretely joins the Canalejas promenade with the square of San Felíu, where is the church of San Felix, hence the name of the bridge. Built in 1995, it was designed by Juan Sobrino of the engineering Pedelta Structural Engineers with the collaboration of the architects Antoni Blazquez, Lluís Guanter and Pere Solà. The structure is a porch of a single vain of 58.4 meters of free light, formed by a central stretch of cutting steel.

Old Santa Catalina Hospital

Farmacia del Antiguo Hospital de Santa Catalina

Built during the second half of the XVII century, to meet the needs of the population of the city and its area of influence. It would exercise its health function until 2004, when it closed its doors to begin a major restoration to, since 2010, be the headquarters of the Generalitat of Catalonia in Girona. Inside, there is also a pharmacy from the end of the XVII century, where there is a vault with paintings from the XIX. In its cabinets, there is a rich collection of more than 350 ceramic jars, vases, and albarelos, most of French origin or inspiration and have the name of the content written in Latin. In addition, it also has about eighty blown glass jars, wooden boxes of herbariums, mortars, surgical material from the time and a small library. The collection belongs to the Girona Art Museum and was restored in 2011. We also find the Espacio Santa Catalina, located in the new building attached to the historic one. It is an exhibition space open to the public, where exhibitions related to the institution of the Generalitat of Catalonia in Girona are organized, as well as other proposals that citizens or entities may contribute. During 2016 you can visit the exhibition 350 years by your side. Memory of the old Santa Catalina Hospital, which commemorates the 350th anniversary of the laying of the first stone.

Post Office Building

Post Building

Singular and characteristic building of a part of Gerona, built between 1916 and 1920, and inaugurated on March 31, 1922. The building follows the design of the architects Eusebi Bona and Enric Catà y Catà. Located at the end of the Gran Vía Jaime I, and beginning the avenue of Ramon Folch. Of all the elements of the building, the cylindrical dome covered with rayola from Valencia stands out. The sculptures of Frederic Marés and Deolovol also stand out on its main façade. As a curiosity to highlight, that due to its central location, its stairs become a meeting point for many people from Girona, especially during the San Narciso festivities

Teixidor Flour Mill

Farinera Teixidor, on Santa Eugenia Street, 42, built in 1911.

La Farinera Teixidor is a Noucentista building designed by the architect Rafael Masó Valentí and built in 1911 in Girona. The complex built in 1911 consists of two buildings separated by a passage supported by a parabolic arch. In the building on the right, the parabolic roof of the main façade stands out, which is covered with greenish ceramic scales, a typical element of Noucentista architecture. To the left of this cover is the main pinnacle that is intended to symbolize the shape of an ear of wheat. The complex was extended with warehouses on both sides in 1915 and 1924. The factory closed in 1988 and rehabilitation work began in 1995, which ended in 2000 and was directed by the architect Arcadi Pla Masmiquel. The new use of the building was the headquarters of the local newspaper El Punt. This use was maintained until 2015 and, since then, the building has been closed.

Services

Transportation

Urban transport

The city of Girona currently has only one means of collective urban public transport: the bus. The transport consortium (CTM) manages the buses of Transports Elèctrics Interurbans (TEISA) and Transports Municipales del Gironés (TMG), which currently has 11 urban lines that they exceed the administrative limits of the municipality of Gerona, encompassing the neighboring municipalities of Salt, Sarriá de Ter, Quart, Fornells de la Selva and Vilablareix, which is considered the urban area of Gerona.

A series of metropolitan, regional and national buses circulate throughout the road network connecting the rest of the towns with Girona. Thus, there are regular lines that connect Girona with San Felíu de Guixols, Santa Coloma de Farnés, Olot and Lloret de Mar and with all the small and medium-sized towns along the route. The central bus station where they all depart is next to the railway station.

Girocleta Station opposite the train station

Gyroclete

Girocleta is the name given to the Girona public bicycle service. The service was inaugurated on September 25, 2009, at that time with 8 stations (with a total of 200 car parks) and 160 bicycles available. Since it was put into operation, it has received great acceptance from the people of Girona. In October 2012, the Girocleta had registered 1,695 users in the service, and the number of stations had already increased to 12.

Railway

Gerona has an Adif railway station (formerly RENFE), connected to the national railway network with a track width of 1668 mm; and connected to this station is the new underground station, with international gauge.

