Lleida, Lérida in Spanish, with about 146,000 inhabitants, is the capital of Catalonia's only landlocked province. It stands on the Segre river, at the centre of a fertile plain famous for fruit, and is the gateway to the Catalan Pyrenees.
History
It was Iberian Iltirta, capital of the Ilergetes, then Roman Ilerda, where Julius Caesar defeated Pompey's forces in 49 BC. Under the Muslims it became Larida, and was taken by Count Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona in 1149. In 1300 the Studium Generale was founded here, the first university of the Crown of Aragon.
What to see
- The Seu Vella, the old cathedral, built between the 13th and 15th centuries on the hill above the city, between Romanesque and Gothic, with a magnificent cloister of large tracery windows and an octagonal bell tower. Turned into barracks in the 18th century, it has been restored and is Lleida's symbol.
- The King's castle, or Suda, the old Muslim fortress next to the cathedral.
- The Seu Nova, the 18th-century new cathedral, in the centre.
- The Lleida Museum, diocesan and regional, with the area's medieval art.
- The Paeria, the 13th-century town hall, and Carrer Major, the shopping street.
- The Hospital de Santa Maria and the Museu d'Art Jaume Morera.
Festivals and food
The Aplec del Caragol, in May, is a huge food festival devoted to snails: thousands gather in colles to cook tonnes of snails a la llauna, on hot plates, with music and parades. It is of international tourist interest. Other specialities are coc de recapte, a flatbread with vegetables and cured meats, fruit from the Horta, such as pears, peaches and apples, and Garrigues olive oil. The main festivals are Sant Anastasi, in May, and the Mare de Déu de l'Acadèmia, in September.
Around Lleida
- Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park, in the Pyrenees.
- The Romanesque churches of the Vall de Boí, a UNESCO site.
- The Val d'Aran, with Vielha and its ski resorts.
- Poblet monastery, a UNESCO site, in the neighbouring province of Tarragona.
Getting there
Lleida has an AVE station on the Madrid-Barcelona line, about an hour from Barcelona and two hours from Madrid. Lleida-Alguaire airport has seasonal flights.