There are five types of trains that connect the city:

• Regional trains (Regional/Catalonia Exprés): join the city with Portbou, Figueras, Barcelona and other municipalities of the province and the neighboring province of Barcelona as Granollers.
• Half distance trains.
• Nearby trains: unen Figueras con El Hospitalet de Llobregat circulating through the maresme. Currently, only service is provided by the RG1 line of Cercanías de Gerona.
• Long-distance trains (Talgo/Estrella): join Gerona with the main cities of the Mediterranean corridor and with Madrid.
• High Speed Trains (AVE/TGV): Unen Gerona with Barcelona, Tarragona, Lérida, Zaragoza, Guadalajara, Madrid and Figueras, Perpignan, Narbona, Montpellier, Nimes, Valence and Paris.
• International trains: join Gerona with Perpignan, Narbona, Montpellier, Limoges, Orleans, Paris, Geneva, Zurich, Turin and Milan.

The railway infrastructure circulates through Girona through a viaduct that crosses the city from north to south. Currently, with the arrival of the High Speed Train in the city, a plan has been drawn up that plans to bury the railway, dismantle the existing freight station and build a new passenger station on the same site as the current station..

Roads

Streets in the Old Town

A large number of road infrastructures cross the municipality of Girona, taking into account that it is a place of obligatory passage towards the Costa Brava, inland, and towards the border with France. The AP-7 toll motorway (Autopista del Mediterráneo), which is the high-capacity road that connects the Mediterranean corridor with the French border, and the A-2 (formerly N-II), formerly the national radial highway that is slowly becoming a dual carriageway. This road crosses the municipality of Gerona through the natural and protected area of the San Daniel Valley. The construction of this highway, crossing an area of high natural and landscape value, generated, around the years 1990 and 1992, strong popular opposition against the project.

The regional highways that cross Girona are: the C-65, the C-66, the N-141a and indirectly, the C-25. The C-65 connects Girona with the Girona coastal city of San Felíu de Guixols, the C-66 with Palafrugell and La Bisbal del Ampurdán, Banyoles and Besalú where it connects with the A-26 State highway. The N-141a connects Gerona with Bescanó and Anglés, following the course of the Ter river. Finally, the C-25, the so-called transversal axis, joins Gerona with Santa Coloma de Farnés, Vich, Manresa and Cervera, where it connects with the A-2.

Lastly, there are the provincial highways, maintained by the Diputación de Girona and which connect the small towns with the capital.

Airport

The airport infrastructure that serves the city of Gerona and the rest of the province is the Gerona-Costa Brava airport, located in Viloví de Oñar, 12 km from the city. Since its creation, in 1969, the airport, which was a second order infrastructure, reserved only for domestic and charter flights, became a first order infrastructure for the arrival of low cost airlines in 2003. Due to this, the Gerona-Costa Brava airport, ceased to be an airport in the province of Gerona, to become an international airport. He was previously a base, in southern Europe, for one of the largest low-cost airlines, the Irish Ryanair.

Port

The municipality of Girona does not have any maritime access or enclave and, therefore, does not have any port in the municipal area. But Girona, historically, had rights over the port of San Felíu de Guixols, 40 km from the city. In medieval times, Gerona managed to have its jurisdiction over the port recognized, which meant control of all the taxes that were derived and the guarantee of the use, with full rights, of the small port on the Mediterranean Sea. Currently, Gerona does not have any rights over the port of San Felíu de Guixols, which has been replaced, in terms of importance, by the port of Palamós, which is the main port infrastructure in the province of Gerona and is located, Also, about 40 km from the Girona capital.

Culture

Parties

San Narcissus Chapel in the Basilica of San Felix.

• Ferias y fiestas de San Narcissus: the festivals of Gerona are celebrated in the week when it falls on 29 October, day dedicated to San Narcissus, patron of the city. The holidays begin on Friday before 29th with a few steps and the reading of the pregon from the balcony of the town hall. On the day of San Narcissus, a solemn mass dedicated to the saint is celebrated, in the church of San Felix de Gerona, where the chapel of the saint is located with the supposed remains of it. Paradoxically, the mass of the current pattern of Gerona is celebrated in the church dedicated to the former patron Saint Felix. They end on Sunday following October 29 with fireworks. As for the playful aspect of the festivals, in the park of the Dehesa are the rods (bars of local entities made with barracks) together with musical concerts, the fairs and the Agricultural and commercial with posts for local companies. Over the course of time, the San Narcissus fiestas have become a festival that covers all the municipalities of the lower regions of the Province of Gerona losing, thus, the most urban and traditional character, exploiting the most playful part of them.

Stairs of the Cuesta de Santo Domingo during the festival Gerona, Time of Flowers.

• Gerona, Time of Flowers: this is a very recent party, with a very important promotional, tourist and commercial character, which is held the third week of May. This festival began to take place in 1955, as a simple exhibition of flowers in the church of Santo Domingo de Gerona, organized by the Women's Section of the FET and the JONS. Over the years, the sample was evolving to a sample of floral creations in the church mentioned. By the mid-1990s, the city council, chaired by Joaquim Nadal i Farreras, decided to convert this sample focused on Santo Domingo, into a sample that understood the entire city. Therefore, a floral display was organized throughout the city. The monuments of the city were adorned and the owners of the private courtyards of the Old Town were convinced to open them to the public during the exhibition. After having undergone a major transformation that sample became the current Gerona, Time of Flowers. At present, floral creators fill the city with classic or experimental floral samples. A lot of monuments and prominent public spaces welcome the floral creations. In addition, the owners of private patios and gardens of the Old Quarter continue to open them and show them to the visitors. Despite the commercial and tourist change that the exhibition has suffered, it is still a time when the city opens its doors and fills with flowers.

Manaies during Holy Week

• Holy Week: On Holy Wednesday the Manaies of Gerona travel through the streets of Gerona to give the Pendon to the domicile of the Pendonist where the delivery of the logo of the association that is kept in their house until the procession of Good Friday. On Good Friday, Manipulus of Manaies gathers the pendonist and accompanies him to the headquarters of the Confraternity to wait for the beginning of the Holy Burial Procession. At ten o'clock in the evening cofrades and manaies head to the cathedral. At the touch of the bells the first Manaies go out through the main gateway giving start to the procession descending the stairs slowly and hitting with the spears, accompanied by the music of the band's timbs, bombs and pimples. They are followed by the confraternities, with grey robes and garnet layer, which accompany the two Mysteries of the Confraternity of Jesus Crucified to which Manaies belong. The two moments in which the Manaies run the Star and the Wheel are particularly spectacular, where the different groups that make up the Manipulus intersect between them. Other confraternities such as those of the Holy Blood, Jesus and children, Holy Sepulchre, Saint Faz, Silence also participate in the procession. After midnight the procession arrives again to the Cathedral where the Manaies, placed on both sides of the stairs, open the way to the different confraternities. It concludes the procession of the Holy Burial with the descent of the Manipulus of the Manaies by the stairs of the cathedral.

Museums

Archaeological Museum

Facade of the Episcopal Palace, seat of the Museum of Art.

• City History Museum: located in the center of the Old Quarter, in the old convent of the Capuchins of the centuryXVIII, and later provincial institute (1845-1968), the museum reviews the entire history of the city of Gerona, from the first prehistoric inhabitants, passing through the medieval splendor, to our day. The collections include archaeological funds, historical objects, and illustrations of the time, with maps and explanatory models. You can also visit the cloister and cemetery of the old convent. In the building is the Municipal Historical Archive.
• Museum of Archaeology of Catalonia: The ancient church and the former convent of San Pedro de Galligans, host the collections of the gerundense section of the Museum of Archaeology of Catalonia, previously known as the Provincial Museum of Antiquities and Fine Arts. Used as a warehouse of the archaeological excavations of Ampurdan since 1846, the provincial museum was installed in 1857. In 1992, the modernization project was carried out as a section of the Museum of Archaeology of Catalonia. The museum contains all the archaeological material of prehistoric times and ancient times (Iriric, Greek and Roman), found in the Province of Gerona which was not sent to the warehouses of Barcelona, such as the statue of Asclepio de Ampurias. You can see tablets, mosaics and everyday materials. The museum also covers the medieval period, with epigraphy sets.
• Museum of Art: founded in 1976, the museum is located in the former Episcopal Palace of Gerona, next to the cathedral. The museum contains collections of all periods, from Romanesque to contemporary times, with works by Ramon Martí Alsina or Joaquim Vayreda. The exposed pieces range from sacred art to decorative arts. The main collections are the medieval ones, among which stands out the ara of the ampurdanese monastery of San Pedro de Roda.
• Capitular-Tesoro Museum of the Cathedral: museum dedicated to relics and valuable objects accumulated by the Chapter of the Cathedral of Gerona. Collections dedicated to sacred art, liturgical objects and works of goldsmithy can be seen. Among its pieces are the Beato de Liébana, made in Zaragoza in 975 and the Tapiz of Creation of the CenturiesXI or XII.

Magic flashlights, Cinema Museum.

• Cinema Museum: inaugurated in 1998, is a unique museum in this category. Created from the donation of the particular funds of the Catalan film director Tomàs Mallol i Deulofeu, it contains a wide variety of film material, such as projection machines, coils, original film material and a remarkable background of posters.
• Museum of the History of the Jews: museum dedicated to the history of the Jewish community of the medieval period, of the centuryXI to the pogrom of 1391, until his expulsion in 1492. It contains objects of Jewish culture and a rich background of tombstones from the Jewish cemetery of Gerona in Montjuic.
• Casa Masó: house-museum dedicated to managing and preserving the work of Rafael Masó and visiting the Casa Masó. The Foundation promotes the study, preservation and dissemination of the work of Masó and Catalan novecentism, and promotes awareness of the importance of architecture and urbanism for society and people. This is why it organizes exhibitions, publications, and educational activities for all audiences.

Theater

Interior of the Municipal Theatre

• Municipal Theatre: the first theater in the city of Gerona is documented in 1769, when the town council of Gerona decided to use the Pallol as a theater of comedy. It was a small space for the use that was meant to be given, apart from being easily flammable and dangerous. In such improper facilities the city council undertook the integral reform of the theater. He broke down the Pallol and began to build a modern theater between 1857 and 1860 with the design of the municipal architect Martí Sureda. The new theatre, shaped like a horseshoe and with a large stage box, followed the patterns of the island theaters that appeared all over Spain at that time. Until 1900, the zarzuela and the Italian opera dominated the theatre scene, the same as the other Spanish theatres. Starting in 1900, this monopoly was truncated and Wagnerian operas were programmed of little or no success. The growth of the Catalan companies, the consolidation of the zarzuela and the rise of the theatre of Angel Guimerá, Serafí Pitarra, Echegaray and Benavente, marked the period until 1936, the year in which the theater ceased to be private and socialized by the CNT. Programming changed radically and works of a pedagogical character were represented: socialist, anarchist and works that enriched the revolution. Then the theatre went to the town hall (which put its management at auction), and recovered the old programming. During the period between 1955 and 1975 the theatrical activity was very low and of very low quality, since the town hall, when assuming direct management, preferred to have closed the room. Because of this, the intellectual groups of the time, close to the weekly Presència He was called the gray years. This group began a theatrical renewal by Joan Ribas and the Proscènium group. Since 1975, the theatre recovered the lost activity by substantially changing the traditional line. The zarzuelas, operas and operas lost their space and the room and theatre (predominantly in Catalan) classic and modern have occupied all the programming. In 1999, a renewal process would begin, the works completed in October 2006.

Exterior of the Hall The Planet

• The Planet Room: the independent theatre room The Planet was created in 1987 by the director of the German theatre company Proscènium, Joan Ribas. It is the second theatre hall of the city and hosts small-format and independent shows, which are not included in the major theatre circuits.
• High season. Fall Festival of Catalonia, which has been held since 1992. The 2013 edition had 88 shows and reached the figure of more than 60 000 spectators with 93.41 % of occupation in the two months that lasted the festival, from 3 October to 8 December.

With an unstoppable and growing international projection, the Fall Festival of Catalonia is held during the months of October, November and December in the cities of Gerona and Salt; far from the powerful nuclei of theatrical exhibition but despite this, the contest has achieved a growing international projection, because of the fact that it is both the entrance door to Spain of foreign shows and companies, as an important showcase of the national stage production, which has helped him a great acceptance.

Throughout its twenty years of history, the High Season, has obtained the recognition of the sector and the specialized press, which has called it "best festival in Spain", and has become a reference event among the main European theater festivals. He has received several distinctions among which stand out the Max Award for New Trends 2012, and his director, Salvador Sunyer, has been awarded the Butaca Award in 2010 and the 2008 National Theatre Award.

International Theatre Festival Amateur de Gerona (FITAG): The International Amateur Theatre Festival of Gerona is held last week of August. Its beginnings date back to the summer of 1998; at those times baptized as The Pati. Celebrating biannually until 2002, when it becomes FITAG and is celebrated annually. Its most characteristic feature is the fact that you can enjoy performances played by amateur theatre companies from anywhere in the world.

Girona Conference Center Auditorium

Concert in the Auditorium Palacio de Congresos de Gerona

Built adjacent to the Trade Fair Palace, next to the Dehesa park and facing the River Ter, it was officially inaugurated on May 27, 2006. The building, designed to host both concerts and congresses; It has several rooms to be able to host events with more or less capacity. The Xavier Montsalvatge Room, which has a capacity for 1,176 spectators; the Sala Cambra that can accommodate up to 402 and the Sala Petita suitable for 178 spectators. In addition, it has up to nine multipurpose rooms, which can be combined with each other, reaching the sum of the 4+5+6+7+8+9 rooms to a capacity of more than 400 attendees. Throughout the year the auditorium hosts a multitude of concerts but it lives its best moment during the High Season cycle. Autumn Festival of Catalonia.

In addition to concerts, congresses, conventions and all kinds of meetings are also held. In terms of congresses, those of medical specialty stand out especially and as a reference we can cite the Fórum Impulsa congress, which brings together more than 1,200 attendees every year.

University of Girona

The current University of Girona is the highest level educational institution in the city. Created in 1992 from the General Study of Girona, a section dependent on the Autonomous University of Barcelona meant the recovery of university studies in Girona since 1717, the year in which the Girona university institution was closed by order of Felipe V. The facilities of the current university are divided into three campuses: the one in the Old Quarter, the one in the center of the city (Campus Centre), and the one in Montilivi.

Legends

The lioness that should kiss the ass to return to Gerona

There are several legends related to the city:

• Legend of the throne of Charlemagne.
• Legend of the tower of Charlemagne and his sword.
• Every good gerundense who wants to return safely from a trip is forced to kiss the lion's ass, as well as all the city visitors who wish to return to Gerona someday.
• San Narcissus legend and flies.
• Legend of the Cocollona.
• Legend of Gerion, mythical founder of the city.
• Legend of Tarlà de l’Argenteria.

Media

Gerona has media at the neighborhood, local and provincial level, such as the following:

Farinera Teixidor, by Rafael Masó i Valentí, home of the newspaper The Punt.

Sports

Girona's soccer team is, par excellence, the Girona Fútbol Club, registered in the First Division of the Spanish professional league. Recently downgraded to silver. Other important teams in the city are: Penya Doble Set CF (the oldest team in the city), Girones Sabat EF, Can Gibert UE, UE Coma Cros, among others.

The Girona basketball team, Club Bàsquet Girona (CB Girona SAD). He plays his matches at the Pavelló Girona-Fontajau. The base of Club Bàsquet Girona is made up of Sant Josep Girona in the children's category (under 14 years) and, from 14 years onwards, Unió Gironina. Other representative clubs are: C.B Sant Narcís youth academy of Sant Josep Girona La Salle Girona, Vedruna Girona, C.B. Fontajau.

There is also a hockey team, the Club Hoquei Girona. The most important handball teams are: Handbol Girona (UDG) and Club Esportiu Maristes. The tennis team includes the Club de Tennis Girona. Volleyball's most important club is Club Voleibol AVAP.

Finally, the GEiEG (Gerundense Excursionist and Sports Group) is represented in almost all sports disciplines, standing out, especially in rugby, athletics, handball and in women's basketball.

Events

Fòrum Gastronòmic (2007)

Throughout the year the city of Girona hosts a multitude of events, be they fairs, congresses or various festivals, some of which are:

• #Girona10: promotional action of the tourist and commercial sectors of the city, where you can get hotel nights for 10 €, or menus to eat in a restaurant also for 10 €. During the weekend of the event, the city's museums are free of charge, and the shops are also added to the action, making special offers. The last weekend of January is celebrated.
• Gerona, Time of Flowers: floral exhibition. The third week of May is celebrated.
• High Season: Festival of Autumn Theatre of Catalonia. It is held annually in the cities of Gerona and Salt.
• Girona Film Festival: the last week of September is celebrated.
• Nits de Clàssica: classical music festival, which is held in summer in the city of Gerona.
• Equus Girona: horse and poni salon, which is celebrated biannually.
• Fórum Gastronomic: is celebrated biannually, sharing headquarters with Santiago de Compostela. The next edition will be 2013.
• Fórum Impulsa: forum organized by the Prince of Girona Foundation, which is held annually the last week of June. The forum aims to awaken the entrepreneurial spirit in youth.
• Girona Jazz Festival: festival held between the end of September and early October.

Twinned cities

Within the foreign relations program of the Girona City Council, the city has been twinned with various cities in the world. Below is a list of Girona's sister cities:

Notable people